FM20: Ajax Amsterdam - Life after Frenkie & Matthijs

[Gungner]

4 minutes ago, wouterb said:

Great results! How did you replace Ziyech and Neres? How's Anthony for you? And what system are you playing?

Antony is awesome, and my current topscorer. He has more than replaced Ziyech. Other than him, I brought in Manor Solomon in January first season to compete with him. 

My formation is as follows:

And my transfers this season: (Dominik Szoboszlai is joining in January 2021 for £20 mil)

[Draakon]

It's probably the best thread to ask this.

What's your approach to Jong Ajax? Do you let your staff to handle everything in Jong Ajax and U-19 teams or do you want to decide player training, loans etc?

What's your policy in player development? Do you want to loan out youngsters or keep them in the team. I'm a bit on a fence here, because Ajax have far superior training facilities and coaches and in the end Jong Ajax also plays in the Eerste divisie, so no reason s to loan your players out to teams in the same division, is it?

What's the most sensible squad size for Jong Ajax?

[3rik]

I'd probably keep the players in Jong Ajax until they are too good för the Eerste divisie and then try to loan them out to teams in the Eredivisie or similiar status until they are competing for a place in the 1st team. The ability to play a lot of 1st team games seems to be very important to develop players even if it's in a lower league. So i'd probably try to keep the Jon squad quite small and loan out the players i'm not sure gonna make the cut later on.

Do anyone use any set of transfer rules in their save? I'm trying to think out a few that are Ajax-compatible but the transfers have been mixed the latest seasons IRL. Young domestic, old and experienced, South american talents and some from Scandinavia.

I'm more leaning towards something like:
-Scandinavian u-21
-Domestic talents
-Raid Dutch and Belgian leagues
-Put a max cap at 2/3 talents from South America/Africa
 

[Raymond85]

Finally got myself into an Ajax save, as i do every year. And this year's will be quite interesting, looking at what was sold last season. Winter transfer DB, no transfers for the first session, and i settled for a tactic that wants to be a homage to both Ajax current and historic playing style, mixed together. Feels good in the first matches, after i tried many different solutions

 

[Raymond85]

Il 3/9/2020 in 16:38 , 3rik ha scritto:

I'd probably keep the players in Jong Ajax until they are too good för the Eerste divisie and then try to loan them out to teams in the Eredivisie or similiar status until they are competing for a place in the 1st team. The ability to play a lot of 1st team games seems to be very important to develop players even if it's in a lower league. So i'd probably try to keep the Jon squad quite small and loan out the players i'm not sure gonna make the cut later on.

Do anyone use any set of transfer rules in their save? I'm trying to think out a few that are Ajax-compatible but the transfers have been mixed the latest seasons IRL. Young domestic, old and experienced, South american talents and some from Scandinavia.

I'm more leaning towards something like:
-Scandinavian u-21
-Domestic talents
-Raid Dutch and Belgian leagues
-Put a max cap at 2/3 talents from South America/Africa
 

 

I only have a few simple rules: sell when over the top offers come in, and only buy a replacement when you have no youngster almost ready to replace internaly. Also keep Jong Ajax and under 19s competitive and winning, so try and get the best youth system possible, and buy youngsters only when those teams hare lacking in new promising youth players. Also try and keep really small squads, with really big talents

[Raymond85]

Il 19/9/2020 in 18:52 , Raymond85 ha scritto:

Finally got myself into an Ajax save, as i do every year. And this year's will be quite interesting, looking at what was sold last season. Winter transfer DB, no transfers for the first session, and i settled for a tactic that wants to be a homage to both Ajax current and historic playing style, mixed together. Feels good in the first matches, after i tried many different solutions

 

 

 

Well, my project was scrapped early, i could just not manage to get the tactic perfected. No matter what i did, it was just too one dimentional, over relying on wing play and no threat from the center of the field.

 

So i quickly switched to something more modern, but with similar principles

 

 

 

It was one hell of a season, going unbeaten domestic, and getting well into europe, losing to a 89 minute gol from a very lucky chelsea

 

 

No transfers all season, just 3 loans out in January. No bids for my stars, and i was happy to keep them and start planning next season

 

 

 

This is how the squad did. As you can see, it was a massive season for the front three, with Tadic taking the spotlight with a massive 32 goals. Much interest in my first team players, we might be able to cash in a lot and rebuild with youngsters from within, and bargains on transfer where we cannot replace directly.

One peculiarity i quite like is that everyone bar the goalies and Dest got at least a goal, so we are not at all dependant on any one single star, and we managed lots of rotations during the season.

 

 

On to our first whole summer.....

[Geordieboy52]

I'm currently in 2025/26 and am trying to stick to the Ajax ethos and not reject any bids that are 'acceptable' and try to have a replacement ready to come in for small fees (I only broke this rule twice, actually in the same day, when I signed transfer listed Kipembe (£35m) and Sancho (I know! £53m).  I currently still have Dest, Gravenbach and Onana but the rest have gone for really good fees.  I will look to post my outgoing transfers because I've made a ton of money (currently close to £700m in the bank).  No real success in Europe since season 1 when I reacher the final with Ziyech as a beast.

Edited September 23, 2020 by Geordieboy52

[Raymond85]

9 ore fa, Geordieboy52 ha scritto:

I'm currently in 2025/26 and am trying to stick to the Ajax ethos and not reject any bids that are 'acceptable' and try to have a replacement ready to come in for small fees (I only broke this rule twice, actually in the same day, when I signed transfer listed Kipembe (£35m) and Sancho (I know! £53m).  I currently still have Dest, Gravenbach and Onana but the rest have gone for really good fees.  I will look to post my outgoing transfers because I've made a ton of money (currently close to £700m in the bank).  No real success in Europe since season 1 when I reacher the final with Ziyech as a beast.

So, i always play Ajax in a similar way.... end of first season summer transfers are just over and look like this
 

 

 

This is what the squad and tactics look like this year. Some Jong Ajax graduates slowly getting in

 

 

 

[Geordieboy52]

@Raymond85 I picked up Lihadji too, he has been insane since breaking into the team.  Made me really comfortable selling Antony after just one season (got £80m+ for him).  He's currently worth £45.5m(ish) but still cannot get picked for France - bonkers!  It took me ages to get rid of Tagliafico, eventually went for roughly what you got but was 30 at the time. Neres and Tadic went end of 1st season for around £110m combined.  Kenneth Taylor was exceptional for me but eventually went to Liverpool for £74m, you should look to develop him...

[Raymond85]

6 ore fa, Geordieboy52 ha scritto:

@Raymond85 I picked up Lihadji too, he has been insane since breaking into the team.  Made me really comfortable selling Antony after just one season (got £80m+ for him).  He's currently worth £45.5m(ish) but still cannot get picked for France - bonkers!  It took me ages to get rid of Tagliafico, eventually went for roughly what you got but was 30 at the time. Neres and Tadic went end of 1st season for around £110m combined.  Kenneth Taylor was exceptional for me but eventually went to Liverpool for £74m, you should look to develop him...

I am keeping an eye on him, and all other youngsters. Whenever i get an injury or red card, i promote someone from Jong Ajax to go on the bench and get some first squad playing time. My youngsters are looking like this now

 

 

 

 

I love to micro manage my youth squads so that everyone gets their appropriate game time. And who doesn't make the first squad on Jong or Under 19's, goes out on loan at appropriate level, best facilities available and nothing less than starter.

[Geordieboy52]

On 24/09/2020 at 20:31, Raymond85 said:

I am keeping an eye on him, and all other youngsters. Whenever i get an injury or red card, i promote someone from Jong Ajax to go on the bench and get some first squad playing time. My youngsters are looking like this now

 

 

 

 

I love to micro manage my youth squads so that everyone gets their appropriate game time. And who doesn't make the first squad on Jong or Under 19's, goes out on loan at appropriate level, best facilities available and nothing less than starter.

Yep, I am the same - the best two to come up were Taylor and Regeer but both have moved on since, Raatsie never really developed and Rensch was similar.  Traore played really well for a few seasons and then went to China.  Unuvar couldn't get into the team because I don't play with a AMC anymore, he went to Valencia for a fair whack and imediately became 'elite'.