[FM16] Ajax Amsterdam - Building a dynasty of youth

[Draakon]

Squad Update 2029-2030

 

Goalkeepers

 

Marvin Koops

 

Thabang Mthethwa

Young South African goalkeeper can pick up a game or two in Dutch Cup.

 

 

Defenders

 

Tom Drost

Team captain is reliable in both defense and he gave more than 10 assists in the last season

 

Sergio Alleyne

His place in the first team has become in doubt for me, recently. He's good in the air, but a bit too inconsistent and often is responsible for conceded goals.

 

Edward Schans

A bit underrated. It seems that Schans will stick around for a bit longer

 

Rene van den Bosch

Should become a bit quicker. His pace is not good enough to play with our usual high defensive line, but he's a great prospect and can challenge for the first team place soon. In this season he's a solid rotation/backup player behind Schans and Alleyne.

 

Dragisa Gudelj

Experienced Serbian fullback is sharing his game time with younger Derian Tepperik and is looking to get his 50th cap for his country

 

Derian Tepperik

Our only wonderkid in the team at the moment. I'd be very surprised if he won't attract offers from big teams in next Summer. Has developed a lot in recent months and he's probably now better than Gudelj

 

 

 

 

 

[Draakon]

Squad Update 2029-2030

 

Midfielders

 

Nathan Leyder

Experienced defensive midfielder asked to return to Belgium in this Summer, but there was no sufficient interest, so he'll see out the rest of his contract here in Ajax.

 

Engin Ari

Engin Ari has slowly started to make DMC position his own. He's excellent tackler and can take set pieces and long shots, if necessary.

 

Pieter Stekelenburg

Still one of the best all around midfielders in the squad

 

Noa Lang

Noa Lang has been a great soldier in midfield, but he's starting to drop down in pecking order now and might not get a new contract.

 

Clyde Sastrodimedjo

Young midfielder has raised into first team more in the beginning of the new season. Still a bit inconsistent, but great prospect.

 

Francesco Antonucci

Italian attacking playmaker signed a new contract in this Summer and he's still a key player for us.

 

Simon Janssen

Advanced plamaker position is one for us where we have to equal options and Simon Janssen is a great talent to have there.

 

 

 

[Draakon]

Squad Update 2029-2030

 

Wingers

 

Dirk van Grinsven

 

 

Nketsi Matal

 

Justin Kluivert

Kluivert has started more often in a striker position as false nine, but he's truly left winger.

 

Johan van Dalen

Another player who has emerged into first team when he got the chance. Has scored a lot in this season, very quick and he's also good corner taker.

 

 

Strikers

 

Tarik de Wit

Tarik de Wit spent his last season on loan in Serie A and it will be interesting to see what he's capable of in Eredivisie. Strong in the air.

 

Jeroen Capobianco

Capobianco had a chance to make some appearances for Ajax in the last year, but his season was ruined by injuries. Let's hope he can impress in this time.

[kidthekid]

Not a bad squad. There's a solid amount of depth. Hopefully you get a quality goalie soon.

[Draakon]

September 2029

 

September started with a PR event - our training facilities were upgraded and opening ceremony was held. I was glad that the new board was as interested in developing the club and facilities as the previous chairman was.

I also signed a new contract with the club until 2033. Improved deal raised my wages to £21,500 p/week

 

15.09.2029 - MVV Maastricht - AFC Ajax 1:0 (ED) - 72. Richairo Zivkovic

We’ve had a fairly difficult run of games so far, mostly against mid-table sides, but September continues with top table schedule and MVV Maastricht are the first of those list. Predicted to finish 7th by media, but currently in top three. MVV have the best teamwork attribute of the league and they have made some good signings in this Summer, most notably ex-Ajax striker Richairo Zivkovic, who is now 32 years old, but still star player for any Eredivisie side.

We practiced attacking movement ahead of this game and I removed overlapping instructions for fullbacks. MVV came against us with standard 4-4-2 formation.

Squad: Koops, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Gudelj, Leyder, Stekelenburg, Antonucci (61. Janssen), van Grinsven (71. Matal), van Dalen, Kluivert (67. de Wit)

We started well and kept MVV under a bit of pressure for the first 15 minutes, but MVV got the best chance of the game in 32’ - Sergio Alleyne allowed Zivkovic to run away with the ball, but the striker sent his shot wide - unusual for striker of his calibre. First half was drab football and despite that opportunity ended with 0:0.

Second half was quite the same - both teams looked careful and didn’t get too many chances. Zivkovic header from corner hit the post in 61’ and in 72’ he finally got his goal another won header in our box landed in the net. Johan van Dalen got an excellent chance to equalize in 78’, but his shot went wide and so the chance was wasted. Frustrating defeat - it was even game and we lost it. To win the title we have to edge close games like that. MVV definitely gained confidence from that win and they should be really pleased with their defense - our crossing didn’t work at all and MVV defenders did well to limit our chances.

• our shooting was just 15/4 - we didn’t get too many good looks on goal

 

18.09.2029 - Manchester City - AFC Ajax 1:2 (Champions League Group C) - 11. Christian Capone - 79. and 88. Tarik de Wit

Our Champions League season started with the most difficult game - away encounter with  Manchester City. Obviously we were a bit fragile after MVV defeat, so I tried to take some pressure off from the lads and send them out with clear heads. Tarik de Wit started up front in this game, as Kluivert had not offered too much in attack as false nine.

Squad: Koops, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Tepperik, Ari, Stekelenburg, Antonucci (46. Janssen), van Grinsven (70. Matal), van Dalen (54. Kluivert), de Wit

Manchester City started well and they took the lead after some individual display of skills by Christian Capone. Italian winger took on Tom Drost, knocked the ball past our captain in our box and finished from tight angle. We composed ourselves and got some half chances after their goal, but the first half was drab football from us and while our defense looked fairly good, it was difficult to see from where we should get our equalizer.

The same continued in second half and even substitutions didn’t make any difference, but finally a moment of magic happened in 79’  - one excellent counter, well delivered cross by Tom Drost and youngster Tarik de Wit scored with easy finish. Manchester City got a bit nervous after that equalizer and right before the end of the game de Wit scored again! Great long ball by Nketsi Matal found him behind defensive line and calm finish made it 2:1. Final whistle meant that we’ve taken unbelievable win from Etihad Stadium. Tarik de Wit had a magical Champions League debut - a true hero in this game.

• we lost possession 41/59, but still managed to steal this away win

 

22.09.2029 - PEC Zwolle - AFC Ajax 0:3 (ED) - 68. Dragisa Gudelj, 74. and 77. Justin Kluivert

Manchester City result gave us a lot of confidence and spirits were high in our dressing room before next league game. Compared to previous fixtures it was an easy one on paper - PEC Zwolle is one of the smallest teams in the league and predicted to finish 18th - main relegation candidates in this season. Our loan star Moreno Markiet plays for Zwolle and it’s interesting to see him in action.

Squad: Koops, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Gudelj, Leyder (61. Ari), Stekelenburg, Antonucci (46. Janssen), van Grinsven (70. Matal), Kluivert, de Wit

First half was pretty boring from both teams. We were perhaps slightly better, but no chances for either team and I was not happy with our performance at half time.

The players took my half time team talk seriously and our game improved. Dirk van Grinsven got the first really good chance for us - he made a great interception and took the ball into box with solo run, but his shot was saved. Justin Kluivert had a half chance and I felt that goal was close for us, but then PEC Zwolle showed they can’t be underestimated. They had a DFK from around 20 meters in 63’ and Arthur Wouters sent his free kick against our crossbar. It was a clear warning for us and we got our concentration back. Soon enough Dragisa Gudelj opened scoring after a corner and then Justin Kluivert scored a quickfire double to secure this result. His second goal was his 100th league goal for Ajax.

In the end it was a good win, although game itself was a struggle. Our second half was a lot better though, and it was a deserved win.

• our shooting was 28/7 - not happy with that line on stat sheet
• Justin Kluivert, Tom Drost and Pieter Stekelenburg were outstanding for us
• Justin Kluivert scored his 100th league goal for Ajax
• both Nketsi Matal and Tarik de Wit suffered bruised head and will skip our next game

 

25.09.2029 - Appingedam - AFC Ajax 0:6 (Dutch Cup 2nd round) - 12. Jeroen Capobianco, 18., 71. and 85. Dirk van Grinsven, 36. and 48. Francesco Antonucci

Dutch Cup 2nd round game has always been a practice match for us. Youngsters and rotation players got their chance in this year too, and they didn’t disappoint.

Squad: Mthethwa, Alleyne, van den Bosch, Leyder (68. Schans), Gudelj, Ari, Sastrodimedjo (70. Lang), Antonucci (61. Janssen), van Grinsven, van Dalen, Capobianco

The game was under our control from start to finish and the only part I could complain about was our finishing. Johan van Dalen wasted some easy chances for us and he too could have easily scored a hattrick like van Grinsven did. Our right winger was the best player on the pitch and finished his scoring with lovely chip from the edge of area that completed his hattrick. Winning by six goals is not really surprising, but we did well and I’m pleased with that.

• our shooting was 31/15 and we clearly dominated the game
• we had 8 clear cut chances
• our average rating was 8.49
• Dirk van Grinsven, Francesco Antonucci, Jeroen Capobianco, Sergio Alleyne and Dragisa Gudelj were superb for us

 

29.09.2029 - AFC Ajax - PSV Eindhoven 6:0 (ED) - 7., 33. and 88. Dirk van Grinsven, 34., 37. and 71. Johan van Dalen

September finished with Topper Derby in Amsterdam Arena. We have lost some points in Eredivisie so far and lost game against MVV earlier in this month puts us under some pressure, so that was a real title six-pointer for us. But PSV looked like a wounded animal - they played a very long game against Jupiler League side RKC Waalwijk in Dutch Cup, losing it after penalty shoot-out. Their morale was low and they looked really tired, so I hoped to use it in our advantage. I chose to practice attacking set pieces before this game and hoped that we could get some corners in home game to take advantage of.

Squad: Koops, Drost, Leyder, Schans, Tepperik, Ari, Stekelenburg (62. Sastrodimedjo), Antonucci (70. Janssen), van Grinsven, van Dalen, Kluivert (70. Capobianco)

We took control early in the game - Dirk van Grinsven scored after good counter and excellent cross from Johan van Dalen. van Grinsven had a great opportunity to double his tally - he intercepted a throw in ,but his shot went wide while he was 1-1 against goalkeeper. Our right winger left this miss behind him and soon scored his second goal - in fact it was a carbon copy of our first goal - another counter-attack after PSV set piece was cleared from our box, another good cross from van Dalen and van Grinsven had an easy finish. Johan van Dalen then took over and scored two goals in quick succession and we went to half time with 4:0 lead. The first half was fantastic football from us and PSV look desperate already, but they had another 45 minutes to suffer.

Both van Dalen and van Grinsven completed their hattricks in second half and the final score 6:0 marked the complete destruction of PSV. A wonderful result for us in the derby match and we showed that we’re still a dominant force in Eredivisie.

• our average rating was 8.48
• Johan van Dalen, Dirk van Grinsven and Tom Drost were superb in this game
• Johan van Dalen scored his 10th goal of the season

 

September started poorly and morale was really down after MVV defeat, but we picked ourselves up after that game and took some really impressive wins. To beat Manchester City in away game was truly unbelievable and 6:0 result in Topper Derby were the highlights of the September.

 

Eredivisie

 

The table is really interesting in this point of the season. MVV Maastricht are doing really well and they’re undefeated so far, PSV had a good run until we destroyed them in the end of this month and FC Utrecht is also in contention - they have several games in hand. While several small clubs have started well, they have dropped points later and are slowly sinking to bottom half of the table. It’s interesting to predict how the table will look in the end of October.

[Draakon]

October 2029

 

03.10.2029 - AFC Ajax - Rosenborg 7:1 (Champions League Group C) - 21. and 44. Dirk van Grinsven, 29. Pieter Stekelenburg, 53. Justin Kluivert, 59. Nketsi Matal, 76. and 86. Johan van Dalen - 47. pen. Daleney dos Santos Souza

After Manchester City win we wanted to keep our momentum going and home game against Rosenborg should be a must win in this group for us.

Squad: Koops, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Gudelj, Ari, Stekelenburg (66. Sastrodimedjo), Janssen, van Grinsven (53. Matal), van Dalen, de Wit (46. Kluivert)

We controlled this game from start to finish and after Johan van Dalen wasted his first clear cut chance in 8’, goals started to flow. Pieter Stekelenburg scored the best goal of the first half with a lovely striker from 24 meters that landed right next to goal post. Half time break arrived at 3:0 scoreline.

Second half started with a bad error from Tom Drost. He tripped Rosenborg player in our box and opponents earned a penalty. It wasn’t start to their comeback though - we resumed our goalscoring form quickly and finished the game with 7:1 win. Rosenborg players looked desperate late in the game and Amsterdam Arena rocked with every goal.

It was another great win, third game in a row we have scored more than 6 goals and in this level it’s a wonderful result.

• our shooting was 36/19 - so big was our dominance in the game
• our average rating was 8.56 - great performances all around from the team
• we made 58 key passes
• Tarik de Wit suffered gashed head and he’s out for a week (possibly next two games)

 

07.10.2029 - AFC Ajax - FC Utrecht 0:1 (ED) - 64. pen. Giorgio Dahmen

After all those big wins we needed one more good game to beat FC Utrecht. And not only as a revenge for that loss in Super Cup final, but because FC Utrecht have been our nemesis in the last seasons and again they’re our biggest competitors for Eredivisie title. They have started well too and have lost only one game next to straight wins since the start of the season, so this was a true title six-pointer.

FC Utrecht played their usual 5-3-2WB tactics and as there wasn’t particularly good match practice against them, I chose to train attacking set pieces before this game. Tarik de Wit was sidelined and I preferred Nathan Leyder to Sergio Alleyne in our central defense.

Squad: Koops, Drost, Leyder, Schans, Tepperik, Ari (63. Alleyne), Stekelenburg, Antonucci (69. Janssen), van Grinsven (69. Matal), van Dalen, Kluivert

We had two great chances in the first half that we wasted. First Johan van Dalen had a great opportunity to score after IFK in 26’, but his shot was weak and was easily held by FC Utrecht goalkeeper. Then Dirk van Grinsven had a great chance from close range, but that shot was saved too.

The same continued after half time break. Dirk van Grinsven sent his shot wide when he had a good look to goal and then the worst happened for us. The first really good attack by FC Utrecht ended in our box and Edward Schans made a desperate fould to stop his man from scoring. Referee didn’t hesitate and awarded a penalty and Schans was sent off for professional foul. To be honest it was fair decision, but it left us in a lurch. Giorgio Dahmen scored from penalty and we were in survival mode for the rest of the game. We did good work in defense with 10 men, but didn’t have a chance for equalizer.

It was extremely frustrating defeat, because we were better team until that red card and penalty. We wasted three clear cut chances and that was unacceptable. FC Utrecht gained a lot of ground in the table with this win and we have nothing else to do than grind and work hard to turn this around.

 

21.10.2029 - Helmond Sport - AFC Ajax 1:3 (ED) - 60. Wesley Esseboom - 13. and 33. Tarik de Wit, 46. Dirk van Grinsven

We’ve had a whole international break to brood on that FC Utrecht defeat and prepare for our next league games. Our schedule gets a bit easier in the league and we have smaller teams in our calendar in upcoming weeks, but the schedule is tough in October, because we’ll play three games in 7 days.

Helmond Sport is one of those smaller teams, predicted to finish 16th and one of the main candidates for relegation, but there’s no room for complacency in away game. Edward Schans was suspended for this game and Derian Tepperik needed a rest after international games, that affected my squad selection.

Squad: Koops, Drost (70. van den Bosch), Alleyne, Leyder, Gudelj, Ari, Stekelenburg (60. Sastrodimedjo), Antonucci (55. Janssen), van Grinsven, van Dalen, de Wit

Young striker Tarik de Wit was the man for us in the first half - he converted a good cross from Tom Drost in 13’ and extended our lead from IFK in 33’. We went to half time with a solid two-goal lead, but I had mixed feelings about this first half. We were clinical in front of goal, but struggled to control midfield (our possession was only 51%). Helmond had some half-chances in our box. We need to be perhaps a bit more aggressive in defense. In addition, Johan van Dalen was completely missing from the picture and we’d created nothing from our left wing.

It improved after half-time talk and some tactical tweaks. Dirk van Grinsven scored a quick goal after second half kick-off, a fierce shot after our corner. Still, we couldn’t keep a clean sheet and Wesley Esseboom had one goal for Helmond in 60’. Helmond played positive football until the end and tried to use every chance they got. They had a DFK in 90’ that Michiel de Nooijer curled over our wall and Marvin Koops made a great save to parry it down low. Giovanni Troupee got to rebound first, but his shot hit our goal post.

Game ended with our 3:1 win and I’m pleased with three points, but there are parts in our game that need some improvement. It’s always more difficult in away games, even against small teams. Tarik de Wit with his clinical finishing and two set piece goals secured us this win.

• our shooting was 15/5 - too many attempts from distance and lack of good chances
• Tarik de Wit scored his first two league goals for Ajax

 

24.10.2029 - AFC Ajax - Wolfsburg 0:1 (Champions League Group C) - 34. pen. Jose Antonio Gomez

We’ve been good in the first two games in our Champions League and I hoped to continue that form against Wolfsburg. In this group the German side should be our equal, so getting a good result against them in home game was vital. We play in the same Champions League group with them for the second year in a row and last season we defeated them twice. Again I had no preference about pre-match training and I chose to practice attacking set pieces.

Squad: Koops, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Tepperik, Leyder (62. Ari), Stekelenburg (55. Sastrodimedjo), Janssen, van Grinsven, Kluivert, de Wit (55. van Dalen)

Wolfsburg got the first good chance of the game in 25’, but their shot after IFK went wide - it was a good look and relief for us. In 34’ Simon Janssen made completely unnecessary foul in our box and Jose Antonio Gomez converted the penalty. Half time ended 0:1 and both teams had played well in defense so far, that’s why this cheap penalty was extremely hurting.

Second half didn’t offer much in terms of chances. We applied some good pressure on Wolfsburg goal in some periods, but had no real opportunities for equalizer and of course it was easy for our opponents to concentrate on defending. Very disappointing defeat for us - second time in this month we’ve lost important game 0:1 because of penalty. Generally our performance was OK and I can’t complain too much, so I feel we deserved a draw from this game.

• our shooting was 10/0 - difficult to find a goal if we can’t get shots on target

 

27.10.2029 - Go Ahead Eagles - AFC Ajax 0:3 (ED) - 47. Dirk van Grinsven, 72. and 90.+1 Clyde Sastrodimedjo

Surprise package of the last season, Go Ahead Eagles finished 6th in Spring, but are still predicted to finish just 14th in this time. They’ve shuffled a lot of their squad, bringing in 14 new players. It was a game we needed to win and I knew we were capable of that. My squad selection was fitness-based after two games behind us in this week. Edward Schans had served his suspension and was available for us.

Squad: Koops, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Gudelj, Ari, Stekelenburg (65. Sastrodimedjo), Antonucci, van Grinsven (70. Matal), van Dalen, de Wit (59. Kluivert)

We dominated midfield in the first half, but couldn’t create good chances. Our attacks looked more dangerous from counters and quick transitions, but those didn’t happen often enough.

Second half looked much better from kick-off. First good attack of the game led to first clear cut chance and Dirk van Grinsven converted it easily. Eagles didn’t roll over and their danger man Asier Nunez showed he can score some goals - Marvin Koops made a brilliant save to deny him n 56’ and once again in 70’. Our 1:0 lead didn’t look too secure until substitute Clyde Sastrodimedjo stepped up and doubled our lead - excellent cross from Tom Drost found box-to-box midfielder in opponent’s area. Sastrodimedjo wrapped things up in injury time with a strong shot just outside of area - Eagles’ goalkeeper got his hand to it, but the shot was too strong and went in anyway. Final score looks good for us, but it was a struggle and we needed very good second half performance to return from Deventer with three points. Marvin Koops had a busy night too and he deserved his clean sheet bonus.

• our shooting was 23/10 - good stats for away game

 

Match day 11 was the last one for Marouane Fellaini. NAC Breda board lost patience and famous manager was sacked already in October. To be fair, it was coming - Breda have won only one game so far and they’re 17th, so better to make this move soon enough to turn things around in this season.

 

30.10.2029 - Venray SV - AFC Ajax 1:6 (Dutch Cup 3rd round) - 5. Patrick Timmermanns - 14. Nketsi Matal, 25. Johan van Dalen, 28. and 78. Jeroen Capobianco, 41. Edward Schans, 50. Simon Janssen

Dutch Cup 3rd round draw has been surprisingly kind for us and amateur side Venray should be easy prey for us. Another game for youngsters and rotation players and I’m sure they are able to do the job.

Squad: Mthethwa, Drost, van den Bosch, Schans, Tepperik, Ari, Sastrodimedjo (64. Lang), Janssen (72. Antonucci), Matal, van Dalen (50. Kluivert), Capobianco

The game started with a big shock - Venray SV scored the first goal. Long ball behind defense found Edward Schans on his heels and Timmermans got away with the ball and finished nicely. It didn’t take long until we scored an equalizer and soon goals started to flow as was expected before the game. Johan van Dalen wasted some chances in the first half, but confidence grew after our second goal and we finished the work in style.

I was not happy with the start of the game and conceded goal. We wasted too many chances in front of goal and we didn’t have luck either - we hit frameworks three times. Otherwise scoreline could have been a lot better, but it was a good training match and it was nice to see where some of the players have with their form.

• our shooting was 30/17
• our average rating was 8.52 - great performances all around with Jeroen Capobianco as the man of the match
• our 4th round opponents are Sparta Rotterdam

 

We have had a mixed month - we had excellent game against Rosenborg, took mandatory wins over smaller Eredivisie sides, but lost two important games because of penalties and that hurts our ambition. So I can’t say we’re in great shape, because if that were true those close games would have gone our way, but we keep on working hard.

 

Eredivisie

 

The table looks tough for us - FC Utrecht are ahead, but they have two games on hand and they’re in great form, so it’s a tough challenge to catch them. Other big teams are in good position too and I expect a tough fight for top three places.

[Draakon]

On 11.4.2018 at 16:30, Evanescent said:

This has been a great read and is something I might now attempt when I'm bored of my current FM18 saves. Any chance of a 'check-in' kind of post where we see some screens of the players that you've sold and how they have developed/are faring in 2029?

 

The best player to come out of my youth system must be Dodi Hamzah. He's now playing for Manchester City.

 

I sold him to Swansea for £20m in 2022. Two seasons later he joined Manchester City for whopping £69m. He's clearly one of the greatest strikers in my save - tall, strong, excellent in the air but quick at the same time. Great finishing and anticipation make him a wonderful goalscorer.

He's achieved a lot (although he's still only 27 years old). He's multiple times English Premier League winner, has won FA Cup and Europa League with City. Over 7 seasons he's scored 191 goals for City so far.

He was part of that Holland international team that won World Cup in 2026 and he received golden boot award of the tournament. Only accolade he's after is Champions League title (City were runners up once). 

 

Edited May 11, 2018 by Draakon

[Draakon]

November 2029

 

06.11.2029 - Wolfsburg - AFC Ajax 1:2 (Champions League Group C) - 35. Yury Bochkarev - 32. and 90. Dirk van Grinsven

We lost home game 0:1 and away fixture in Germany should be even more difficult. We practiced defensive positioning and were underdogs for this game. Wolfsburg came with 4-4-2 at home, looking a bit more attacking.

Squad: Koops, Drost, Leyder, Schans, Tepperik, Ari, Stekelenburg (71. Lang), Janssen (60. Antonucci), van Grinsven, Kluivert (64. van Dalen), de Wit

Wolfsburg started first half with attacking mindset and they got some chances to score. Guerrero had open look on our goal in 16’, luckily for us his shot went wide. Yury Bochkarev tested Marvin Koops after Wolfsburg counter and good save from our goalkeeper kept our clean sheet. Then Dirk van Grinsven showed that he can produce something extraordinary when situation demands it - his left-footed (!) strike from edge of area surprised Wolfsburg goalkeeper and went in. Great display of technical skills and individual brilliance. Wolfsburg answered quickly - Nathan Leyder lost ball dangerously, Bochkarev picked it up, moved behind defensive line and finished with strong strike. Nothing that Koops could do there. First half ended 1:1 and while Wolfsburg had several scoring opportunities, things changed a bit after van Grinsven’s goal. That goal gave us a lot of confidence and Wolfsburg defense got a bit nervous. Interesting how that could affect the game in second half.

Second half offered less chances for both sides. We couldn’t create real chances and Wolfsburg looked nervous too, until the game was decided in the last minute. Poor backpass by defenders was anticipated and intercepted well by van Grinsven. He picked the ball up in Wolfsburg box and it was easy finish from point blank range. Extremely important goal and that proved to be a winner.

It was a decisive win for us. Not only because of three points, but 2:1 away win means that we have advantage over Wolfsburg in games between two clubs. It was a manager’s win today - our players were motivated and tried their best until the final whistle while something clearly went wrong with Wolfsburg team talks.

• our shooting was 20/8 - very good in this level in away game
• Dirk van Grinsven was outstanding for us

 

10.11.2029 - AFC Ajax - NAC Breda 2:0 (ED) - 6. Johan van Dalen, 36. Tarik de Wit

Back to Eredivisie and NAC Breda is visiting Amsterdam Arena in this game. They should be a mid-table side, predicted to finish 9th, but currently are battling against relegation and seriously underachieving. So we practiced attacking movement and I chose to use overlapping instructions in this game. Derian Tepperik looked tired after Champions League game and he was rested.

Squad: Koops, Drost, Alleyne, Schans (64. van den Bosch), Gudelj, Ari, Stekelenburg (55. Lang), Janssen, van Grinsven (67. Matal), van Dalen, de Wit

We looked good in the first half. Johan van Dalen opened scoring with a header that went in off the bar - van Grinsven created this chance with his pinpoint cross. Another good cross from van Grinsven found Tarik de Wit in six yard box and young striker doubled our lead with a simple tap-in. We didn’t have too many chances in the first half, but the ones we had, we finished calmly.

Second half offered less exciting moments. Edward Schans sent a good header toward goal in 63’, but the ball only skimmed crossbar and went over. In summary it was a bit boring game, but solid result and we did what was needed.

• our shooting was 21/9
• Dirk van Grinsven had another great game - after his brace against Wolfsburg he dished two assists tonight

 

After NAC Breda game started international break. It means we have extra two weeks for fitness training and to prepare for our next match. Derian Tepperik made his Holland debut and picked up his first two caps for his country. Those were happy days as Holland qualified for World Cup 2030.

 

23.11.2029 - ADO Den Haag - AFC Ajax 0:1 (ED) - 7. pen. Tarik de Wit

We had time to prepare for this away game, but at the same time international players returned to club more or less tired and that takes away some options with my team selection. ADO Den Haag are another mid-table side, predicted to finish 10th and I expect it to be reasonably tough away game. We practiced attacking movement anyway.

Squad: Koops, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Gudelj, Ari (65. Leyder), Stekelenburg, Janssen, van Grinsven (69. Matal), Kluivert, de Wit (55. van Dalen)

We were lucky in the end of the game. The referee saw that Tim Goedhart played with his foot high against Justin Kluivert in ADO box and gave us a penalty, but it was a harsh decision for ADO. Tarik de Wit converted the spot-kick. We didn’t get another good chance in this first half, but ADO Den Haag almost got an equalizer in 42’ - their counter ended with Marvin Koops making two great saves in a row, denying a clear cut chance in the process.

Dirk van Grinsven then had an excellent chance in 45’ from counter, but his shot failed him and that was easily held by goalkeeper. First half ended with our narrow lead, but the game itself was a struggle for us. We gave ADO too much possession and set pieces (they got 7 corners in the first half alone), and it almost cost us dearly. And, of course, that missed chance in the end of the half.

We improved our performance after half time break, but goals didn’t come. Justin Kluivert had two of our best chances in 50’ and 67’, but both of his shots were saved. Kluivert, who was so prolific in the last season continues to struggle with his scoring in this year. Despite our struggles in front of goal, we kept things tight in defense and took narrow 1:0 away win. I’m not comfortable with how narrow that was, but with our standings in the table, I can’t complain too much with three points.

• Tarik de Wit suffered back strain in the game and he’ll be sidelined for 3-4 weeks

 

28.11.2029 - AFC Ajax - Manchester City 0:1 (Champions League Group C) - 75. Marc Ferrer

November ended with big game in Amsterdam Arena to decide our Champions League group winner. Manchester City were favourites for the game and certainly coming for revenge after what happened in Etihad. I would have been happy with a draw as well.

We practiced defending set pieces before the game (interesting choice, but I trust my assistant in those matters). Tarik de Wit was injured and Derian Tepperik was suspended with yellow cards - that made some choices of line-up for me.

Squad: Koops, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Gudelj, Ari, Stekelenburg, Antonucci (54. Janssen), van Grinsven (71. Matal), van Dalen (64. Capobianco), Kluivert

Manchester City started the game clearly better and their danger man Dodi Hamzah soon showed what could happen to us. He had a great chance in 14’, but fortunately sent his shot wide. Two minutes later another shot clipped upright. But then we had some good moments and Dirk van Grinsven had two great chances in a row in 19’ and 20’ - both of his shots were saved and I cursed missed opportunities. First half ended with 0:0, but it was really entertaining football from both teams and a fairly even game too.

Second half was much more conservative from both teams. Manchester City got only one good shot on target and unfortunately that went in. Marc Ferrer was too strong for Edward Schans, made himself some space with shoulder to shoulder struggle and found the net in far post. Really disappointing defeat for us as we played a good game and I felt we deserved to get a draw, but Manchester City just edged that.

• we made too many individual mistakes - 27 in total and captain Tom Drost responsible for 7 of them

 

November has been a fairly good month for us. We’ve won our games in Eredivisie, got that vital win over Wolfsburg and even this Manchester City defeat doesn’t mean too much, as we still have advantage over them too, and if we can get a good result over Rosenborg, we will progress from the group.

What is even more important is that our competitors in Eredivisie have finally dropped some points and we’re in the top of the table again. FC Utrecht have been in rather poor form after international break and PSV and MVV made some mistakes too. The end of the year could get really interesting.

 

Eredivisie

 

FC Utrecht are right behind us with a game in hand. MVV, PSV and Feyenoord are also in contest for top three places. In the bottom of the table NAC Breda are still struggling hard, but I expect them to turn their poor form around. Fortuna Sittard and PEC Zwolle look to me as the main candidates for relegation in this season.

[Draakon]

December 2029

 

01.12.2029 - VVV Venlo - AFC Ajax 0:1 (ED) - 31. Johan van Dalen

Away game against VVV Venlo was my 700th (!) game in football management and in charge of AFC Ajax. VVV Venlo are predicted to finish 15th in Eredivisie, so I expected to win and we practiced attacking movement before this match. We had some players missing, Tom Drost was suspended and Dragisa Gudelj looked tired and was rested.

Squad: Koops, Alleyne, Leyder, Schans, Tepperik, Ari, Stekelenburg, Janssen (62. Antonucci), van Grinsven (73. Matal), van Dalen, Kluivert (62. Capobianco)

VVV used standard 4-4-2 tactics and in the beginning of the game we looked too nervous and wasted some half-chances. We took the lead in 31’ after IFK - Dirk van Grinsven had a shot on target that was saved and Johan van Dalen finished from rebound. We had a chance to extend our lead in the end of the first half - Hein Klap jumped unfairly with Justin Kluivert in VVV box and penalty wa awarded, but Justin Kluivert missed his spot kick again. Narrow lead was a bit too nervous for us, but we held onto it in a fairly quiet second half and took all three points. I was satisfied with three points, but it wasn’t our best performance and we should have been more confident with our game.

• Jeroen Capobianco was injured in this game and he’ll be out for 2 weeks with twisted knee

 

05.12.2029 - AFC Ajax - Fortuna Sittard 4:0 (ED) - 10. and 76. Nketsi Matal, 35. Johan van Dalen, 68. Tom Drost

Fortuna Sittard is a bit out of their league in Eredivisie. In those 15 years they raised into top division for the first time in 2029 and they’re now struggling against relegation. That’s why I predicted an easy game in Amsterdam Arena. We had some troubles with injuries, though. Tarik de Wit and Jeroen Capobianco were injured, so I promoted 18 years old Fred Vet into first team.

Squad: Koops, Drost, van den Bosch, Schans, Leyder, Gudelj (56. Tepperik), Stekelenburg (56. Sastrodimedjo), Janssen, Matal, van Dalen (61. Vet), Kluivert

We dominated this game from start to finish and even in the first half we had a lot of great scoring opportunities, but our finishing was poor in the beginning. Actually, not our finishing, but namely Justin Kluivert wasted two clear cut chances and topped it off with a penalty miss in 18’ - it was his third missed penalty in a row and I’m starting to really worry about him. He was our best goalscorer in the last season, but his scoring record is atrocious in this year. But his teammates helped him out and young winger Johan van Dalen scored one of the best goals in this season with a wonderful bicycle kick. First half ended with 2:0, but it should have been 5:0 easily.

Fortuna Sittard got their best scoring opportunity in 2nd half when Luuk Hoek hit the post in 64’, but after that we geared up and showed again our superiority. Tom Drost finished with a good shot into top corner to score his first goal of the season and Nketsi Matal headed in from IFK (another mystery of this game - how is it possible that the shortest player on the pitch will score with a header from set piece). Justin Kluivert missed another clear cut chance in 90’ to sum up his individual misery, but overall it was a confident win for us.

• our shooting was 21/14
• Nketsi Matal, Tom Drost and Simon Janssen were outstanding
• Fred Vet made his debut for Ajax
• Dragisa Gudelj strained his knee ligaments and he’ll be out for 6-7 weeks

 

08.12.2029 - AFC Ajax - Feyenoord Rotterdam 1:1 (ED) - 8. Dirk van Grinsven - 76. Vincent Aantjes

It was the first Klassieker Derby of the season and the most important league game in December. And it looked good for us before the game, as Feyenoord looked vulnerable after losing their previous game against VVV and their squad looked exhausted before the game.

Squad: Koops, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Tepperik, Leyder (66. Ari), Stekelenburg, Antonucci (60. Janssen), van Grinsven, van Dalen (70. Vet), Kluivert

We started really well and looked as a better team in the first half. Johan van Dalen found Dirk van Grinsven with excellent cross and we scored a flyer in 8’. Johan van Dalen had a great chance to double our lead in 20’, but his shot was weak and was easily held by goalkeeper. First half ended 1:0 - we had played good football, but it was too early to celebrate.

Second half turned out to be a bit different story and we started to make defensive mistakes. At first we were half asleep in IFK situation and Thokozani Mpengesi found himself alone in our box with ball at his feet, but great save from Marvin Koops rescued us. Despite that effort, the equalizer came in 76’ - Engin Ari made a bad mistake, lost the ball in our box and Vincent Aantjes didn’t let this gift go to waste. Ari tried to make up for his mistake and his long shot just a minute later landed in upright of Feyenoord goal, but that was it - we couldn’t create another good chance for us and had to settle with 1:1 draw.

It was a really frustrating result. I feel that this game was ours to take, but we got sloppy in 2nd half and that cost us dearly.

• 74,500 is the new record attendance in Eredivisie

 

11.12.2029 - Rosenboorg - AFC Ajax 0:2 (Champions League Group C) - 29. Simon Janssen, 44. Dirk van Grinsven

The schedule has been difficult and players have just a few days to rest before trip to Norway awaits us. It’s our last game of the group stage and right time to remind players that we’re not yet secured our place in knockout stages yet. We need at least draw against Rosenborg to be sure. We can afford to lose this game if Wolfsburg doesn’t defeat Manchester City in the other fixture.

We had to play without our captain Tom Drost, who was suspended for this game, so that made our task a bit more difficult.

Squad: Koops, Alleyne, Leyder, Schans, Tepperik, Ari (47. van den Bosch), Stekelenburg (47. Sastrodimedjo), Janssen, van Grinsven, van Dalen, Kluivert (68. Vet)

Dirk van Grinsven had two great chances in the first half, in 13’ and 16’, but he missed both of them - first shot hit the post and second was saved. He has been a very good finisher in recent weeks and these were surprise misses. But we created chances and I was confident that our goal will finally come, and it did, although in unexpected way. Simon Janssen found the net with a good strike from corner - nicely executed set piece and that goal gave us a lot of confidence. Van Grinsven also found the net just before half time and we went to dressing rooms with 2:0 lead.

Second half started with a trouble for us - Derian Tepperik picked up his second yellow card for unnecessary foul in midfield and we needed to make tactical changes. Rene van den Bosch came on, the most experienced Nathan Leyder moved to DL position and quick Clyde Sastrodimedjo came on to cover a lot of open space in midfield. But despite having advantage, Rosenborg never got really dangerous in attack. We even looked a bit more dangerous and had some shots in 2nd half, and kept things under control in defense with 10 men, so it ended 2:0 and we secured once again our place in Champions League knockout stages.

• we had 62% possession
• our shooting was 22/9 - good stats in away game, not to mention our red card
• Simon Janssen and Dirk van Grinsven were outstanding for us

 

Group C final standings:

1. Manchester City 15
2. AFC Ajax 12
3. Wolfsburg 7
4. Rosenborg 1

 

18.12.2029 - Sparta Rotterdam - AFC Ajax 0:3 (Dutch Cup 4th round) - 7. and 37. Justin Kluivert, 58. Dirk van Grinsven

Cup games are tricky. I’m tempted to experiment with rotation and give some youngsters a chance, but Sparta is not the easiest opponent for us and it’s away game, so we need to keep a balance between youth and experience in this game. Our advantage is that Sparta goalkeeper Joost Nijhuis (who made a great game against us in August) is at home with flu and Sparta have only 17 years old backup goalie in their goal. We, on the other hand, received good news from physios - both Tarik de Wit and Jeroen Capobianco returned to full training in this week. Manchester City boss Antonio Conte was in the stands, he was watching Rene van den Bosch’s performance.

Squad: Drost, van den Bosch, Schans, Tepperik, Ari, Sastrodimedjo (65. Lang), Antonucci, van Grinsven (58. Matal), van Dalen (70. Capobianco), Kluivert

We started this game well and took the lead in 7’, but it was unlikely goalscorer for us. Justin Kluivert finally ended his goal drought and converted good cross by Tom Drost. The same two men combined our second goal in 37’ and we went to half time with 2:0 lead. We were in control of the first half, but it was mostly boring football and, besides those two goals, nothing noteworthy happened.

Dirk van Grinsven reacted first to loose ball and scored in 58’ to extend our lead. Sparta danger man Tasos Kolonis sent a close range header towards our goal in 64’, but good reflex save from Koops tipped it over crossbar. We put Sparta under pressure for periods in 2nd half, but couldn’t score more.

In summary, it was a good performance from us and strong result in away game.

• our shooting was 22/9
• Tom Drost had a great game
• Justin Kluivert finally scored after 842 goalless minutes of football
• we are going against PEC Zwolle in quarter finals - another favourable draw for us

26.12.2029 - AFC Ajax - Sparta Rotterdam 1:0 (ED) - 44. Johan van Dalen

Yes, we have back to back games against Sparta in December. This time we returned to Amsterdam Arena for league game and the last match of the year. I expected it to be easier game than in away stadium, although Sparta goalkeeper had returned to squad. We missed Francesco Antonucci because of damaged heel suffered in training. I chose to use overlapping instructions for fullbacks in home game.

Squad: Koops, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Tepperik, Ari (67. Leyder), Stekelenburg, Janssen, van Grinsven (60. Matal), van Dalen, Kluivert (69. de Wit)

We didn’t get our attacks going in the first half. Sparta defended much better than they did a week ago and their 4-4-2 resulted in better defensive structure. We didn’t have much options at first. Dirk van Grinsven got one good shot on target, but brilliant save from Joost Nijhuis denied him and we went goalless until we finally scored right before half-time whistle. Dirk van Grinsven sent a deep cross to far post and Johan van Dalen was just too quick for his defender. Simple tap-in ended the first half for us in with 1:0 lead. Despite that goal I wasn’t really happy with first half, because we made ridiculous 15 goals and defensive players collected 4 yellow cards before half-time. Changing tackling instructions and warning players to be more careful with their fouls took most of my half time team-talk.

In second half Johan van Dalen got an early chance in 49’, but this time he couldn’t use it and sent his shot wide. We kept better control of possession in second half even when we couldn’t create too many chances. 1:0 lead is a narrow one and Sparta almost got lucky in the end of the game. Their winger Levi Garcia tried audacious long shot in 89’ that rattled our crossbar, but fortunately it didn’t go in.

I’m satisfied with win, but not happy with some aspects of this game - I already mentioned yellow cards, but we also allowed Sparta players to make 21 dribbles in this game - too much for any Eredivisie team, especially in Amsterdam Arena.

 

Generally I’m pleased with our December and I don’t have too many regrets. We’ve taken some narrow wins, but results have gone our way. We secured our place in Champions League knockout stages and look good in Eredivisie. With our first 17 games in the league we’ve collected 39 points, which is a little short of our goal of 40, but that’s due to our poor start. In November and December we’ve showed good form.

 

Eredivisie

 

FC Utrecht have struggled lately and we’ve now managed to create 4 points cushion behind us in the table. Vitesse have reached to top three. At the bottom of the table NAC Breda nad Fortuna Sittard are the main candidates for relegation, but battle for 15th place is fierce.

Edited May 18, 2018 by Draakon

[Draakon]

January 2030

 

02.01.2030 - AFC Ajax - SC Cambuur 3:0 (ED) - 16. Sergio Alleyne, 84. Jeroen Capobianco, 90. Dirk van Grinsven

New year started a little bit differently. We don’t usually have a game in the beginning of January, but this time one league game was scheduled here. SC Cambuur have been solid mid-table side in recent seasons and they’re predicted to finish 13th in this season. We were favourites for the game, but we had some players missing - Dragisa Gudelj was still injured, Derian Tepperik and Engin Ari suspended. Because we had no left-back I recalled Leslie Lichaba back from loan.

Squad: Koops, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Lichaba, Leyder, Stekelenburg (59. Sastrodimedjo), Janssen, van Grinsven, van Dalen (69. Kluivert), de Wit (66. Capobianco)

We started really well and dominated the first half completely. Tarik de Wit had a great chance already in 4’, but his shot was a failure and was held by goalkeeper. Tom Drost and Nathan Leyder had shots on target, but it was Sergio Alleyne who opened scoring. Central defender finished his chance from IFK to score his first goal of the season. At half time our lead was narrow, but I was happy with what I saw on the pitch - we controlled possession, created chances and looked dangerous from set pieces.

Second half looked more quiet until SC Cambuur had to change their tactics to more attacking in the last ten minutes. That opened space for us in attack and we took advantage of that. Substitute Jeroen Capobianco scored after good transition attack and Dirk van Grinsven finished things off before final whistle. It was a deserved goal to van Grinsven, who had worked hard and created chances for others. 3:0 is a solid game and I was happy with both result and performance.

• our shooting was 22/9
• we made 37 dribbles
• Dirk van Grinsven was outstanding in this game
• Leslie Lichaba made his debut for Ajax

 

In January I made a decision about Derian Tepperik and young left-back wonderkid left to Dortmund Borussia for £16,5m. With possible clauses the transfer could be worth up to £18,75m. He is a great prospect and it’s unlikely he would extend his contract past 2032 and to be honest I feel that Dortmund is a good option for Tepperik - big enough team for his ambition, but small enough to get first team chances and develop as a player.

 

26.01.2030 - FC Groningen - AFC Ajax 1:2 (ED) - 80. Pim de Reuver - 10. Simon Janssen, 13. Johan van Dalen

Three weeks have passed and the most notable change in the squad is that all players are finally fit again, we had time to prepare for the second part of the season and I feel we’re ready for next games. FC Groningen are underachieving team, but trying to improve by bringing in good loan players in January transfer window. We practiced attacking movement and I chose to use overlapping fullbacks against FC Groningen, even in away game.

Squad: Koops, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Gudelj (66. Lichaba), Ari, Stekelenburg, Janssen (69. Antonucci), van Grinsven, van Dalen, de Wit (56. Kluivert)

It took less than 15 minutes to score two goals. Some good passing after corner in 10’ found Simon Janssen in the box. Our playmaker had some time to take his shot and it landed in top corner - unstoppable for goalkeeper. Three minutes later Johan van Dalen extended our lead - good run and pass from Tom Drost led to this goal. In 35’ Edward Schans had a great chance from IFK, but his shot was saved by goalkeeper. First half looked really good for us - again we looked dangerous in set pieces and led by two goals, but FC Groningen had not given up yet and we had some troubles keeping possession (first half possession was lost 44/56).

Second half was much more quiet again, we tried to retain possession and limit FC Groningen’s chance with the ball. Unfortunately my substitutions were not successful - Leslie Lichaba particularly looked error-prone and his mistake allowed Pim de Reuver to score in 80’ - good pass from midfield, some poor defensive positioning and de Reuver broke our offside trap and then it was nothing that Marvin Koops could do.

• I was satisfied with three points, but wasn’t happy with our second half performance - part of it was my own fault, because I’m responsible for substitutions and team talks.
• we allowed 23 key passes and 26 dribbles - allowed FC Groningen to feel too comfortable with the ball

 

30.01.2030 - AFC Ajax - sc Heerenveen 1:0 (ED) - 3. Johan van Dalen

Last game of the January and we welcome sc Heerenveen in Amsterdam Arena. I’m happy to see Mario de Groot in action - he’s on loan at sc Heerenveen and he’s having a great season so far. sc Heerenveen played conservative 4-4-2 tactics. We went against them with attacking setup with overlapping instructions.

Squad: Koops, Drost, Leyder, Schans, Gudelj, Ari, Stekelenburg, Janssen (56. Antonucci), van Grinsven (70. Matal), van Dalen, de Wit (59. Capobianco)

We weren’t ready for the match and sc Heerenveen almost scored in 2’ - good cross came in and Marvin Koops made a mistake with his interception, but Raymond Hoekstra sent his header wide of empty goal. It took just a minute to react and in the following attack we scored our own goal after good counter. Johan van Dalen converted his clear cut chance to score his 50th goal for Ajax. Despite that quick goal it was a drab first half and we didn’t create enough chances. Our midfield didn’t link up properly with our attacking three.

Second half looked pretty much the same, until sc Heerenveen started to take more risks and that resulted in our chances. Substitutes Nketsi Matal and Jeroen Capobianco had opportunities, but sc Heerenveen goalkeeper made some good saves to deny them, so the final score remained 1:0. Despite those good attacks in the end of the game I expected better performance in home game. Good defense and clean sheet, though.

• our shooting was 17/11
• we allowed 22 dribbles - we have some improvements to make in our game when without ball

 

Three wins in January puts us in the lead of Eredivisie table, but not only that. We are on a good winning streak, confidence is high and Derian Tepperik’s departure has not affected our game too much.

I sent three players on loan in January transfer window. Young goalkeeper Mohammed van Leeuwen went to RKC Waalwijk, Sjoerd de Jong moved to Fortuna Sittard and Clyde Sastrodimedjo went to Braga. Sastrodimedjo featured in first team in the first half of the season, but he wanted more playing time and I thought that six months on loan could do good for him. Noa Lang can expect more playing time in midfield because of that.

 

Eredivisie

 

FC Utrecht have experienced a real mid-season slump, they have only one win from the last five games and dropped 4th, so we’re now 11 points clear. PSV and Feyenoord have gained places while NAC Breda and Fortuna Sittard look in trouble at the bottom of the table.

[Draakon]

February 2030

 

With our league standing I can fully concentrate on Champions League knockout phase that starts again in February. We were drawn against Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen in the first round and that has to count as a fairly good draw for us. Month will end with away game against PSV Eindhoven - PSV have gained a good momentum and derby is our most difficult domestic match in February.

 

02.02.2030 - Vitesse Arnhem - AFC Ajax 0:0 (ED)

We’ve had to fight for our wins in previous games and I expected to get another three points from Vitesse. Attacking movement practice and overlapping instructions set us up quite straightforward.

Squad: Koops, Drost, van den Bosch, Schans, Gudelj, Ari, Stekelenburg (57. Lang), Janssen (62. Antonucci), van Grinsven (70. Matal), van Dalen, de Wit

For my frustration it was a very drab match and we couldn’t get our attack going at all. Vitesse stood well in defense, their fullbacks didn’t push up at all and instead eliminated our wingers completely. Crosses didn’t work and it was difficult to find any look on goal. Our only clear cut chance came after corner in 39’ - Johan van Dalen had a good look, but his shot was saved and that opportunity never repeated itself. In second half Tarik de Wit sent a free header just a bit wide of goal and that was it - goalless draw to start our month. Not good enough from attacking players.

• we made 54 key passes - moved ball well, but didn’t make a crucial assist that could have led to real opportunity
• Vitesse tried to surprise us with long balls forward, but our central defenders were ready for that and well positioned - as a result Edward Schans made 41 interceptions in a single game
• February started badly for FC Groningen manager Michiel Hemmen, who was fired. FC Groningen are just 14th in the table and that was not good enough for their board

 

06.02.2030 - AFC Ajax - PEC Zwolle 3:0 (Dutch Cup Quarter Final) - 29. Justin Kluivert, 39. Rene van den Bosch, 72. Nketsi Matal

Cup quarter finals are played in February instead of usual end of January and we are clear favourites against PEC Zwolle. Zwolle have done really well to reach so far, but their Eredivisie survival should be their main priority and I used this chance to rotate players. Zwolle players looked tired from their last game while we looked reasonably fresh. Leslie Lichaba was suspended from our squad.

Squad: Mthethwa, Drost, van den Bosch, Leyder, Gudelj, Ari (46. Alleyne), Lang, Janssen, Matal, Kluivert, de Wit (55. Capobianco)

We controlled this game from start to finish. Nketsi Matal almost headed in when 12 minutes were played, but his header striked post. South African winger looked clearly hungry for goals and he tested Zwolle goalkeeper a couple of times, but it was Justin Kluivert who scored an opener. Left winger got to rebound after Tarik de Wit shot was saved and put it into empty net. Young centre-back Rene van den Bosch doubled our lead with a good header from corner and at half time we looked well in control.

van den Bosch was clearly encouraged by his goal and in the beginning of second half he won a couple of more dangerous headers from set pieces, pulling one good save out of goalkeeper. Nketsi Matal finally got his goal in second half and 3:0 was good enough lead to see this game out. I was pleased with result and with players who came in in this game, they delivered well.

• Justin Kluivert impressed in this game and scored his first goal in 6 weeks
• Engin Ari will be sidelined with bruised thigh and he’ll miss a couple of games
• we’ll face Feyenoord in semi finals

 

10.02.2030 - AFC Ajax - MVV Maastricht 2:1 (ED) - 4. Dirk van Grinsven, 44. Justin Kluivert - 36. Mirko Roland

Home game against MVV was a bit of revenge match because of our loss in away game. I was optimistic that we can win in Amsterdam Arena. We continued with attacking movement preparation, but unticked overlapping instructions. Engin Ari is out, Edward Schans is suspended - that limits my defensive options in this game.

Squad: Koops, Drost (33. Lang), Alleyne, van den Bosch, Gudelj (63. Lichaba), Leyder, Stekelenburg, Janssen (61. Antonucci), van Grinsven, Kluivert, de Wit

MVV started with their usual 4-2-2-2DMC formation, but deep midfield didn’t help them at the beginning and we scored a quick goal to take initiative. Dirk van Grinsven received a wonderful cross from Kluivert and converted it calmly into goal. Tom Drost had to come off with injury in the first half and I had to shuffle things around in defense and MVV followed quickly with equalizer - Mirko Roland made a very skillful solo run into our box and fired it hard and low. Marvin Koops was unable to react, but the goal goes to Pieter Stekelenburg’s conscience. He followed Roland for a long time, but wasn’t decisive enough to make a tackle and young winger punished his hesitation. However, Stekelenburg made up for his mistake quickly - his through ball found Justin Kluivert in the box and winger’s goal sent us to half time with 2:1 lead.

We controlled game better in second half and with 20 minutes to go, MVV needed to take more risks and we started to find chances from counters. Noa Lang denied a great goal in 69’, when his shot from distance did beat a goalkeeper, but hit post instead. Justin Kluivert had a great chance in 79’ and then again in injury time, but first of those was stopped by brilliant save from goalkeeper and second went wide. Wasteful, but I can’t be too harsh - he scored goals in consecutive games and when final whistle came, his goal proved to be a winner. Deserved win in the end and we have now been unbeaten in 12 games in a row.

• we made 51 key passes, the number illustrating our 2nd half midfield dominance
• Pieter Stekelenburg was outstanding for us with his passing
• Marvin Koops made his 200th league game for Ajax
• Tom Drost’s injury was even worse than suspected - his leg is broken and his season over

 

Drost’s injury is a big blow and we will miss him a lot in our Champions League games. We don’t have another solid choice for DR position - youngster Fathur Irawan is far from ready to play in Eredivisie, yet alone in Champions League. I have no other options than use Sergio Alleyne in DR and young Rene van den Bosch will get more starts in central defense.

 

13.02.2030 - AZ Alkmaar - AFC Ajax 0:2 (ED) - 59. Nathan Leyder, 86. Sergio Alleyne

February schedule is tough and we had only three days to recover from our last match before midweek game took us to Alkmaar. Drost’s injury forced some changes in defensive line, but defenders will have a real handful tonight, as AZ striker Rico van Leeuwen is an excellent player and ready to exploit any miscommunication and lack of concentration from our defenders. Engin Ari is back in training, but not yet fit to start.

Squad: Koops, Alleyne, van den Bosch, Schans, Gudelj, Leyder, Stekelenburg (65. Lang), Janssen (50. Antonucci), van Grinsven (70. Matal), van Dalen, de Wit

Our defense looked error-prone from early on and in the first 15 minutes we gave AZ two excellent chances to score. Sergio Alleyne was the first culprit - his poor backwards header towards Marvin Koops was easily intercepted by van Leeuwen and striker found himself 1-1 against our goalkeeper. However, his shot hit the post and we were saved for now. In 15’ Nathan Michiels got a chance from corner and this time Marvin Koops parried his shot with good reaction save. Another brilliant save by Koops denied Deyovaisio Zeefuik’s header in 39’ and we went to half time with 0:0. We had possession in the first half, but AZ got all the chances. We were really poor in defensive set pieces, AZ won dangerous headers in our penalty area we have to thank Koops that we didn’t concede at least two goals. At the same time we couldn’t get any real chances in attack.

AZ picked things up right after second half kick-off - Rico van Leeuwen received a long ball behind defensive line and went again 1-1 against Marvin Koops. Fortunately for us, he blasted his shot over our goal. It was the third clear cut chances that we gave away and I was silently fuming at the sidelines. But then things changed to our favour. Nathan Leyder scored from IFK - good goal from defensive player, although completely against the run of play in this moment. It was his first goal of the season and desperately needed at that point. I ordered my team to retain possession after goal and hoped that final whistle could come sooner. Our situation became a lot easier in 80’ when injury left AZ with 10 men and in 86’ Sergio Alleyne finished this game with our second goal. And what a goal that was! Great strike from 15 meters into top corner and there was nothing that AZ goalkeeper could do about that. Wonderful goal for any defender.

When final whistle sounded I knew that we had won a very unlikely victory. AZ should have scored three goals, but Rico van Leeuwen kept missing his chances against us and experienced Nathan Leyder with his set piece goal inspired our win in second half. I’m not pleased with defense and overall performance should have been a lot better, but good result.

• our shooting was 10/2 - not good enough
• Sergio Alleyne recovered well from his early mistake and had a great game with a brillian goal

16.02.2030 - AFC Ajax - PEC Zwolle 4:1 (ED) - 9. Nketsi Matal, 24. and 76. Justin Kluivert, 33. Rene van den Bosch - 28. Faruk Aydin

Second time in February we meet with PEC Zwolle, this time it’s Eredivisie fixture. Not much time to recover from our previous game and with important Champions League game coming in midweek, it’s again time for rotation players to step up, even though I expect Zwolle to fight harder for their Eredivisie survival than they did in cup quarter final.

Squad: Mthethwa, Alleyne, van den Bosch, Schans (61. Leyder), Lichaba, Ari, Lang, Janssen, Matal (53. van Grinsven), Kluivert, de Wit (46. Capobianco)

We quickly took control of the game - Nketsi Matal scored an opener after only nine minutes and in 24’ Justin Kluivert made it 2:0 after excellent pass from Simon Janssen. But we allowed Zwolle back in the game just four minutes later - Faruk Aydin scored with open header from IFK - careless from our defense and perhaps Thabang Mthethwa should have come out and collect this cross, but he hesitated and so Zwolle striker could look up and direct his header comfortably. After conceded goal we switched gear again - Nketsi Matal had a great chance in 33’, but he hit the post. However, Rene van den Bosch headed in from following corner - his second goal in February! Justin Kluivert had one more shot to Zwolle goal in the first half, but it went against crossbar and at half-time we could be quite pleased with our game so far - we looked completely in control, although we should have scored more goals.

We looked relaxed in second half and didn’t press so much any more. Justin Kluivert scored our fourth goal after very good one touch pass from Noa Lang and that decided the game. In summary it was very good win, considering the squad and players I fielded.

• Justin Kluivert and Simon Janssen were outstanding in this game
• Rene van den Bosch scored his first ever league goal for Ajax
• Nketsi Matal came off with injury in 2nd half - strained knee ligaments will leave him sidelined for 6-7 weeks

 

FC Groningen made a decision about their managerial post and they appointed Danny Schreurs - extremely poor choice in my opinion, but perhaps Schreurs could guarantee them at least mid-table finish to build on for the next season.

 

19.02.2030 - AC Ajax - Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen 1:0 (Champions League 1st knockout round 1st leg) - 72. Johan van Dalen

With our good Eredivisie standings we can fully concentrate on Champions League. However favourable that draw looked at first sight, Schalke are really strong team and comfortably leading Bundesliga table at the moment, so we’re slight underdogs despite playing first leg at home. I had no obvious choice for pre-match training, so I opted for attacking set pieces practiced.

Squad: Koops, Alleyne, Leyder, Schans, Gudelj, Ari, Stekelenburg (72. Lang), Janssen (62. Antonucci), van Grinsven, Kluivert (65. van Dalen), de Wit

We almost conceded early goal - Schalke won a header from IFK in the first minute of the game and it landed against our crossbar. But after that scary moment we gained control of midfield and got initiative up front. Dirk van Grinsven got a good shot from counter that was brilliantly saved by Schalke goalkeeper and Justin Kluivert had a couple of looks. First half ended without goal, but despite scoreline I was pleased with what I saw - defense looked solid and we had tested Schalke goalkeeper a couple of times.

Second half offered less chances, but we got the goal that we needed. Good combination from our left wing, Dragisa Gudelj found substitute Johan van Dalen in the box and young winger scored his 20th goal of the season to give us valuable 1:0 win. Clean sheet in this scoreline is almost as valuable as this goal, because we didn’t allow Schalke to score away goal. Really good win and we have all chances before 2nd leg game.

 

24.02.2030 - PSV Eindhoven - AFC Ajax 1:0 (ED) - 38. Melvin Jongeling

February schedule has been so tight that even five days between games look like a rest. Month will close with Topper derby, this time in Eindhoven. Despite the fact that we destroyed PSV 6:0 in Amsterdam, they’re a bit different team in February, looking in good form and they just defeated LOSC Lille 3:1 in Europa League knockout stages. That could mean that perhaps Eredivisie is not entirely depending on our European coefficient points in this season, but it also means that PSV comes to this game a little bit tired.

Squad: Koops, Alleyne, Leyder, Schans, Gudelj, Ari, Stekelenburg, Janssen (65. Antonucci), van Grinsven, Kluivert (60. van Dalen), de Wit (70. Capobianco)

First half was uneventful for the first 30 minutes, although we controlled more possession. Both teams moved well in defense and strikers found themselves in offside position too often. Things changed in 36’ when Nathan Leyder almost gifted a goal to PSV. Melvin Jongeling put our experienced defender under pressure, won the ball and went for our goa, but Marvin Koops was ready and made a good save. Koops couldn’t help us two minutes later though, when a good PSV attack from our right ended with a cross to box and Jongeling was there to finish. Koops perhaps should have covered his near post better, but that goal meant we were 0:1 behind at half time.

We tried to equalize in second half, but only got ourselves half chances and our shooting accuracy was awful, so shots rarely went on target. Instead Melvin Jongeling had a chance to double his tally in 72’ - he turned skillfully around Edward Schans, but another great save by Koops kept our score respectable. However, in the end we had to accept our third defeat of the season. I was really disappointed with our attack - we just couldn’t get shots on target and both our central defenders made bad mistakes in this game.

• our shooting was 21/3 - probably our worst game in this regard

 

Despite derby loss I’m not too upset and look positively to things. We’re still in competition in all three fronts and Schalke win was our biggest achievement in this month.

 

Eredivisie

 

Despite this win over us, PSV are still 10 points behind us in Eredivisie and we’re looking good for the title with 9 games to go. FC Utrecht have continued their poor form into February and they’re free falling towards mid-table finish. After several seasons the top of the table look like it did more than 10 years ago, with three big teams occupying top three places. VVV Venlo are still up there, surprising everybody and NAC Breda look dangerously close to relegation if they don’t turn things around really fast.

[Draakon]

March 2030

 

The most important games in March are 2nd leg away game in Gelsenkirchen and Dutch Cup semi final derby against Feyenoord. I’m looking forward to new youth intake and meanwhile try to give all younger players some chances in league games. We’re missing Tom Drost and Nketsi Matal, but the rest of the squad is healthy and in recent weeks we have not collected too many yellow cards, so perhaps we can avoid suspensions that are usually so common in Spring.

 

02.03.2030 - AFC Ajax - Helmond Sport 3:0 (ED) - 47. Tarik de Wit, 60. Rody de Boer (og), 73. Menno Mulder (og)

Helmond Sport are exceeding expectations a little bit - relegation candidates are 13th at the moment and could survive for another season, but for us they should be easy opponents in Amsterdam Arena, so I chose to us rotation players in this game. Sergio Alleyne was suspended and we had no real right back in the team, so I included youngster Fathur Irawan to match day squad - 19 years old defender is clearly not ready for Eredivisie level football, but I had no other options. Experienced Nathan Leyder started in this position, though.

Squad: Mthethwa, Leyder (70. Irawan), van den Bosch, Schans, Lichaba, Ari, Stekelenburg (60. Lang), Antonucci (65. Janssen), van Grinsven, van Dalen, de Wit

We controlled this game from start to finish and put Helmond players under real pressure, but goals were not coming in the first half. Johan van Dalen made a good solo run into box in 6’, but he left his shooting angle too narrow and shot was saved. Dirk van Grinsven’s chance came in 17’, but his shot was saved and four minutes later he wasted another opportunity and didn’t even get it to target from close range. Encouraging display on the pitch, but we wasted too many chances and I wasn’t happy with players at half time. We had 15 corners in first half, but couldn’t take any advantage of those situations too.

Players reacted well to harsh words and we opened scoring in 47’ - Tarik de Wit headed in from corner. A wonderful moment for our striker - he ended his goalless drought of more than 8 games. To get him to score from corner is another good sign - he is a towering figure and we should use him better in set pieces. de Wit got another great chance in 60’, but his shot hit the post and then bounced in from the back of Helmond goalkeeper - unlucky (and a little bit funny) own goal for Helmond, but it was not the last of their embarrassing moments. In 73’ Menno Mulder made another own goal after ball took deflection from corner and so the final score was comfortable 3:0 win for us. Helmond Sport can surely feel unlucky with this defeat - set pieces cost them two goals and two very unfortunate own goals helped us to win. On the other hand the game was completely under our control and Helmond couldn’t create real chances for themselves.

• our shooting was 27/6 - not much improvement from our last game. Shooting accuracy continues to be problem and in this game we actually had good chances
• youngster Fathur Irawan made his debut for Ajax

 

06.03.2030 - AFC Ajax - Feyenoord Rotterdam 2:0 (Dutch Cup Semi Final) - 5. and 9. Tarik de Wit

Dutch Cup semi final is another Klassieker derby in this season. It should be even game and it’s difficult to predict winner, but I’d like to be optimistic and we practiced attacking movement before the game. Winner of this match will play Go Ahead Eagles in the final (Eagles have made excellent cup run in this season).

Squad: Koops, Alleyne, van den Bosch, Schans, Gudelj, Leyder, Stekelenburg (60. Lang), Janssen, van Grinsven, van Dalen (71. Kluivert), de Wit (67. Capobianco)

We started this game really well. Johan van Dalen found de Wit in the box with a very good pass and our striker converted his clear cut chance into goal. Four minutes later it was already 2:0 - Feyenoord defense looked in disarray and they allowed us to play short simple passes inside their penalty area and de Wit again put finishing touches to this superb move. Pieter Stekelenburg had a great chance to score from IFK in 31’ - he was completely alone in front of goal, but sent his shot well wide. That was a sitter and should have been our third goal. When more than 30 minutes were played, Feyenoord finally started to play and Rashaan Fernandes got their first half chance, but Marvin Koops parried it well. First half ended 2:0 and we were leading thanks to our excellent start.

Second half was much more quiet - we had possession and controlled the match, but Feyenoord got their defense in order and it was more difficult to create chances. In injury time we allowed Feyenoord another half-chance and Marvin Koops had to make his second save of the night, but with final whistle we could celebrate reaching to cup final.

• we were offside 10 times - movement not always on sync and Feyenoord defensive line worked well to counter our movement
• Simon Janssen had a great game, leading our attacks from midfield and creating chances for others

 

09.03.2030 - FC Utrecht - AFC Ajax 0:2 (ED) - 47. Dirk van Grinsven, 90.+2 Jeroen Capobianco

FC Utrecht game could be our grudge much and there is no love lost between myself and their manager Erik ten Hag, but in the moment when this game comes in our schedule, we have more important fixtures to prepare for, so we might have take it easy. FC Utrecht had so great first half of the season, but they have dropped to 9th place now and are in really poor form, despite having their full squad fit and available. They haven’t won a game since December and it’s interesting to see what sort of spirit and tactics they show against us in their home turf.

Squad: Koops, Alleyne, Leyder, Schans (54. van den Bosch), Lichaba, Ari, Stekelenburg (67. Lang), Antonucci, van Grinsven, Kluivert, de Wit (54. Capobianco)

As for many games lately, we started very well, but couldn’t score in the first 15 minutes. Tarik de Wit headed just wide in 9’ and Pieter Stekelenburg had a chance two minutes later and his shot went also wide of goal. And then, as often happens, our game stalled and we stopped getting good chances. Both teams treaded carefully and mindset was rather defensive, but just before half time whistle FC Utrecht got the best scoring opportunity. Their danger man Clyde Drenthe had a very good chance, but Marvin Koops made a great save and sent us to half time with 0:0 lead.

My words in dressing room must have made a difference, because right after second half kick-off we scored our first goal. Dirk van Grinsven took a shot that was too strong for FC Utrecht goalkeeper to save and we took the lead. Francesco Antonucci’s mistake gave FC Utrecht a chance to equalize just five minutes later. Fortunately Francisco Duarte shot was weak and it was easily held by Koops. Our opponents tried to prove that they are no pushovers and can put us under pressure while we tried to exploit their higher defensive line for any possible counter attacks. It was a hard fought midfield battle until the very end, but substitute Jeroen Capobianco managed to score our second goal in injury time and put this game to bed for good. Good win in away game for us. Small details decided this result in my opinion - we took our chances better and avoided too many defensive mistakes and that gave us advantage.

• our shooting was 23/11 - I’m fairly pleased with that
• Dirk van Grinsven scored his 20th goal of the season

 

13.03.2030 - Scalke 04 Gelsenkirchen - AFC Ajax 3:2 (Champions League 1st knockout round 2nd leg) - 11. and 29. Maurice Falkenberg, 17. Lucas Bein - 8. Dirk van Grinsven, 42. Johan van Dalen

That was it - time to head to Germany for the game that could decide our Champions League season. We had a narrow 1:0 lead to take with us, but I expected Schalke to be a lot better in Veltins Arena and they definitely were. We practiced defensive positioning before that game, but I secretly hoped we could score away goal and so make Schalke’s position much more difficult.

Squad: Koops, Alleyne, Leyder, Schans, Gudelj, Ari (57. van den Bosch), Stekelenburg, Janssen (57. Antonucci), van Grinsven, van Dalen, de Wit (71. Capobianco)

Schalke came out with all their guns firing and they instantly got their first good chance in 2’ - we were too slow to get back to defense and they had a clear cut chance from corner. Brilliant save from Marvin Koops saved our ass. Johan van Dalen answered with a good shot from the edge of area that demanded a good save from Schalke goalkeeper and then we punished Schalke from counter - Johan van Dalen gave a wonderful cross to Dirk van Grinsven and a simple goal put us 1:0 ahead. And it wa away goal, so Schalke needed to score at least three. Schalke surely didn’t roll over and reacted exactly how they should have - Maurice Falkenburg equalized just two minutes later. Lucas Bein scored from corner to give Schalke the lead and another good counter in 29’ resulted in their third goal and aggregate lead. We looked in serious trouble to stop their ball movement and quick transitions, they looked motivated and surely showed their better skills. However, we had one more half-chance before half-time and Johan van Dalen executed well, scoring his goal and giving us back our aggregate lead. First half ended with 2:3 scoreline and it was surely a very entertaining football for both set of supporters.

Our main goal for second half was to maintain our lead and we managed to do that better. Schalke got only one very good chance in 57’ - Elaninho found himself in a good scoring position, but Marvin Koops made a great save this time to keep our lead. Another brilliant save from him in 78’ denied Maurice Falkenberg his hattrick and when final whistle sounded, we had held onto that narrow margin that we had. Aggregate win by away goals sends us to quarter finals!

Perhaps the result of this match was a bit harsh on Schalke - they clearly were a better team, but didn’t use all the chances that they could create. We, on the other hand, were very clinical in front of goal and goals in away goal are so valuable over those two legs. We can be really proud to reach quarter finals, but with this kind of game we have little hope to progress further.

 

16.03.2030 - AFC Ajax - Go Ahead Eagles 1:1 (ED) - 66. Johan van Dalen - 79. Mohamed Saidi

Just three days have passed since our Champions League triumph. Home game against Go Ahead Eagles could be considered as rehearsal for our cup final, but honestly I didn’t give much attention to that. We’re still 12 points clear in the table and with another two Champions League games coming up, we’re fielding rotation players in Eredivisie whenever possible.

Attacking movement practice (it was home game after all) and overlapping instructions set, I expected our rotation players to give their best.

Squad: Mthethwa, Alleyne, Leyder, van den Bosch, Lichaba, Ari, Stekelenburg (61. Lang), Antonucci, van Grinsven, Kluivert (65. van Dalen), de Wit (55. Capobianco)

We had our best chance of the first half in 10’ - good counter and cross from our right found Tarik de Wit in front of goal, but poor shot was aimed directly at Eagles’ goalkeeper and so it was saved. Our opponents got their clear cut chance in 31’ and their danger man Gerry Schuur found the gap in our defense. However, Thabang Mthethwa made a good save to deny him and another brilliant save from our South African goalkeeper denied attempt by Asier Nunez. Justin Kluivert headed against post in 42’ and so the first half ended without goals. We had no right to be happy with our first half - we needed to be more patient with our possession and more decisive in transition. I felt we should be more aggressive in defense, however we managed to collect 15 fouls in the first half and constant stoppages disrupted our game and allowed Eagles to take a breather.

After some harsh words it looked like the players were more motivated. Substitute Noa Lang tried his luck from distance, but luck wasn’t on his side and the ball smashed crossbar. Another substitute Johan van Dalen made instant impact - his first touch of the ball resulted in our goal and it looked we finally have a breakthrough. But defensive errors weren’t over and we continued to make unnecessary fouls. Eagles free kick gave Mitchell Tissingh a chance and Mthethwa had to make another good save. However, a follow up still resulted in a goal - Mohamed Saidi sent the ball into far post from the edge of area. It was a great shot and not much that Mthethwa could do about it, but generally illustrated our poor team defense. Eagles were content to defend in their own half after equalizer and so the game ended 1:1. I was upset that we couldn’t hold onto our lead and really disappointed with our overall defensive performance. Thabang Mthethwa did well and impressed with some good saves, but he alone couldn’t keep our clean sheet. We lost way too many duels in midfield and in our box, made too many defensive mistakes and as a conclusion can’t complain about luck. Instead it was just a poor performance in home game.

• we committed 24 fouls - a way too many, although it’s a small miracle that we didn’t collect any yellow cards
• 5 individual mistakes from Sergio Alleyne and Rene van den Bosch stood out from stat sheet

 

29.03.2030 - AFC Ajax - ADO Den Haag 1:1 (ED) - 66. Jeroen Capobianco - 39. Kabiru Obafemi

ADO Den Haag are another overachievers in this season, next to VVV Venlo, and they currently occupy 4th place in the table, so I didn’t expect an easy game, but after international break our squad looked rested and I fielded pretty much our strongest line-up.

Squad: Koops, Alleyne, Leyder, Schans, Lichaba, Ari, Stekelenburg (66. Lang), Janssen, van Grinsven, Kluivert (57. van Dalen), de Wit (62. Capobianco)

We started this game well, as expected for any Eredivisie fixture in Amsterdam Arena. Nathan Leyder headed just over from IFK and Tarik de Wit headed against crossbar in 25’. Dirk van Grinsven had a great chance in 28 - unusually for him his shot was saved and then ADO Den Haag took the lead in this game. Leslie Lichaba missed his tackle and allowed Brian Sabajo to run into our box, one pass found Kabiru Obafemi, central defenders gave him space to turn around and it was 1:0. Very frustrating, because we completely dominated this first half until that goal and so half time scoreline was disappointing on both attacking and defensive terms. We should have used our own chances better and this defensive mistake was unacceptable.

Substitutes changed the pace of game in second half. Jeroen Capobianco converted his chance in 66’ after good work by Johan van Dalen laid ground on this goal. Capobianco got another great chance in 76’, but young striker couldn’t make it two for two and so we had to settle with second poor draw in a row. I was very disappointed with this result mainly because we had our best line-up on the pitch for this one and it was also a home game, so no excuses. Poor result and some disappointing individual performances contributing to it.

• our shooting was 21/9 - not really too bad
• we allowed ADO players to make 20 dribbles - too many for any Eredivisie side

 

We haven’t showed our best form in the last couple of games, but we achieved our most important goals in March - we did secured our place in Dutch Cup final and progressed to Champions League quarter finals against all odds. So in conclusion I can’t be too critical about our results.

 

Eredivisie

 

Feyenoord and PSV are still fighting for 2nd place in the table, but relegation battle has become more intense. NAC Breda have found some good results, finally, and final matches could be real survival fight for those teams in bottom five places.

[Draakon]

Youth Intake 2030

 

Similarly to last year, I feel that we need a very good right-back and a great goalkeeper prospect (who could rise above all this mediocrity that we currently have in Jong Ajax), but instead we received this line-up.

 

 

I have to say that general level of talent is pretty good - several 2,5* players who, in my experience, can turn out to be solid first team options if they train hard and are tutored well or otherwise possess necessary mental traits. But we still didn’t get our right-back and that’s disappointing.

 

Stef Veldman

 

The best talent in this year’s group. Right winger, professional, has all the necessary traits and can develop a lot

 

Soner Sahin

 

Central defender. Good tackler and very brave. He has a balanced nature and can be tutored by my more experienced defenders, but he doesn’t have any major flaws, which is important in this position - reasonably tall, reasonably quick, good positional awareness etc.

 

Zeus Florentina

 

What a name. Not exactly god-like, but decent goalkeeper prospect. Good handling and reflexes, but poor in one-on-one situations.

[Draakon]

April 2030

 

03.04.2030 - AFC Ajax - AS Monaco 0:1 (Champions League Quarter Final 1st leg) - 67. Jean-Manuel Gaillard

We exceeded all expectations with our place in Champions League quarter final and this is most probably the end of the road for us. There are only big teams in quarter finals and AS Monaco have won this competition in previous two seasons, so we’re pretty much against the wall in this one.

Defensive positioning training and hoping for the best. At least we could give a respectable performance at home.

Squad: Koops, Alleyne, Leyder, Schans, Gudelj, Ari, Stekelenburg (57. Lang), Janssen (66. Antonucci), van Grinsven, van Dalen, de Wit (67. Capobianco)

AS Monaco started attacking right after kick-off and instantly we looked in trouble. Franjo Galovic had the first chance in 4’, but he sent his shot wide. In 25’ Dragisa Gudelj made a mistake and Galovic found himself alone in front of our goal. This time Marvin Koops made a good save. We tried to find some chances of our own and counter attacks were our best option. One good transition move gave Dirk van Grinsven a great chance, but his shot was saved. Galovic had his own opportunity right in the next attack, but another good save from Koops kept us in this game. And in 42’ Johan van Dalen managed to miss his shot while AS Monaco goal was already empty. Thrilling first half ended 0:0 and I can’t complain about scoreline, but Gudelj has struggled against Franjo Galovic - all dangerous attacks came through our left flank and goal is coming here sooner or later if he doesn’t improve. At the same time we missed two sitters in attack and our finishing has let us down again.

Second half was more careful from both teams until 67’, when AS Monaco star Jean-Manuel Gaillard got his chance and finished it to open scoring. It was another attack and cross from our left. In 76’ game changed - we were on counter, Dirk van Grinsven went on goal and was tripped from behind by Juninho, who received red card for professional foul. We had 15 minutes to play with advantage and AS Monaco dropped deep to defend their lead. Unfortunately, we couldn’t break their defense. Our best chance came in 88’ from corner, but Dirk van Grinsven (again!) couldn’t finish it.

So our first leg game at home finished 0:1 and that was a disappointment. Actually, it was a positive display and we had our chances in the game, but we blew too many scoring opportunities and couldn’t take advantage of AS Monaco red card late in the game. In a game like this, against team like AS Monaco we should use every single opportunity that we get and we failed to do that.

• our shooting was just 13/2 and we missed 3 clear cut chances

 

06.04.2030 - SC Cambuur - AFC Ajax 0:3 (ED) - 11. and 83. Jeroen Capobianco, 60. Justin Kluivert

Eredivisie game between Champions League fixtures was obviously considered less important. Tight schedule and our secure league position allowed me to play rotation players in this game and the fact that Simon Janssen was suspended didn’t bother me at all. Nketsi Matal was ready to start for us - his first game after being sidelined for 7 weeks.

Squad: Mthethwa, Alleyne (46. Irawan), van den Bosch, Schans (60. Leyder), Lichaba, Ari,Lang (54. Stekelenburg), Antonucci, Matal, Kluivert, Capobianco

We took the lead early with a good goal. Justin Kluivert won his header in the box, directed it in front of the goal where Capobianco was ready to head it in from point blanc range. The rest of the first half didn’t offer much in term of chances until very late in injury time, when SC Cambuur got their first good attack and a header by Yann Kasai clipped our post, before going wide. I was still pleased with what I saw in first half - we held 68% of possession and kept things under our control.

We improved our game in second half and our second goal looked like coming. Francesco Antonucci’s shot after IFK smashed against crossbar in 56’ and four minutes later Justin Kluivert doubled our lead after good cross from substitute right-back Fathur Irawan. Jeroen Capobianco wrapped things up with his second goal and final whistle celebrated our convincing 3:0 win.

• we had 60% of possession in this game
• our shooting was 20/8 - good for away game
• Nketsi Matal had a great game and that’s good to see right after his return from injury
• Noa Lang was injured in second half and that’s a serious one - broken ankle ends his season prematurely

 

09.04.2030 - AS Monaco - AFC Ajax 3:0 (Champions League Quarter Final 2nd leg) - 35. Franjo Galovic, 57. Jean-Manuel Gaillard, 69. Adionias Belao

Second leg in this quarter final was even more challenging than it looked. After losing our home game 0:1, we needed to score at least two goals to beat AS Monaco and I wasn’t very optimistic about our chances. I set our fullbacks as LFB-s in the beginning of the game to prevent AS Monaco attacks.

Squad: Koops, Alleyne, Leyder, Schans, Gudelj (65. Lichaba), Ari, Stekelenburg, Janssen, van Grinsven (59. Matal), van Dalen, de Wit (67. Capobianco)

First half looked actually quite OK from us. AS Monaco attacked more, as predicted, but our defense held well until 35’, when Franjo Galovic scored from DFK. It was excellent shot that curled over our wall and there was nothing that Marvin Koops could do to save it. While our defense looked good most of the time, we didn’t get any good attacks until 43’ when Simon Janssen got our first good chance of the game. Unfortunately, his shot was saved and so we went to half time with 0:1 scoreline.

We had some good chances from counters in our first leg game and counter-attacks were our best option in this game, too. Dirk van Grinsven got his best chance in 51’ after good transition, but his shot went well wide. Can’t miss chances like that if we want to get back into this game. AS Monaco showed that they can finish when opportunity presents itself and they punished us with two goals. Our young striker Jeroen Capobianco, at the same time, missed his opportunity in 70’ and so we left Monaco with 0:3 defeat.

Result was disappointing. I knew that we will concede some goals in away game, but to be honest we didn’t deserve to lose 0:3. The way how we managed to waste 5 great goalscoring chances in those two games, was completely unacceptable. On this level, against teams with such class we need to finish them all if we want to achieve something and this is certainly area for improvement in the future.

• Holland boss John van den Brom was on the stands for this game, but I doubt he saw something noteworthy from any of our players
• we made 32 individual mistakes and 22 fouls - clearly struggling against skilled opponents

 

12.04.2030 - NAC Breda - AFC Ajax 1:1 (ED) - 28. Richard van der Plas - 44. Jeroen Capobianco

We need just one more win to secure Eredivisie title, but NAC Breda are playing home and fighting against relegation, so without doubt they’ll be very motivated to give their everything against us, however big favourite we are before the game. Again I chose to select rotation players and distribute playing time in our squad.

Squad: Mthethwa, Alleyne, Leyder, van den Bosch, Lichaba, Ari, Stekelenburg, Antonucci (65. Janssen), Matal (60. van Grinsven), Kluivert, Capobianco (68. de Wit)

The game started slowly and we got our first good chance when 24 minutes were played. Nketsi Matal found himself with plenty of space, but sent his shot wide. Four minutes later we gave NAC Breda an easy chance to score and they used it much better. Rene van den Bosch made a tackle and loose ball in our box was picked up by Richard van der Plas, who had open look and Thabang Mthethwa was helpless. NAC certainly looked encouraged by that goal and in their next attack Donald Jourdan hit crossbar. It took some time for us to get our composure back - our usual tactics include high pressing, but we failed to put NAC under real pressure and were slow to react situations and loose balls, so second balls after our tackles often fell to opponents. Despite that we got some chances - Jeroen Capobianco effort from corner was saved off the line, Nketsi Matal had another great look in 41’ that was saved and Justin Kluivert wasted his easy tap-in just a minute later. I started to get increasingly frustrated at the sidelines, but Jeroen Capobianco saved his teammates from the harshest half time team talk with his late goal just in the end of the first half. Good pass from Pieter Stekelenburg found Capobianco on the run and young striker showed his teammates how to finish. I still wasn’t too happy with our first half performance - we had a lot of great chances, but wasted them all, even though our game improved as the game progressed.

Second half was less entertaining. Francesco Antonucci tested NAC goalkeeper with his shot in 59’ and another shot from Donald Jourdan was tipped over by Mthethwa. Pieter Stekelenburg had the best chance to win it for us in 80’, but his shot from close range hit the post, nothing more. In the end we had to settle with 1:1 draw. Title was not clinched and I wasn’t happy with the result. We should have won it in the first half. How we could miss all of our five clear cut chances, is beyond understanding.

 

With the end of the season approaching, we renewed contracts of several players. Most of their deals run until 2031, so it’s a sign that we need them in long term. Of first team squad Marvin Koops and Mario de Groot signed new deals, while negotiations with Eugene Talea broke down for now. Simon Janssen’s contract is the one that needs to be sorted out during Summer transfer window.

 

20.04.2030 - Fortuna Sittard - AFC Ajax 0:5 (ED) - 17., 46. and 73. Nketsi Matal, 32. and 39. Jeroen Capobianco

Another relegation candidates Fortuna Sittard is our next opponent and another away game in April. Among other things it’s interesting to see our loan star Sjoerd de Jong in action in opposition team.

Squad: Mthethwa, Alleyne, van den Bosch, Leyder, Lichaba (63. Gudelj), Ari, Stekelenburg, Antonucci (67. Janssen), Matal, Kluivert, Capobianco (71. de Wit)

I used mostly same players as in NAC Breda game, but the lads learned from their mistakes and this game looked much more convincing from us. Our tactics looked spot on and Fortuna struggled to stop our quick transitions and counter attacks. We scored three goals in the first half even though Jeroen Capobianco missed his penalty in 31’, but he made amends with a good header from corner.

However, the star of the game was Nketsi Matal. He was always dangerous from our right flank with his running and crosses and he completed his hattrick in second half. It was great to see him in such a good form so soon after his fairly long injury break. We didn’t give Fortuna any chances and final whistle finished this game with our emphatic 5:0 win and title celebrations could begin.

• our average rating was 8.16
• we committed 27 fouls (8 by Sergio Alleyne alone), but lenient referee let us escape without too many yellow cards
• Nketsi Matal had an absolute stormer - he played part in all of our five goals, Jeroen Capibianco was also outstanding
• Sergio Alleyne suffered chest injury and unfortunately he has to miss upcoming Dutch Cup final
• Ening Ari also picked up a knock and he’ll miss one week with bruised thigh

 

28.04.2030 - AFC Ajax - Go Ahead Eagles 4:0 (Dutch Cup Final) - 3. Simon Janssen, 20. Thibaud Simon (og), 37. Tarik de Wit, 75. Francesco Antonucci

Dutch Cup Final in De Kuip was highly anticipated game, but we were clear favourites for this one. Both teams had some losses in their team - Eagles missed their best goalscorer Gerry Schuur (and that, for them, was difficult to cope with). We missed Sergio Alleyne and before the game Dragisa Gudelj also injured himself in training, so our defensive line looked a bit ragged. We had no good right-back option and I chose to use Nketsi Matal in DR position.

Squad: Koops, Matal, van den Bosch, Schans, Lichaba, Leyder, Stekelenburg, Janssen (68. Antonucci), van Grinsven, van Dalen (60. Kluivert), de Wit (63. Capobianco)

We took control early and Simon Janssen scored from corner already in 3’. That flyer set the tone to whole game and Go Ahead didn’t put up a real fight. Unfortunate own goal in 20’ extended our lead and Tarik de Wit scored our third goal with a good shot in 37’. Our lead at half time looked already beyond doubt, so we could play without pressure in 2nd half. Substitute Francesco Antonucci scored a memorable goal from 15 meters in second half and so we could celebrate our cup win and double! Our performance looked really good and we made it look easy.

• Simon Janssen and Nketsi Matal were outstanding in this game - Matal again performing excellent even though he was played out of position

 

 

I’m generally pleased with how April turned out for us. We secured our title and won the cup and that has to go down as successful season, even though our European season was met by the wall in AS Monaco. But we exceeded expectations in Champions League, too, so we can’t be too disappointed with quarter final defeat.

Some of the results in Eredivisie didn’t go our way, but I took that risk when I chose to play rotation players and that’s acceptable. I know that it will pay off in the future. Rene van den Bosch, Thabang Mthethwa, Jeroen Capobianco and Leslie Lichaba got valuable game time and developed well as a result.

 

Eredivisie

 

With title secured, attention turns to relegation battle. NAC Breda have limited match days to get out of the danger while Fortuna Sittard are also firmly stuck in bottom three. To see NAC Breda struggle is actually big surprise, they were predicted to finish safely in mid-table position, but the rest of the bottom five are small teams that were expected to be around relegation zone anyway.

[Draakon]

May 2030

 

05.05.2030 - AFC Ajax - VVV Venlo 4:0 (ED) - 3. Justin Kluivert, 17. and 90.+1 Nketsi Matal, 78. Johan van Dalen

In those May games it’s good to give another round of games to rotation players and try some new things. Leslie Lichaba was suspended for this game and as Dragisa Gudelj was not yet fit, I tried youngster Fred Koeman in left defense. Otherwise it was usual preparation for games - attacking movement training and overlapping instructions.

Squad: Koops, Alleyne (51. Irawan), Leyder, van den Bosch, Koeman, Ari, Stekelenburg, Antonucci, Matal, Kluivert (69. van Dalen), de Wit (61. Capobianco)

We controlled things from start to finish. Justin Kluivert reached first to loose ball in the box and opened scoring for us in 3’ - it was his birthday and there’s no better way to celebrate. Nketsi Matal forced a brilliant save out of VVV goalkeeper in 16’, but just a minute later our second goal still came. Tarik de Wit headed against crossbar and Matal was first to react and tucked it in - his 10th goal of the season. Solid first half ended in 2:0 lead and while second half was a bit less entertaining, Matal and substitute Johan van Dalen combined two good goals between themselves and final score marked convincing win for us.

• our shooting was 18/11
• Nketsi Matal was once again outstanding for us
• Fred Koeman made his debut for Ajax in this game

 

12.05.2030 - Feyenoord Rotterdam - AFC Ajax 2:0 (ED) - 18. and 62. Thokozani Mpengesi

The game itself doesn’t decide anything, but to have a derby match in the end of the season adds some motivation to players and fans, and I definitely want to finish this season with a win. Feyenoord secured their 2nd place with emphatic 8:1 win over ADO Den Haag in the last matchday, so they’re in good form and at De Kuip it’s not going to be easy for us.

Dragisa Gudelj is back for us and starts this game, while Francesco Antonucci is suspended. It’s the last game in the club for Nathan Leyder.

Squad: Koops, Alleyne, van den Bosch, Schans, Gudelj, Leyder, Stekelenburg, Janssen, Matal (58. van Grinsven), van Dalen (54. Kluivert), de Wit (70. Capobianco)

We didn’t perform well in this game, despite the fact that derby match with its importance should have been in players’ minds. Feyenoord took the lead in 18’ - Thokozani Mpengesi found the net with a good shot, but it was Rene van den Bosch who left him too much space in this situation.

Second half wasn’t improvement from our side. Mpengesi doubled his tally after counter and we finished our season with disappointing defeat. We couldn’t contain Mpengesi in defense (he earned his top goalscorer award with reason), Feyenoord defended well and we couldn’t create anything noteworthy in attack.

• we made 22 inidividual mistakes, with Rene van den Bosch responsible for 6 of those

 

Eredivisie

 

Fortuna Sittard and PEC Zwolle retained their Eredivisie places in relegation play-offs. FC Twente won Jupiler League and was promoted back into Eredivisie.

 

Ajax goals: Johan van Dalen 23, Dirk van Grinsven 21, Nketsi Matal 11, Jeroen Capobianco 11, Justin Kluivert 11, Tarik de Wit 10

Ajax assists: Dirk van Grinsven 18, Johan van Dalen 14, Nketsi Matal 11, Tom Drost 11, Justin Kluivert 10

[Draakon]

Season Summary 2029/2030

We couldn’t get it going at the start of the season - lost super cup game and struggled to against stronger teams in autumn. Despite that we improved a lot after Christmas and our second half of the season was much better. Since March we were in control of the league and won Dutch Cup (which is not always easy to do). In addition to that we exceeded expectations in Champions League and reached to quarter final. Not bad, but with our statue and home grown players only it’s rather difficult to improve from here. To get into Champions League semis we need a lot of luck and favourable draws in knockout stages. However, our seeding should be now good enough so that we have reasonable chance to progress from group stage and this should be our aim in the coming years.

 

Fans Player of the Season:

1. Tom Drost
2. Simon Janssen
3. Dirk van Grinsven

 

Goal of the Season: Pieter Stekelenburg vs. Rosenborg 03/10/2029 (also selected as the best goal of the season in Champions League!)

Young Player of the Season: Engin Ari

 

Eredivisie Awards

 

Despite title win our players didn’t collect too many awards individually. Tom Drost had the best average rating in Eredivisie, but because of his serious injury his season was shorter than expected and perhaps this affected those choices.

 

Golden Boot:

1. Ron Bosman - FC Utrecht
2. Thokozani Mpengesi - Feyenoord Rotterdam
3. Mark Richards - VVV Venlo

 

Top Goalscorer:

1. Thokozani Mpengesi - Feyenoord Rotterdam (28)
2. Mark Richards - VVV Venlo (23)
3. Giorgio Dahmen - FC Utrecht (19)

 

Goalkeeper of the Year:

1. Marvin Koops - AFC Ajax
2. Walter Wijnhoeven - Feyenoord Rottedam
3. Mohamed Nouri - MVV Maastricht

 

Young Player of the Year:

1. Johan van Dalen - AFC Ajax
2. Jordy Postma - MVV Maastricht
3. Gerry Schuur - Go Ahead Eagles

 

Manager’s Manager of the Year:

1. Clarence Seedorf - Feyenoord Rotterdam
2. Me
3. Leonardo Massoni - sc Heerenveen

 

The season ended with FIFA World Cup 2030 tournament in Spain and Holland had another extraordinary tournament and defended their title that they first won in 2026. Our goalkeeper Marvin Koops was part of the Holland squad and so earned himself the title of World Cup winner, although he didn’t play a single game in the tournament (and in fact is still looking for his first cap for Holland).

To all those followers in this thread who commented that our goalkeeper is not good enough compared to the rest of the squad - well, at least he’s the champion

[Draakon]

June 2030

Players went to holiday, but rebuilding started for the next season. We have some departures coming up:

• Nathan Leyder will leave to KV Mechelen in 1st of July
• Noa Lang contract will end
• from our loan players Mark Rozema and Jeroen Jansen also won’t get contract extensions

 

Nathan Leyder is our best player of this bunch, but overall I feel that these departures are easy to replace, and because Leyder’s huge £38,000 p/w contract those departures actually will free a lot of wage money - after a while we’ll be under £400k p/w again as the team.

The most significant problem that I face in this transfer window is a huge selection of great midfielders that we have in the team already and who are returning from loan - Pieter Stekelenburg, Francesco Antonucci, Simon Janssen, Clyde Sastrodimedjo, Marco Oomen, Eugene Talea, Rene Verhoeven, Jaap Hoogdorp and Peter van der Wal are all good enough for our first team and it’s a hell of a choice to make as a manager, what to do with them. Simon Janssen is the only one who could attract attention from big clubs, but at least in June I can’t see an major interest and I’m not willing to let him leave for less than £10m. Finally I offered him a contract extension and he signed a new deal until 2034, earning £27,000 p/w.

 

Our signing from 1,5 years ago - striker Lungisani Senyane finally joined Ajax from Ajax CT in this June ,after turning 18 years old. His transfer fee was modest £100k and he’s an average prospect next to Tarik de Wit and Jeroen Capobianco. His playing position is not exactly what I’d prefer though, so it’s probably best if we could sort out a loan move for him.

 

 

There were changes in staff room too. Our long serving coach Andrea Nuti announced his retirement in the end of the season and we signed Spaniard Alberto Zacares as our new fitness coach. U-19 coach Idrissa Gueye took position as FC Eindhoven manager and I replaced him with Mark Sale from England, who has been in my staff shortlist for a while now.

 

Couple of manager movements in Eredivisie. SC Cambuur appointed Michiel Hemmen as their new manager and Go Ahead Eagles departed with Alex Pastoor. Although we didn’t see eye to eye with Pastoor, his era was undoubtedly a successful period for Go Ahead Eagles - they won Dutch Cup five years back and reached far enough in cup tournament several times (to the final in this season, for example), and also retained their Eredivisie place despite being a small club and this is an achievement in itself.

 

In the end of June I made the first move in transfer market and accepted FC Volendam £975k bid for Fred Vet. With clauses this transfer fee could go up to £1,2m. Vet is a highly rated 18 years old prospect who could play false nine in my system, but for me he has one major flaw and it’s his inconsistency. With our single striker formation I don’t believe we can afford the luxury of relying on this sort of striker and Volendam’s offer was generous enough to let him go. We will get 40% of their possible transfer profit as well, so financially it was a very solid deal.

Despite that sell we had a quite large squad in the beginning of July and I have a difficult Summer coming up, trying to sell a couple of players (if there’s appropriate interest) and sort out decent loan moves for younger prospects.

[Draakon]

July 2030

 

I don’t know why I pay my assistant manager so much if he can’t even arrange a few friendlies. One fixture was cancelled and we’re left with only two friendly cup games in Amsterdam before Dutch Super Cup game against Feyenoord in the end of July.

The month started with OM job interview that I declined without hesitation.

It is a year of World Cup tournament and against odds Holland managed to retain their title that they first won in 2026. Even more magnificent achievement and

When Holland manager John van den Brom (who at some point of his career was my assistant manager in Ajax) resigned, Holland FA made me an offer to take this post. I declined politely and they appointed Unai Emery as the new manager.

Few other managerial movements in Eredivisie - Robin van Persie left FC Twente after bringing them back up to Eredivisie and took over vacant Go Ahead Eagles post. FC Twente appointed Eljero Elia as their new manager.

I spent part of July on renewing staff contracts and brought on young Dutchman Guus Jansen as our new U-19 coach.

 

We had only two friendly cup games to prepare for new season before Dutch Super cup final and it was not enough - most of our players were not match fit and we were not ready for the new season. But there wasn’t much else to do than go for it.

 

27.07.2030 - AFC Ajax - Feyenoord Rotterdam 1:3 (Dutch Super Cup) - 90. Dirk van Grinsven - 41. Faris Coolen, 42. Richard van der Plas, 86. Manuel Santamaria

Feyenoord were slight favourites for this game, even though it took place in Amsterdam Arena. But there’s a good reason why bookies favoured them - we had serious goalkeeper problems - both Marvin Koops and Ismet Gluhalic were out with sprained ankle and our best healthy keeper was young Mohammed van Leeuwen.

We practiced attacking set pieces (not sure why, but trusted my assistant Diego Rivas on this decision) and hoped for the best in this game.

Squad: van Leeuwen, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Gudelj, Ari (56. Markiet), Stekelenburg (56. de Groot), Janssen, van Grinsven, Kluivert (66. van Dalen), de Wit

We looked good in the first half and had initiative and possession. Tarik de Wit took ambitious shot from distance in 12’ that hit the post - unlucky! - and Pieter Stekelenburg had a half chance in 31’. But Feyenoord took the lead in the end of the first 45 minutes when Faris Coolen scored from DFK. Great strike, curled over our wall. van Leeuwen perhaps should have saved it, but the shot was too strong and he couldn’t keep it out. Before we could compose ourselves, Richard van der Plas added another goal from counter (Sergio Alleyne was to blame for that goal) and we went to half time break with 0-2 scoreline. Very disappointing collapse in the last five minutes when I felt we had edged the first half. Perhaps bookies were right and Marvin Koops could save us, but I can’t blame only van Leeuwen for those goals.

Second half turned into nightmare in 56’ when Sergio Alleyne received his second yellow card and was sent off. It was damage limitation from there and even van Leeuwen got to shine - he made a brilliant save to deny Gregory Otten, took away Rody Adelaar’s clear cut chance with a wonderful reflex save, but couldn’t help us with Santamaria goal in 86’. We scored a consolation goal in the last minute - Dirk van Grinsven had a moment of brilliance and he scored a great striker from the edge of area, but it didn’t change anything.

It was a very disappointing defeat for us, especially against Feyenoord, and we need to improve a lot before Eredivisie season kicks off. A lot of things went against us in this game, but even so a defeat like that is not easy to forget.

• Sergio Alleyne had a really poor game - he was guilty of second goal and then was sent off
• Mohammed van Leeuwen and Moreno Markiet made their debuts for Ajax
• Dirk van Grinsven made his 400th appearance for Ajax

[Draakon]

August 2030

 

We had one more friendly before Eredivisie season started and 2:0 away win over Malaga was a really good result that raised our confidence a lot after Super Cup defeat. Another fact that could help us is our fixture list - we start with two relatively easy home game and I hope to get good results from those game to start our good run.

 

09.08.2030 - AFC Ajax - Go Ahead Eagles 1:0 (ED) - 36. Tarik de Wit

Go Ahead Eagles are predicted to finish 11th in this season, making them possible mid-table side, but I believe that bookies have got this one wrong. Old fox Alex Pastoor have worked miracles with Eagles in recent season and although I have a lot of respect for Robin van Persie, I believe that Pastoor was more capable of getting the best out of his small team. The second thing is that they relied a lot on the goals of Gerry Schuur in the last season, but Schuur was on loan from FC Groningen and returned to his club in Summer and Eagles have not been able to replace him with anyone remotely as dangerous in attack. That’s why I expected a comfortable win.

We practiced defending set pieces before this game and there was a good reason for that - on average we’re 5cm shorter than our opponents and they’re clearly trying to take advantage of that. But I asked our fullbacks to overlap and expected our crosses to cut through their defense. Eagles came against us with standard 4-4-2 setup.

Our goalkeeper troubles are they same, both Koops and Gluhalic are still injured and Sergio Alleyne suspended after his red card, but Rene van den Bosch is fit again and will start on the bench.

Squad: van Leeuwen, Drost, Schans, Markiet, Gudelj, Ari, Stekelenburg, Janssen (70. Antonucci), van Grinsven, van Dalen (64. Kluivert), de Wit (73. Capobianco)

The first moment of the game came in 12’ - Pieter Stekelenburg tried from distance and his shot smashed against crossbar. We had initiative and I hoped that we can keep the game in opponent’s half and took away some pressure from van Leeuwen, but young goalkeeper got his first test in 24’ - long ball behind our defensive line found Ludovicius Depuydt on the run, van Leeuwen could have got to it first, but hesitated and so Depuydt got a clear cut chance. However, van Leeuwen did well to save his shot and so covered for his hesitation. It was the only good chance for Eagles in this game. We got our breakthrough in 36’ - good cross from our right found Tarik de Wit in the box and towering striker headed in from close range. Well executed attack and this goal gave us 1:0 lead at half time.

de Wit tried to find another goal in second half, his shot clipped crossbar in 53’, but I then asked our players to take it easy and just retain possession. We had some half chances in second half, but nothing more, but we controlled this game until end and 1:0 final score meant that we fulfilled our most important task - to start our campaign with a win.

• our shooting was 20/7
• we made 54 key passes - moved ball well in attack, but couldn’t create too many chances out of those passes

 

16.08.2030 - AFC Ajax - PEC Zwolle 4:0 (ED) - 4. and 22. Justin Kluivert, 56. Dirk van Grinsven, 70. Jeroen Capobianco

A week has passed since our win over Eagles. PEC Zwolle should be even more easy opponent for us - they are most likely to be relegated in this season and pundits predict them to finish 18th. Attacking movement match training was in order and we continued to use overlapping against Zwolle.

Good news from physio room - Marvin Koops is ready to start in this game and Rene van den Bosch takes his place in central defense, so it’s pretty much our best eleven on the pitch for this game. I made one tactical change for this game - Justin Kluivert replaced Johan van Dalen on our left wing. van Dalen didn’t impress in our previous game and healthy rotation is in order to keep everyone in the squad motivated.

Squad: Koops, Drost, van den Bosch, Schans, Gudelj (62. Lichaba), Ari, Stekelenburg (58. Sastrodimedjo), Janssen, van Grinsven, Kluivert, de Wit (68. Capobianco)

We started well and quickly showed what might come - in 2’ we played out a clever IFK combination and Engin Ari shot clipped crossbar. Two minutes later Dirk van Grinsven got his half chance, ball hit crossbar and then post, but Justin Kluivert was first to get to rebound and finished calmly. Zwolle defense was under real pressure and when Kluivert doubled his tally with simple tap-in, I felt our lead was secure. However, in every game the smaller side get at least one good opportunity and Zwolle got theirs in 25’ - Rogier Steemers was forgotten by Tom Drost and he got a clear cut chance, but his shot went wide. Just a minute later Kluivert hit post, so end to end stuff for the first 30 minutes of the game. First half ended with our 2:0 lead, but it was entertaining football, a lot of frameworks. Some defensive mistakes from us needed to be addressed at half time.

Second half continued in same fashion. Dirk van Grinsven scored our third goal, but Kevin Stolk almost sent his header on target in 58’ from corner. However, another crossbar saved us. Substitute Jeroen Capobianco finished scoring for us in 70’ and so the final score was pretty convincing 4:0. I was pleased with result and our performance, but for Zwolle I’m afraid that with this kind of defense they’ll be really struggling in this season.

• our shooting was 25/10
• we had 8.08 average rating
• we made 31 dribbles in the game, demonstrating individual skills against Zwolle defense
• Dirk van Grinsven, Justin Kluivert and Simon Janssen were outstanding in this game

 

21.08.2030 - MVV Maastricht - AFC Ajax 0:3 (ED) - 11. Engin Ari, 19. Simon janssen, 83. Dirk van Grinsven

After two relatively easy games at home, we faced a different kind of battle in away. MVV is a very strong team, predicted to finish 5th and playing standard 4-4-2. MVV had a good Summer transfer window - they released some players who were hugely overpaid and freed a lot of salary funds in the process. Their weak link seems to be their right back. However, their experienced danger man Richairo Zivkovic suffered cruciate ligament injury in Spring and he’ll be out for at least half of this season as well.

We practiced attacking movement training before the game and we had our players fit and ready for this fixture.

Squad: Koops, Drost, van den Bosch, Schans, Gudelj, Ari, Stekelenburg (61. Sastrodimedjo), Janssen (58. Antonucci), van Grinsven, Kluivert, de Wit (65. Capobianco)

We created more dangerous chances in the first fifteen minutes. Tarik de Wit had a great opportunity to score in 10’ - he had space, he took his time, but sent his shot wide. However, good throw in combination just a minute later ended up with a header by Engin Ari that went over goalkeeper and landed in the net. 1:0. Simon Janssen extended our lead with a fierce strike just inside of the area and MVV looked a bit stunned. We looked control of the game, but we still gave MVV one good chance before half time whistle - Raul Ibanez had a good look and Marvin Koops had to make a good save to deny him. At half time we had good lead, but needed to play well to keep it. MVV looked more attacking after our second goal and they were opening up their defense, but they got some good chances in the process and their crosses looked dangerous enough. I made some tactical changes, ordered team to retain possession, take a breather here and there to disrupt the flow of the game and keep things under control.

It all worked well in second half. Although we didn’t create too many chances, we killed the game pretty efficiently and in the end Dirk van Grinsven found his goal to put this game beyond doubt. He turned away from his defender and passed it calmly into the net next to post - good finish. I was happy with result and I feel that we played very well for away game.

 

24.08.2030 - sc Heerenveen - AFC Ajax 1:0 (ED) - 10. Ramon Loswijk

sc Heerenveen game is more difficult than it looks. Although predicted only 13th by media, Heerenveen have started their season well and recorded three straight wins so far. Their defense looked vulnerable, but they’re dangerous in attack and surely can score goals against any opponent.

I didn’t change the squad after MVV game. Sergio Alleyne suffered bruised head in training and he had to sit out this match, but the rest of the team was ready and fit.

Squad: Koops, Drost, van den Bosch, Schans, Gudelj, Ari, Stekelenburg (46. Verhoeven), Janssen, van Grinsven, Kluivert (52. van Dalen), de Wit (62. Capobianco)

sc Heerenveen took control of the game in 10’ - their good counter opened up a chance for Vincent Scheepers. Marvin Koops made a great save to deny him, but Ramon Loswijk picked up a rebound and he scored an easy goal. Similar story continued into rest of the first half - sc Heerenveen tried to exploit any space for counters and we gave them too much of it. Our defense didn’t make things easier for us as well - Rene van den Bosch made a terrible mistake in 31’, losing ball in midfield and allowing Raymond Hoekstra to go 1-1 against goalkeeper, but luckily for us, his shot went wide. First half was generally poor for us - we couldn’t create any good chances, our tactics didn’t work. At the same time sc Heerenveen gameplan looked direct and effective.

Unfortunately, second half wasn’t much better either. Substitutes failed to make any change in game and while we put sc Heerenveen under pressure for the last 10 minutes, we couldn’t create any good chances to find an equalizer. Both result and gameplay were disappointing after three good games and I looked out of ideas at the sidelines. Lot of things to iron out in next week training.

• Rene Verhoeven made his league debut for Ajax in second half

 

Champions League groups were drawn in the end of August and while we were surprisingly seeded 1st in the draw, we were handed a very tough group G with FC Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and FC Basel. FC Barcelona is probably one of the toughest 2nd seeded teams to get from the draw and Dortmund are no pushovers either. There are tough games ahead and we’d do well to progress from this group.

 

30.08.2030 - ADO Den Haag - AFC Ajax 0:2 (ED) - 61. Francesco Antonucci, 64. Dirk van Grinsven

In the end of August we had to face ADO Den Haag - another in-form team in away game, even though they’re just predicted 10th by media. They have a good young team and really dangerous striker in Dennis Graafland. I feel that we needed to bounce back from sc Heerenveen defeat and made one change in our line-up - Johan van Dalen starts on our left wing.

Squad: Koops, Drost, van den Bosch, Schans, Gudelj, Ari, Stekelenburg (65. Sastrodimedjo), Janssen (53. Antonucci), van Grinsven, van Dalen, de Wit (63. Capobianco)

We started this game well and put ADO defense under pressure. Our right wing looked more dangerous, but our crosses weren’t right there and didn’t find players in the box. Instead ADO got the first dangerous moment in 24’ when Dennis Graafland headed against our crossbar after IFK. First half ended with 0:0 and although our motivation was there, execution wasn’t and we had no real chances to show for our work in attack. We had 63% in the first half, but there wasn’t much difference between two teams.

I asked players to move the ball quicker in 2nd half and this time my substitutions had desired effect. Francesco Antonucci opened scoring with a great shot and just three minutes later Dirk van Grinsven was first to react to loose ball in six yard box and doubled our lead. We concentrated on protecting our lead after that. ADO tried to surprise us with long balls behind defense and there were couple of times when Dennis Graafland got to those balls and had a good shot on target, but Marvin Koops was ready and made solid saves to keep our clean sheet. Final score 2:0 looked solid enough, but it wasn’t the most convincing win from us. Antonucci substitution changed the game and I’m pleased with three points after defeat.

• we made only 18 key passes - our attacking movement should have been a lot better

 

It’s difficult to sum up August. We started very well, but defeat in Heerenveen means we’re leading the table just by goal difference and competition looks fierce at the moment. Results have been OK in general, but I’m less happy with our gameplay. I’m having a growing feeling that Tarik de Wit is not our natural false nine and he’s somehow falling out of our attacking rhythm. He scored the winner against Go Ahead Eagles, but has had four quiet games after that and it might affect his confidence.

Our defense has been fairly good. Four clean sheets and only one goal conceded, but I know that we have given up one clear cut chance in almost every game and some luck and good goalkeeping have helped us in those situations. Our own ability to create chances has been OK at best - no signs of that free-flowing attacking firework that we should see, at least against smaller sides.

 

Eredivisie

[Draakon]

Transfers in Summer 2030

 

Transfer window has been fairly quiet in this year. We didn’t have any big money moves and the most noteworthy transfer was Samir Afkir’s move from PSV to Queen’s Park Rangers for £4,7m. PSV lost their best central defender with this move. However, they picked up talented winger Yassine Yilmaz from AZ Alkmaar for free - very good signing for them and big loss for AZ.

 

We loaned out a lot of players, but I chose only Eredivisie clubs or other top division teams in Europe. Most Jupiler League sides were rejected, because I could as well keep those youngsters in Jong Ajax and play them in Jupiler League.

 

Loans out:

• Thabang Mthethwa to sc Heerenveen
• Louis van Duijvenbode to NEC Nijmegen
• Marco Oomen to Pescara (Serie A)
• Jaap Hoogdorp to Dijon FCO (Ligue 1)
• Eugene Talea to MVV Maastricht
• Sjoerd de Jong to Fortuna Sittard
• Steven Otten to Helmond Sport
• Fred Koeman to Helmond Sport
• Clyde Sastrodimedjo to Pescara (Serie A)
• Fathur Irawan to Almere City

[Draakon]

Squad Update 2030-2031

 

 

Goalkeepers

Not too much has changed in our goalkeeper department, with Marvin Koops being our first choice and a lot of younger keepers shuffling between different loan periods to get more playing time and develop. Ismet Gluhalic is back in the squad and it’s his role to provide backup and get some playing time in cup games and perhaps against smaller teams in Eredivisie.

Right-backs

 

Tom Drost is our captain - experienced and established player who can provide a lot of support in attack. But next to him we have no real other options and we haven’t pulled anyone noteworthy out of our youth system in recent years. As we have a lot of talented centre-backs, this role now falls to Sergio Alleyne, and he’s a completely different player - okay in defense, but lot less dangerous with ball. He’s fairly quick, but can’t cross properly and when Drost is injured or suspended, our attacking play suffers significantly. And unfortunately this has been the case recently - Drost was out for the most part of Spring and now suffered another injury that sidelines him for two months.

Centre-backs

 

Here I feel we are looking quite strong. Edward Schans is 24 now and leading our central defense, Rene van den Bosch is a real talent that has attracted attention of Manchester City boss Antonio Conte and Moreno Markiet returned back from loan - another solid option in defense, and the best left-footed centre-back that we have. One feature that we need in our central defense is pace, because we push our line so high up on the pitch, and all of those players are fairly quick. Sergio Alleyne can provide cover in this position, if necessary.

 

Left-backs

 

Dragisa Gudelj is the most experienced player in our defensive line, more than 50 caps for Serbia under his belt. Unfortunately his age is starting to show and his pace is not quite as it used to be a couple of seasons ago. Leslie Lichaba is a younger version of Gudelj - also not too quick to start with and so far he has not convinced me that he should be our first choice in this position.

 

Defensive midfielders

 

Engin Ari is our first choice in this position and also our set piece taker (it’s a shame we don’t have a better option in this role). After Nathan Leyder left the team in this Summer, Mario de Groot took his position and he offers something different next to Engin Ari. de Groot is more of a regista, not so good tackler and perhaps his vision and passing skills might work better against smaller team in Eredvisie in games when we control possession and attack most of the game.

 

Midfielders

 

Two different roles in midfield. Pieter Stekelenburg plays as box-to-box midfielder and Simon Janssen with Francesco Antonucci have advanced playmaker role. We also have Peter van der Wal and Rene Verhoeven back in the team who are suitable for both of these roles and provide depth in selection. Verhoeven is actually a very bright prospect, only 19 years old and have some interesting qualities like dangerous long shot. I hope he can use this season well to develop his game and earn more playing time.

 

Wingers

 

Wingers selection is the same as in last season and while we have some youth players coming up in Jong Ajax and all better prospects are right wingers, we should seriously start to think about long term replacement for Justin Kluivert.

 

Strikers

 

Two very different options there - Tarik de Wit is a big target man, towering figure and very strong in the air (also helps a lot in defensive set piece situations to have someone like him in the box). But he has not scored too many goals - I certainly would like our main striker to get around 20 goals in a season. de Wit also has one major flaw and it’s his nervousness in big games. Jeroen Capobianco is a very different player - smaller statue with better technical ability. Neither of them are very hard-working and it doesn’t help when we want to put opponent’s defensive line under pressure. In conclusion - I feel we need a lot better options than those two in long term, but so far there’s nobody like that in our youth team.

[Draakon]

September 2030

 

September started with international break and some bad news from training ground. Tom Drost suffered double hernia in training and he’ll be out for 7-9 weeks. We just had him for August and now we’ll miss him for the start of our European campaign.

I also made a decision to loan out Clyde Sastrodimedjo, so our surplus of midfield players will be a less of a problem. Rene Verhoeven will get his minutes as our substitute box-to-box midfielder. Transfer window shut down and Moreno Markiet came to me, troubled with his lack of first team chances, so I probably need to start rotating some players to keep everyone happy.

 

15.09.2030 - AFC Ajax - AZ Alkmaar 0:0 (ED)

Two weeks between two games, including the end of transfer window and international break. Unfortunately it hasn’t helped us at all. Training ground injury leaves Tom Drost sidelined with double hernia and he’ll be out for 7-9 weeks, also missing the start of our Champions League campaign. And if that’s not bad enough, Dirk van Grinsven also picked up a knock and he’ll be sidelined for 4-5 weeks with shin splints. Two key players out and it’s a question of squad depth and quality if we could go through that period without losing too much ground.

AZ Alkmaar should be a mid-table side, but they have had the worst start of the season and they’re at the bottom of the table. Losing Yassin Yilmaz in Summer has hurt them a lot and they can’t get their game going at all. Knowing this and as it’s home game, I chose attacking formation, practiced attacking movement and ordered fullbacks to overlap.

Squad: Koops, Alleyne, van den Bosch, Schans, Gudelj, Ari (51. Markiet), Stekelenburg, Janssen, Matal, van Dalen (64. Kluivert), de Wit (69. Capobianco)

We controlled most of the first half, but it took some time before things started to happen. Tarik de Wit tested AZ goalkeeper with a couple of headers. I ordered players to increase tempo and it was effective around 30’ mark. Nketsi Matal got a good look on goal from counter. His shot was saved, but Simon Janssen had a clear cut chance from following corner that demanded another good save. AZ on the other side tried to exploit counters, too, and Rico van Leeuwen found a half chance in 36’. When first half ended with 0:0, I was disappointed, because I felt we didn’t create enough chances even though we controlled midfield.

Our position got a lot worse in 49’ when Edward Schans received straight red card for two-footed tackle. It didn’t initially look that bad, but referee thought it was dangerous and our central defender was sent off. I had to make changes - Moreno Markiet replaced Engin Ari and took Schans’ place in defense. Against all odds the game took a different turn and we started to get more scoring chances. AZ didn’t change their narrow formation, they crowded midfield and had numbers, but left all the width to us and we could stretch game and search our attacking players with crosses. In addition to that, they continued their slow tempo, time wasting tactics that they used in first half. Simon Janssen and Pieter Stekelenburg had half chances and in injury time Nketsi Matal wasted a great chance - he could (and should!) have win it for us. Instead, we had to settle with goalless draw and I had mixed feelings about that result. I can’t complain too much after being left to 10 men for almost full 45 minutes, but I’ve rarely seen a team playing so poorly as AZ when having advantage. We had better chances in the game and with better finishing could have won it.

• our shooting was 27/13
• we had 18 corners, but couldn’t take advantage of them

 

Rumours around Eredivisie suggest that mystery tycoon is considering taking over FC Groningen. Exciting news, as this sort of things can shake the league a bit. MVV are still to be reckoned as considerable force in Holland after they had huge intake of funds several years ago and FC Groningen already have a decent organisation and squad to start with.

 

18.09.2030 - FC Barcelona - AFC Ajax 0:0 (Champions League Group G)

Away game against FC Barcelona is probably the toughest fixture to start our Champions League campaign with and I don’t believe we’re ready for it. Our attacking game has been inconsistent and we’re missing two key players, so I can’t really see us progressing from this group in this season. Our strikers need to improve a lot if we want to beat European giants.

We trained defensive positioning before this game. I thought long about tactical orders and put both fullbacks to support order - we could use some deep crosses, but I don’t want to leave too much space on our wings.  Barca came against us with pretty standard 4-4-2 formation.

Squad: Koops, Alleyne, van den Bosch, Schans, Gudelj, Ari, Stekelenburg (70. Verhoeven), Janssen, Matal, van Dalen (63. Kluivert), de Wit (59. Capobianco)

We didn’t start bad at all. Barcelona pushed their defensive line high and that left some space behind it. Simon Janssen found Matal with a long ball around 9’ and his shot went just wide and another similar pass found de Wit on the run in the end of the first half. FC Barcelona left Janssen way too much time and space with the ball in midfield and as a result it looked like we controlled things, but they were dangerous from counters and set pieces. Modibo Diallo got a great chance from counter in 26’ - Marvin Koops held it well, Giammarco Ferri shot was also saved and in the last minute of the first half Diallo hit the post from open position. Surprisingly, we had 58% of possession (against FC Barcelona at Camp Nou - wow!), but had to be wary, because at times our opponents individual skills broke us apart and we had given up a couple of good chances already.

We kept our defense in order after half time break and continued to control midfield, but didn’t give Barca any opportunities to score, although our own attacks were also limited. In the end it was second goalless draw in a row, but a very different game compared to AZ fixture and I was not at all disappointed. That’s a good start to this campaign.

• our shooting was 18/2 - we tried, but were often blocked and attempts from distance went off target
• Simon Janssen had a great game
• FC Basel pulled off an upset in the other game, beating Dortmund 2:1

 

22.09.2030 - AFC Ajax - Feyenoord Rotterdam 2:0 (ED) - 31. pen. Jeroen Capobianco, 55. Pieter Stekelenburg

The second Klassieker derby of the season was perhaps the most important domestic fixture in September and we had something to prove after Super Cup loss. My staff warned me about Feyenoord set pieces and we practiced defending against them. Unfortunately, injury bug had bitten us and after Barca game both Johan van Dalen and Rene Verhoeven went down with training ground injuries. van Dalen will be out for 4-5 weeks with a twisted ankle and Verhoeven suffered calf strain. With Edward Schans suspended, I had limited selection options and only six substitutions for this game. I felt that Jeroen Capobianco deserves his chance and he started in attack. Young Moreno Markiet took Schans’ place in central defense.

Squad: Koops, Alleyne, van den Bosch, Markiet, Gudelj (73. Lichaba), Ari, Stekelenburg, Janssen (62. Antonucci), Matal, Kluivert, Capobianco (59. de Wit)

Right from the start we looked vulnerable to set pieces - Feyenoord won several headers from free kicks and corners in our box and that made me wonder, what the hell were the players doing in training?! Fortunately Marvin Koops was ready and well positioned to collect headers that came on target. We got our first chance of the game in 30’ - Nketsi Matal moved into Feyenoord box with the ball and was brought down by their young central defender, and Capobianco converted the penalty. I made tactical changes after game, ordering fullbacks to support (the same formation that served us well against Barcelona). First half ended 1:0 and despite that lead I felt that our attack hasn’t really working.

We were even more motivated after half-time break and good attacking move in 55’ resulted in our second goal. Sergio Alleyne and Capobianco had attempts on goal and Pieter Stekelenburg was the man who finished it off, with a drilling shot from 15 meters. Second goal lifted some weight off our shoulders and put us in control and we kept things in order until the end of the game.

• It was a great derby win for us, very good job defensively - yes, set pieces were a threat, but Feyenoord had hardly any chances from open play
• Nketsi Matal was outstanding for us - constant danger on our right wing

 

24.09.2030 - AFC Ajax - RBC Roosendaal 7:0 (Dutch Cup 2nd round) - 2. and 34. Jeroen Capobianco, 6. Nketsi Matal, 17. Peter van der Wal, 38. justin Kluivert, 48. Francesco Antonucci, 89. Tarik de Wit

Just two days after league game we had to play cup second round fixture against small RBC team. That’s right, TWO days later. Seriously, FA?! Most of the team looked tired and although early cup rounds have always been a chance for rotation players to show themselves, I didn’t have too much to choose from our bench. Whoever looked fit enough, got to play. Dragisa Gudelj took position in central defense while Leslie Lichaba started on left.

Squad: Gluhalic, Alleyne, Schans, Gudelj, Lichaba, de Groot, van der Wal, Antonucci, Matal, Kluivert, Capobianco (75. de Wit)

However tired we were, this squad fully delivered and we ripped RBC defense apart already in the first half. Peter van der Wal scored his first ever goal for Ajax with a great header, Capobianco added a brace and wingers worked as a treat.

Second half continued in a same fashion, with goals from Antonucci and de Wit (yes, great to see him scoring again!) completed our impressive win. The result was exactly what I expected and great individual performances all around raised spirit in dressing room.

• we had 62% possession
• our shooting was 23/11
• we had 8.92 average rating

 

28.09.2030 - VVV Venlo - AFC Ajax 0:2 (ED) - 56. Tarik de Wit, 85. Nketsi Matal

We had four days to recover before wrapping September up in away game against VVV Venlo. It’s been just four years since VVV were promoted to Eredivisie and they surprised everyone with 5th place in the last season. This year they’re playing in Europa League and have spent some good money on their squad, so pundits have given them 9th place in pre-season tables and they’re definitely tricky opponents in away game.

Again we practiced defending set pieces - Feyenoord game proved it is a serious problem for us. We had still problems with all the injuries, so I didn’t have too much options with selection. I made one change, though, and gave Jeroen Capobianco his first start in the league in this season.

Squad: Koops, Alleyne, van den Bosch, Schans, Gudelj, Ari, Stekelenburg (70. van der Wal), Janssen (55. Antonucci), Matal, Kluivert, Capobianco (46. de Wit)

First half was really uneventful and we couldn’t create anything remotely dangerous. Capobianco looked a bit out of place and our attack wasn’t working. It was drab match from both sides and while we looked more motivated of two teams, it was 0:0 at half time.

I made changes in second half - de Wit came on and in 55’ Antonucci replaced Janssen. I changed de Wit orders and he started to play as CFs and it instantly changed the game. Kluivert found him with a cross in front of goal and the big striker made it 1:0. Things started to happen then - Edward Schans sent a good header towards goal from corner that was saved with difficulties by VVV goalkeeper and de Wit sent his header inches wide. The VVV got their best chance of the whole game - they picked our defensive line apart really well, midfielder Robin Claeys ran into box, Antonucci forgot to track him back and he had a great chance, but Marvin Koops made equally good save. VVV were searching for equalizer, but we had chances too to put this game beyond doubt. Peter van der Wal saw his shot being saved in 72’, Matal had open header from rebound and it was saved off the line. VVV goalkeeper Wouter Pastoor was doing really well to deny those shots, but Matal’s clear cut chance in 85’ secured our three points. VVV didn’t give up and Karim Benmessaoud’s header hit crossbar just a couple of minutes before final whistle.

In the end it was a valuable win for us, but I can’t be too pleased, as we just edged that game and it could have been a different result on another day. We were very poor defensively and stat sheet highlighted all our problems - VVV could make 23 key passes, we allowed 26 dribbles and made 22 individual mistakes. We were not in good control of the game and need to improve in the future. But I mark this win down as another game that was won with tactical changes and substitutions, so one more good grade to manager from this one.

 

After somewhat disappointing draw with AZ Alkmaar, September has turned out to be quite successful month for us. I’m happy with FC Barcelona draw and, of course, Klassieker derby win in Amsterdam Arena was the highlight for the fans.

 

Eredivisie

 

The win over VVV gave us an edge in the table and we now have two points advantage over the rest of the pack. sc Heerenveen and ADO Den Haag are still right up there, with Feyenoord and PSV also strong contenders for the title race. MVV have been really consistent and I assume it’s not going to be their year.

[Draakon]

October 2030

 

01.10.2030 - AFC Ajax - FC Basel 3:0 (Champions League Group G) - 23. Tarik de Wit, 32. Justin Kluivert, 34. Simon Janssen

October started with Champions League fixture against Basel. Basel showed they are no pushovers with their win against Dortmund in the first round, so even though it was home game for us, we needed to be wary. Basel uses adventurous 4-2-3-1 formation - narrow attacking version of it - and we have virtually no experience against that in domestic league.

Squad: Koops, Alleyne, van den Bosch, Schans, Lichaba, Ari (61. de Groot), Stekelenburg, Janssen (65. Antonucci), Matal, Kluivert, de Wit (70. Capobianco)

We started the game very well and right from the start we tested Basel goalkeeper with a couple of shots. We completely controlled midfield and possession and whatever idea was behind Basel tactics, they couldn’t link up their play in midfield. It took some time before we scored our first goal, but it came in 23’. Nketsi Matal showed his acceleration, burst past his defender in the box, crossed it for Kluivert who somehow couldn’t finish it off and goalkeeper saved it off the line, but de Wit was there to collect and finish. Basel needed to attack now and open up their defense even more and our counters were dangerous. Kluivert doubled our tally after good run and cross from Lichaba and just another two minutes later Janssen scored from counter. We took one foot off gas and almost got punished - our defense gve Fabian Maffio a great chance in 36’, but Koops made a good save to deny him. Despite that attack and allowed clear cut chance, I was happy with our first half - game was under our control and Basel was unable to cope with our attacking movement.

Second half was pure entertainment, without pressure. FC Basel’s Philip Briza headed against crossbar from IFK and our substitute Mario de Groot hit the post from clear cut chance. Game ended 3:0 and we secured our first win in this group. Good result and good performance in front of home fans.

• our shooting was 22/10
• Justin Kluivert and Leslie Lichaba were outstanding in this game

05.10.2030 - AFC Ajax - FC Groningen 3:2 (ED) - 4. and 53. Tarik de Wit, 87. Engin Ari - 59. Pim de Reuver, 85. Jorge Mere

Eredivisie weekend came after midweek Champions League game. FC Groningen is a fairly strong team, predicted to finish 7th in the league, but because it was home game we practiced attacking movement and I asked fullbacks to overlap more than usual. We went to this game with confidence, because we had scored goals and taken wins recently and our defense had been great. Rene van den Bosch looked tired before the game and was rested, some rotation was also needed to distribute load.

Squad: Koops, Alleyne, Schans, Markiet, Gudelj, de Groot (70. Ari), Stekelenburg (60. van der Wal), Antonucci, Matal, Kluivert, de Wit (65. Capobianco)

Our most common corner routine is to search towering Tarik de Wit around far post and it sometimes works. At least it worked this time - his header from corner gave us the lead in 4’. The rest of the half was even battle. Nketsi Matal got some half chances, but sent his shots mostly wide. FC Groningen’s danger man was Ralf Stam, who managed to test Marvin Koops a couple of times. First half ended with our narrow lead, but I felt that things were under control.

We took charge in second half - de Wit doubled his tally and I felt this game was almost won. But FC Groningen fought back. Pim de Reuver skipped past Dragisa Gudelj and scored their first goal and after our rather unsuccessful substitutions it looked like their equalizer is just a matter of time. Daan van Thiel hit the post in 72’ and wasted his clear cut chance in 76’. We looked like in survival mode, but hung on until 85’ when FC Groningen got their goal after corner. Rick Koning sent his shot against crossbar, Koops couldn’t react and collect it properly and central defender Jorge Mere scored from rebound. Initiative was all FC Groningen’s and I was seriously upset at the sidelines to give this win away, but the game wasn’t over. In a moment like this, it was our defensive midfielder Engin Ari who took the ball, turned towards goal and scored with an outstanding shot from 30 yards out. What a goal!!! In such a moment!! FC Groningen players looked gutted - they had worked so hard for the most part of second half and when final whistle sounded, they obviously felt robbed while I was delighted.

I was not happy with our performance after second goal and there was some critical feedback in dressing room after game, but that goal from Engin Ari… what a move. When in May you look back at the season, there are some moments that define it and it could be one of those moments. You’re 2:0 ahead, allow your opponent back into game, start to doubt in yourself, and then one player can take over and carry the team and bring home the win - that’s something that brings confidence to everyone in dressing room.

• our shooting was just 23/7 - we didn’t get shots on target even when we had decent looks

 

 

19.10.2030 - SC Cambuur - AFC Ajax 0:4 (ED)  - 19. Justin Kluivert, 27. Mario de Groot, 43. and 60. Nketsi Matal

SC Cambuur is predicted to finish 14th in this season and so shouldn’t be too difficult opponent for us, even in away game. We continued to practice attacking movement and used our overlapping tactics against them. Pre-match news from physio room were encouraging - a lot of players, including Dirk van Grinsven, Johan van Dalen and Rene Verhoeven were back in full fitness and Tom Drost returned to training from his injury. SC Cambuur, on the other hand, had troubles - their both goalkeepers were injured and they had to use inexperienced youngster in goal against us. We rotated boldly and a lot of players got their chance to impress.

Squad: Gluhalic, Alleyne, Schans, Markiet, Lichaba, de Groot, van der Wal, Antonucci, Matal (60. van Grinsven), Kluivert (60. van Dalen), de Wit (56. Capobianco)

SC Cambuur looked nervous from the start and we took control of the game in the first half. Our transition football was too quick and too skilled for SC Cambuur defenders and we scored all three goals in the first half from counter-attacks. With three goals scored by our team, Tarik de Wit didn’t have much luck in front of goal. At first he wasted his clear cut chance in 25’ just firing it against goalkeeper with closed eyes. Then his header from corner hit crossbar. Despite that, we were in full control and when Matal doubled his tally in second half I could make substitutions and allow 30 minutes of football to players who were returning from injury. Mario de Groot had another opportunity to score in 82’, but his shot hit the post and went wide. In the end it was a great result for away game and I was happy for players that came in and showed how much depth we have as a team.

• our average rating was 8.23
• Sergio Alleyne, Francesco Antonucci and Nketsi Matal were outstanding for us
• Mario de Groot scored his first ever goal for Ajax
• Nketsi Matal’s goal in the first half was his 50th for Ajax

 

22.10.2030 - Dortmund Borussia - AFC Ajax 4:1 (Champions League Group G) - 2. and 84. Ingo Petrovic, 16. pen. Gianluca Gaudino, 28. Igor Stamenkovic - 68. Pieter Stekelenburg

Dortmund were clear favourites in this Champion League game, but they had shown already that they too can be beaten when Basel defeated them 2:1. They play pretty regular 4-4-2 tactics. I gambled a bit and left our fullback on attacking orders. Tom Drost was not yet ready to start in this game, so our usual squad from September took the field.

Squad: Koops, Alleyne, van den Bosch, Schans, Gudelj (67. Lichaba), Ari, Stekelenburg, Janssen, Matal (46. van Grinsven), Kluivert (46. van Dalen), de Wit

Dortmund was off to a flyer - Rene van den Bosch missed the run of his man and Ingo Petrovic scored an easy tap-in from close range. Our troubles got even worse when Simon Janssen conceded a penalty. Two bad defensive mistakes so early left us in a lurch and when Stamenkovic score the third goal from counter it summed up all our defensive woes in this game. The first half was probably our worst in this season by some margin. Dortmund’s 4-4-2 worked as a treat against our high defensive line and, of course, we helped along with some pretty horrible mistakes.

Second half was more of a damage control from us. Pieter Stekelenburg managed to score a consolation goal from follow-up after corner and indeed our attacking game looked a bit better after break, but Dortmund were still generally well organized and final result was never in doubt. Goalscorer Stekelenburg made a late error when he lost the ball in midfield and following counter resulted in Dortmund’s fourth goal.

It was very disappointing defeat for us, even though Dortmund were favourites at home. Our defensive mistakes were frustrating to watch and we were taught a lesson in Ruhr.

• we gave away 5 clear cut chances - too many even in this level against any opponent
• the group is now all over the place, we dropped 3rd after that defeat and as Basel managed to stun Barcelona, the Spanish giants are 4th with only 1 point. Everything is still possible in this group and every game is crucial in second round

 

26.10.2030 - AFC Ajax - Vitesse Arnhem 1:2 (ED) - 86. Pieter Stekelenburg - 33. Ulrik Morgensen, 59. Ronni Nissen

Morale was a bit low after such a loss in Dortmund, but we set ourselves ready for league game against Vitesse. Vitas are underachieving in the league - predicted to finish 6th, but currently only 14th in the table. I continued with attacking movement training, because we were playing at home. Rene van den Bosch was rested in this game, but Tom Drost was finally ready to start and he was welcomed on the pitch by home fans.

Squad: Koops, Drost, Schans, Markiet, Lichaba, Ari (53. de Groot), Stekelenburg, Janssen (46. Antonucci), van Grinsven, Kluivert (57. van Dalen), de Wit

We had the best chance in the first half in 26’ - good transition move and excellent diagonal ball from Dirk van Grinsven found Justin Kluivert on the run, but our left winger blasted his shot wide. It was Vitesse who took the lead in 33’, when Ulrik Morgensen sent a half-shot, half-cross towards goal that surprised Marvin Koops and landed at the far post. It was a fluke goal, but also perhaps a sign that Koops is not as good of a goalkeeper that he usually shows. First half ended with 0:1 scoreline and it was frustrating. We had possession and initiative, but we were not able to use it and Vitesse had the lead from a fluke goal.

I tried to change things and started to make substitutions early in the first half, but it was Vitesse who scored their second goal. Tom Drost was completely overplayed by Screve N’Goma on our right wing (perhaps a sign that he’s not at his best yet after injury break) and following cross found Ronni Nissen in front of our goal who scored easy tap-in. The rest of the game was just our frustrating attempts to break Vitesse defense, but we couldn’t even create anything seriously dangerous. We got a glimmer of hope in 84’ when Giovanni Somai earned his second yellow card and was sent off. Two minutes later Pieter Stekelenburg scored a wonderful long shot from 25 yards - a brilliant goal to inspire the team, but it was too late and time ran out for us.

I was really unhappy with that result. It could be that Vitesse did strike lucky, but we should have played a lot better, especially with our possession and some players earned more criticism than others.

• our shooting was 13/3 - enough shots, but most of them went wide or were blocked
• we committed 20 fouls - too many and that allowed Vitesse to dictate tempo

 

31.10.2030 - AFC Ajax - Telstar 3:0 (Dutch Cup 3rd round) - 16. and 73. Nketsi Matal, 23. Johan van Dalen

October ends with a cup game against Jupiler League side Telstar. That’s another game to give to rotation players and see who performs well and could deserve more playing time in the league. I hope that we could score some goals and get our confidence back after two defeats. All players who had played more than 10 games at this point, were rested, if possible.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost (61. Alleyne), van den Bosch, Markiet, Lichaba (67. Gudelj), de Groot, van der Wal, Verhoeven (54. Stekelenburg), Matal, van Dalen, Capobianco

We took a confident win with most dangerous chances coming from counter attacks. Telstar tried to play well, but couldn’t cope with pinpoint crosses and speed of van Dalen and Matal. Matal scored two goals in this game and van Dalen was constant danger man on our left flank. I really enjoyed to see one brilliant move in 40’, when he drifted into the box, draw his fullback with him and then laid ball to the left where Leslie Lichaba was running into empty penalty box with acres of space. Unfortunately, Lichaba’s shot was defenders attempt and went well wide.

Second half offered less fireworks. I was forced to take Rene Verhoeven off with injury and only one goal, coming after corner follow-up.

In the end it was a solid win - some really good performances, some less convincing (Lichaba and Capobianco).

• our shooting was 21/8
• we got 20 corners, but couldn’t use them very well (missing Tarik de Wit in those situations)
• Nketsi Matal had a great game
• Rene Verhoeven will be sidelined for 2-3 weeks with twisted knee

 

October started well for us, but we fell short in a couple of games. Vitesse defeat was especially disappointing, because although I’ve accepted that some of the teams, even from bottom half of the table, can surprise us in away games, I believe we should be favourites for every home game in Eredivisie and this time we just didn’t deliver.

Champions League campaign is most exciting, actually. I didn’t have much faith in our chances in August when groups were drawn, but at this point the group is all over the place and everybody still got a chance. Barcelona were lauded as favourites, but have failed miserably, although even they have a chance if they win three remaining games. Basel have surprised everyone with two wins over big teams. We did well against Barca and Basel, but Dortmund proved to be a class better in Signal Iduna park. Next game in November is in Amsterdam against Dortmund.

 

Eredivisie

We have a small lead. Poor result against Vitesse didn’t cost us much in the table, as other clubs have dropped points too. ADO Den Haag and sc Heerenveen are still doing well with PSV and Feyenoord still within striking distance.

[Draakon]

November 2030

 

03.11.2030 - Fortuna Sittard - AFC Ajax 1:3 (ED) - 90.+1 Marco Dijk - 24. and 41. Tarik de Wit, 43. Nketsi Matal

November starts with a trip to Fortuna Sittard stadium. Fortuna survived relegation battle in the last season, but they are struggling financially and are predicted to finish 17th, so another tough season for them.

Squad: Gluhalic, Alleyne, Schans, Markiet, Lichaba (59. Gudelj), de Groot, Stekelenburg, Antonucci (46. van der Wal), Matal, Kluivert, de Wit (63. Capobianco)

After slow start we took control of the game. Justin Kluivert wasted our first clear cut chance in 16’, but Tarik de Wit opened scoring in 24’ after very good transition play. In recent games I’ve seen too many times how we lose concentration in defense right after scoring and this time it was almost the same. Ismet Gluhalic had to make a good save to tip Roberto Munter’s header over crossbar in 26’ and Marco Dijk got a shot on target after corner. Our set piece defending looked abysmal and I shouted some harsh instructions towards the players. But we did well in the end of the first half. Tarik de Wit doubled his tally and Nketsi Matal followed with our third goal, so first half ended with 3:0 scoreline. Strong five minutes in the end of the first half made the difference and allowed me to make bold substitutions in 2nd half. I asked players to retain possession and it killed the game efficiently. Pieter Stekelenburg had a great chance in 75’, but his shot was poor and was held comfortably by Fortuna goalkeeper. We then took our foot off the gas and allowed Fortuna back into game. Roberto Munter had a great chance in 85’ that was saved by Gluhalic and in injury time Fortuna finally got their goal. Good counter attack left their right back Marco Dijk completely alone in our box and it was easy finish from there.

Final whistle marked our win from away game, but I was not happy with our final 15 minutes - we were not good defensively and substitutions didn’t put their full effort in. We should have kept up our concentration and I made it clear for the players.

• Fortuna plays possession football and we lost possession 45/55 - a bit unexpected and we should try to avoid it in home game
• Justin Kluivert was superb for us in this game

 

06.11.2030 - AFC Ajax - Dortmund Borussia 1:1 (Champions League Group G) - 55. Engin Ari - 8. Ingo Petrovic

Only three days between two games (also the reason why I used so many rotation players against Fortuna). Dortmund looked really strong in Signal Iduna Park and I hoped we could do better against them at home. We practiced defensive positioning before this match and I tried to avoid being too exposed in counter attacks.

Squad: Koops, Drost, van den Bosch, Schans, Gudelj (46. Lichaba), Ari (63. de Groot) Stekelenburg, Janssen, van Grinsven, van Dalen (61. Kluivert), de Wit

Unfortunately, we failed our main goal very early. Dortmund carved our defense open with excellent counter attack and Ingo Petrovic scored with a good shot. We had a great opportunity to equalize from IFK, but Tarik de Wit was denied by reflex save of Dortmund goalkeeper and then Johan van Dalen sent his header just over in 28’. When first half ended, I felt that we actually played a solid 45 minutes, taking care of possession and got some shots on target, but Dortmund succeeded once and then defended fairly well. But Dortmund defenders had picked up three yellow cards in the first half and that had to have some effect to their defensive game in the second half.

Second half started with some really good chances for Dortmund and Marvin Koops had a chance to show his skills. First he saved brilliantly Taubate’s shot. Then Rene van den Bosc allowed Ingo Petrovic to turn around him too easily and go 1-1 against goalkeeper and again Koops made a great save from close range. Perhaps some of the fans had started to doubt whether he should be picked above Ismet Gluhalic, but this game proved that he really is a very good goalkeeper. And when Dortmund rued their missed chances, we equalized from DFK. Engin Ari curled it beautifully around the wall from 18 meters and scores were level. Dirk van Grinsven saw his shot being saved in 62’ and Igor Stamenkovic had a late injury time chance for Dortmund (another great save from Koops!), but that was it. A draw against Dortmund was neither good or bad result, but I can’t complain too much. FC Barcelona defeated FC Basel easily at Camp Nou and got their first win of the group.

• Marvin Koops had a great game for us, rare to see him play so well in Champions League level
• Engin Ari suffered damaged foot and he’ll be out for 2-3 weeks
• Johan van Dalen will be sidelined or a week with stubbed toe

09.11.2030 - FC Twente Enschede - AFC Ajax 0:1 (ED) - 11. Mario de Groot

Another short rest between two games and we’re in Enschede, going against FC Twente in another away fixture. FC Twente was promoted back to Eredivisie in this season and they were predicted to struggle and finish 16th before this season ,but they’ve done really well so far, mainly because they have one of the best defenses in the league and they’re really difficult to break down.

We practiced attacking movement before this game and I was optimistic before the match, but we had some players missing - van Dalen, Verhoeven and Engin Ari were injured.

Squad: Koops, Drost, Schans, Markiet (72. Alleyne), Gudelj, de Groot, Stekelenburg, Janssen (64. Antonucci), van Grinsven, Kluivert, de Wit (56. Capobianco)

We took the lead in 11’ - Mario de Groot managed to hit the ball really well and his shot from the edge of area found the net. Tarik de Wit header from corner scraped crossbar in 18’, but otherwise it was really drab match and for the most of the game FC Twente showed that their defense can keep up with our attack. It was difficult to find chances and substitutions didn’t add much creativity to midfield. Narrow win with rather boring performance.

• our shooting was just 12/2 - difficult to find good chances

 

International break in November allowed us to get some players back to full fitness. Ismet Gluhalic started his first game for Bosnia & Herzegovina - a great moment for him and game time on international level can certainly help his development.

22.11.2030 - AFC Ajax - FC Utrecht 3:0 (ED) - 24. Tarik de Wit, 29. Johan van Dalen, 88. Mario de Groot

International break was over and it allowed us to recover from some injuries. Rene Verhoeven and Engin Ari are back in training, but unable to start and Moreno Markiet will miss this week with a gashed leg.

FC Utrecht are a serious opponent, predicted to finish 3rd and very uncomfortable opponents for us with their 5-4-1 WB diamond tactic, and they proved their good form with win over PSV in their previous game.

Squad: Koops, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Lichaba, de Groot, Stekelenburg, Janssen (65. Antonucci), van Grinsven (63. Matal), van Dalen, de Wit (69. Capobianco)

We started very well and I enjoyed this game from the start. We put FC Utrecht under pressure with ball, player very well without ball ourselves and neutralized their wingbacks on both sides. And when Tarik de Wit opened scoring with a solid header from close range, it gave us the feeling that this game is for us to win. Five minutes later we doubled our lead - Dirk van Grinsven did well to block FC Utrecht clearance, ball bounced back to their box and Johan van Dalen was first to react and run for it. Easy finish from clear cut chance for him. Van Grinsven had two more good chances in this first half, but despite his misses I was happy with our display in the first half.

I tried different tactics in 2nd half, testing Jeroen Capobianco as CFs and he had some of the most curious moments I’ve seen in this game. He received a good pass from midfield, run into box and fired it into the net with a fierce shot. The ball clearly went in, but commentary someow insisted it went wide and it counted as missed chance. Unbelievable. However, we finished this game with a goal and what a goal that was - young midfielder Mario de Groot scored a screamer from 23 meters out and that was another beautiful goal in a season that has offered so many already. Great strike! 3:0 scoreline marked excellent performance and good win for us. In October we defeated SC Cambuur in a similarly confident manner, but to beat FC Utrecht so confidently means we’re in really good form.

• we had 60% possession
• our shooting was 16/12 - perhaps the best in this season
• Mario de Groot and Leslie Lichaba were outstanding in this game

 

26.11.2030 - AFC Ajax - FC Barcelona 2:0 (Champions League Group G) - 45. Tarik de Wit, 46. Dirk van Grinsven

With group really mixed up at the moment, it means that every team have a chance to progress and every game counts. We needed a good result against Barca to keep ourselves in contention and I prepared carefully for this home fixture. We played very well at Camp Nou and I tried to learn from tactics we used there. We practiced defending positioning before the game and I ordered fullbacks with ‘support’ orders. Engin Ari was suspended for this game and I wondered if it’s better to use Mario de Groot as DMCs or Regista against Barca’s 4-4-2 formation.

Squad: Koops, Drost (71. Alleyne), van den Bosch, Schans, Lichaba, de Groot, Stekelenburg, Janssen (66. Antonucci), van Grinsven, van Dalen, de Wit (60. Capobianco)

Tarik de Wit got his first good chane already in 7’, but it was saved well by Barcelona goalkeeper. We had small initiative in the first half, but not too many fireworks up front - careful tactics meant we controlled midfield and looked good defensively, but less players were up there supporting our attacks. But we took the lead just before half-time, when de Wit converted Lichaba’s cross from our left. He was a bit lucky, as the ball took strong deflection from defender, but it was a goal nevertheless. FC Barcelona didn’t offer much in attack in the first half and they obviously attempted to change that after half-time break, but before they managed to do that we scored our second  goal. Tarik de Wit had a good look on goal, his shot was saved, but van Grinsven got to the rebound first and finished calmly. Only then Barcelona started to show more attacking game, but it was a bit too late. Giammarco Ferri tested Marvin Koops in 48’ and Kuki had a good shot on target a minute later, but it was not good enough and we took a very important win in front of home fans. Great result and it’s a great feeling when tactics work like they did that day.

• we had 63% possession (against Barca!)
• we made 55 key passes
• our shooting was 25/13, even though all shots were not that dangerous
• Leslie Lichaba was superb and had second great game in a row
• we now need a draw in our last game against FC Basel to progress from this group

 

We certainly can be pleased with how November turned out. Champions League was our big test in this month and we proved we can play well against big teams and we’ve slowly increased our lead in Eredivisie too.

 

Eredivisie

 

ADO Den Haag and Sparta Rotterdam are surprisingly high in the table, but there’s bigger gap already with PSV and Feyenoord.

Edited July 26, 2018 by Draakon

[Draakon]

December 2030

 

December have a very tight schedule. We don’t have a holiday game in the end of the year, but we still have six fixtures in the space of 18 days, so it means a lot of rotation and some tired legs. Fortunately, our schedule balances difficult challenges with easier fixtures. Eredivisie game against PSV and decisive Champions League battle in Basel are the most important games.

 

01.12.2030 - PSV Eindhoven - AFC Ajax 1:1 (ED) - 45.+1 pen. Mark van Duijvenbode - 73. Edward Schans

Choosing tactics for this game was particularly tricky. PSV are tough opponents, especially at home, and they looked a bit tired from their Europa League game. So I wasn’t sure how bold we can be with our formation and orders. PSV play direct 4-4-2 formation and I countered it with Engin Ari as DMC and our fullbacks on support duty. We practiced attacking set pieces before that game, hoping it would benefit us in corners or IFK situations.

Squad: Koops, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Lichaba, Ari, Stekelenburg, Janssen (59. Verhoeven), van Grinsven, van Dalen (31. Kluivert, 42. Matal), de Wit

First half was difficult for us. PSV got more initiative in the game and something with our tactics was not working properly, but it was difficult to point out what exactly and we struggled with that in full first half. I changed Engin Ari orders from DMC to regista during first half and then injuries had a big impact on our game. First Johan van Dalen and then his replacement Justin Kluivert were injured in the first half - Kluivert got only 10 minutes to play - and I had to send in Nketsi Matal and move Dirk van Grinsven to our left wing where he is able to play, but is still relatively ineffective. Still, we had a couple of attempts on target in the end of the half, but then poor refereeing came into play and made things worse. Edward Schans was called a foul for a high foot in our box - really harsh decision, based on replays - and Mark van Duijvenbode converted injury time penalty. Things just stacked against us in this first half, but we were motivated to turn things around and second halve looked much better. Simon Janssen had a great chance from close range in 65’, but his shot was saved. He should have finished this one better. Finally, our set piece training brought dividends when Schans headed in after corner and equalized. Nketsi Matal shot in 77’ was brilliantly parried by PSV goalkeeper, so we weren’t too far away from winning, but had to settle with 1:1 draw in the end.

Both sides were probably satisfied with that draw. I’m not pleased with performance of all players, but given the circumstances, injuries, forced substitutions and poor refereeing I have to say that well done to come back from this with a goal and away draw against PSV is not too bad in long term.

• we were offsides 11 times - good defensive positioning and teamwork from PSV
• Johan van Dalen will be out for 5-6 weeks with sprained ankle
• Justin Kluivert is sidelined for 3-4 weeks with strained ankle ligaments

 

04.12.2030 - Helmond Sport - AFC Ajax 1:1 (ED) - 34. Kees Baggerman - 17. Tarik de Wit

Helmond Sport should be a lot easier opponent for us than PSV. They’re predicted to finish 15th and are busy with their relegation battle. They have one quality though - they have the best collective work rate of Eredivisie and try to take advantage of that. We had to get by without both of our left wingers, so Dirk van Grinsven again started in our left wing and 17 years old Omar van der Aar was brought to first team. We chose attacking formation with overlapping instructions.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost, van den Bosch, Schans, Gudelj, de Groot, Stekelenburg (57. Verhoeven), Antonucci, Matal (60. van der Aar), van Grinsven, de Wit (64. Capobianco)

We looked good in the first half. Tarik de Wit opened scoring with a fierce shot from inside of area and then we had to great chances to both van Grinsven and Matal. Tarik de Wit have been more familiar with his CFs role and he laid two through balls to our wingers, perfect on the run, but both chances were missed and we were punished for that later. One good attack by Helmond resulted in a half chance and Kees Baggerman used his opportunity well and equalized. Our defense was way too passive in this situation, but mostly we were still punished with our poor finishing in previous attacks.

I tried to make some differences in second half, but things didn’t turn out, substitutes looked rather nervous than motivated to change things and Helmond defended bravely. We couldn’t create a single good chance in the second half and I was really unhappy with both result and some of the performances.

• our shooting was only 15/5
• Dragisa Gudelj made 5 individual errors
• 17 years old Omar van der Aar made his debut for Ajax

 

07.12.2030 - AFC Ajax - Sparta Rotterdam 4:0 (ED) - 3. pen. and 23. pen. Tarik de Wit, 8. Simon Janssen, 87. pen. Jeroen Capobianco

We needed to bounce back after Helmond result with a win against Sparta. Our opponents have improved in recent seasons. Sparta was predicted to finish 8th before the season started, but they’re 4th at the moment and are doing really well in the league. Still, I expected us to play better in front of home fans and we practiced attacking movement. Overlapping instructions remained in our tactical sheet. With squad selection I had little choice, because schedule and upcoming FC Basel game meant that some key players needed a day off and I had to put my faith in rotation players.

Squad: Koops, Alleyne, Schans, Markiet, Lichaba, Ari, Stekelenburg (37. Verhoeven), Janssen, Matal, van Grinsven (69. van der Aar), de Wit (46. Capobianco)

Game started really well for us. Pim de Roon fouled Dirk van Grinsven in the box and Tarik de Wit converted penalty. Five minutes later Simon Janssen doubled our lead and from this point it looked like Sparta never really recovered from their poor start. Dirk van Grinsven wasted his clear cut chance in 19’, but Sparta defense looked to struggle against our more technical players and it was most evident on our right wing, where Nketsi Matal ran his defenders on the ground. He proved to be too quick and agile and was fouled twice in the penalty area, once in the first half and then in the end of the game. Three penalties looks a bit much in one game, but all were right decisions from referee and we converted them calmly. So, 4:0 win in the end and the sort of game where everything works out from the start and falls to right places. Good first half allowed us to make substitutions and rest some first team players and that too could benefit us in next games.

• our average rating was 8.03
• we made 33 dribbles in this game
• Nketsi Matal, Sergio Alleyne and Leslie Lichaba had a great game
• Pieter Stekelenburg injured himself in first half and he’ll be out for 5-6 weeks with sprained ankle

 

11.12.2030 - FC Basel - AFC Ajax 1:1 (Champions League Group G) - 85. Fabian Maffio - 81. Nketsi Matal

Trip to Basel was our most important game in December, the one that defines our European campaign in this season. We needed a draw in this match and couldn’t allow to lose. Despite our confident win in Amsterdam Arena, FC Basel have looked strong in their home turf and I was fully aware of that.

We practiced attacking set pieces in training, but squad selection was problematic because of injuries and we really missed Pieter Stekelenburg in midfield. Rene Verhoeven had to step up and show what he can do in this role.

Squad: Koops, Alleyne, van den Bosch, Schans, Lichaba (72. Gudelj), Ari, Verhoeven (56. de Groot), Janssen (56. Antonucci), Matal, van Grinsven, de Wit

FC Basel started really well and we looked vulnerable defensively in the first half. James Prince had a great chance from IFK in 13’, luckily he sent his shot well wide of goal. Then Adrian Imbach had a good look on goal just three minutes later while our defenders were still waving for offside call and Marvin Koops made a good save to deny him. Our tactics didn’t seem to work and I tried to make changes, asked Rene Verhoeven to play as CMs and it looked that we started to get into game better. Dirk van Grinsven had a free header in 33’ that was held and Tarik de Wit’s attempt from distance caused difficulties to FC Basel goalkeeper. First half ended without goals and while Basel had a better start, we looked better in second part of this half, so draw, for that moment, looked like a fair result. Both teams looked a bit nervous, but I felt that we needed a bit more good opportunities to find a goal.

Second half was a bit more careful from both teams who wanted to avoid conceding more than wanted to score. Things started to happen again around 60’ mark. Dirk van Grinsven had another free header on goal in 60’, but it smashed crossbar. Three minutes later Johannes Martensson got a great chance for Basel, but his poor shot was easily held by Koops. We finally took the lead in 81’ with a little help of luck. Dirk van Grinsven sent a cross in from our left, it took a small deflection from defender and bounced right onto foot of Nketsi Matal who finished his clear cut chance at the far post. And it was a vital goal, because we couldn’t keep our clean sheet and allowed FC Basel to score later in the game. Fabian Maffio headed against crossbar in 85’, but collected rebound and tucked it in to equalize. Fortunately, draw was good enough for us and we managed to hold onto it.

I wasn’t pleased with our performance in this game - it was too nervous, with too many errors in defense, but in the end we managed to get away with draw and that secured our 2nd place in the group. We gave away 5 clear cut chances in this game - way too many, and FC Basel can rue their missed opportunities, but the result ultimately matters.

 

Champions League Group G

1. Borussia Dortmund 11
2. AFC Ajax 9
3. FC Basel 7
4. FC Barcelona 5

 

No small teams in knockout phase and in the first round we were drawn against Arsenal. Difficult test, surely.

 

14.12.2030 - Go Ahead Eagles - AFC Ajax 1:2 (ED) - 80. Mithat Arabaci (og) - 33. and 40. Nketsi Matal

Schedule is good for us, balancing tough with easy and after exhausting Champions League fixture we visit Go Ahead Eagles who are 15th in the moment, battling against relegation and without win for over 2 months now. It’s easy to criticise other managers, but I believe that while Alex Pastoor worked miracles with Eagles, leading them to two cup wins, then his departure left that club into lurch and Robin van Persie has not been able to repeat that success.

I chose attacking tactics + overlapping instructions and sent rested, rotation players in.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost, van den Bosch, Markiet, Lichaba (52. Gudelj), Ari (52. Arabaci), de Groot, Antonucci, Matal, van Grinsven (57. van der Aar), Capobianco

Jeroen Capobianco had an early chance, but his shot in 3’ was saved by goalkeeper - proving once again that even if he does get a chance in first team, he’s too wasteful with his opportunities. It took some time for us, but two good crosses by Dirk van Grinsven and well executed finishes from Nketsi Matal put us 2:0 ahead at half time.

Second half was much less exciting and I made bold substitutions. Omar van der Aar got playing time again and young midfielder Mithat Arabaci came on for his debut. Eagles were only dangerous in set pieces and it gave us their goal in 80’ - some poor defending led to shot that took unfortunate deflection off Arabaci and landed in our goal. Just three minutes later another corner and Mitchell Tissingh was completely unmarked by our defenders. His header landed against crossbar and was cleared on the line by defenders - a heart-stopping moment for us and final whistle brought some relief to coaching staff.

Our win was expected and it was a good test for younger players, but I’m not happy with our defending in the last 15 minutes.

• Rene van den Bosch made 6 individual errors - way too many against small team like Eagles
• Nketsi Matal scored his 10th goal of the season
• young midfielder Mithat Arabaci made his debut for Ajax

 

18.12.2030 - AFC Ajax - SC Cambuur 3:1 (Dutch Cup 4th round) - 30. Dirk van Grinsven, 37. Nketsi Matal, 76. Jeroen Capobianco - 60. Yann Kasai

Our last game of the month is cup fixture against SC Cambuur. Cambuur are probably more concerned with their last place in Eredivisie and fight for survival than progressing in cup, so we approached to this game as we did for Eagles match - rotation players got their chance and attacking instructions were given before the game.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost (62. Alleyne), Schans, Markiet, Lichaba (69. Gudelj), Ari, de Groot, Antonucci, Matal, van Grinsven (71. van der Aar), Capobianco

Concentration perhaps wasn’t there in the beginning of the match, but SC Cambuur’s Francesco Hoffmann got an early chance in 9’. Fortunately for us, his shot went well wide. We took control of the game in 30’ when Dirk van Grinsven header found the net and Nketsi Matal doubled our lead in 37’ - follow-up after corner. First half ended with our 2:0 lead and offered some good attacking football.

I made tactical changes for second half, asking players to retain possession and protect our lead. But in 60’ SC Cambuur managed to score their goal and showed this win is not so sure as it felt in the first half. Our defense failed to clear ball properly and then cross from our left wing and good header from Yann Kasai was enough to beat Ismet Gluhalic in our goal. We instantly increased tempo and chances started to come our way. Engin Ari forced a difficult save from SC Cambuur goalkeeper with his DFK and then Jeroen Capobianco finally found a goal with his shot in 76’. Third goal settled this ame and it was solid win despite that conceded goal.

• our shooting was 23/10
• we made 50 key passes, 15 of those were distributed by Francesco Antonucci
• Nketsi Matal and Francesco Antonucci were outstanding for us

 

Most of the big teams are out of cup after 4th round, some rather surprising results in this year series. We were drawn against MVV Maastricht for quarter final.

 

First half of the season has been pretty good for us. We’re leading Eredivisie, we’ve qualified from our tough Champions League group and we’re still in the cup. Results have not been so flashy and goals have not come in plenty - we fell short of our mid-season target of 40 points, but it’s still good and we’re confident and positive about that season.

 

Eredivisie

 

Our lead is pretty solid now. Feyenoord have gained positions in the table and look most likely candidates for 2nd place. ADO Den Haag and Sparta were great just some weeks ago, but ADO struggle with injuries and Sparta have slipped in some games and dropped some points.

[Draakon]

January 2031

January started with good news. Ex-Ajax striker Aschraf Flemming won Ballon d’Or and ex-Ajax fullback Derian Tepperik was named as European Golden Boy. That’s a huge recognition to our youth system and good work done by coaching staff.

Transfer window passed quietly, I made only few loan moves in the end of the month - Mithat Arabaci, Job ter Borgh and Mohammed van Leeuwen joined PEC Zwolle until the end of the season and Germain Siereveld moved to Fortuna Sittard right before transfer window closed.

Loan moves aside, there wasn’t much interest around our players and Eredivisie clubs in general weren’t too active in the market.

 

25.01.2031 - AFC Ajax - MVV Maastricht 2:0 (ED) - 58. Johan van Dalen, 67. Dirk van Grinsven

Two league games in January and first one is underperforming MVV Maastricht. If poor form isn’t enough already, MVV have a problem in goalkeeper area - their first team keeper is injured and they have to use 18 years old inexperienced youngster against us. We missed players too - Leslie Lichaba and Engin Ari were suspended and Tom Drost recovering from small injury, but at least Justin Kluivert and Johan van Dalen were fit and ready to start, so our left wing problems should be over with winter break.

Squad: Koops, Alleyne, van der Bosch, Schans, Gudelj, de Groot, Stekelenburg (68. Verhoeven), Janssen (57. Antonucci), van Grinsven, Kluivert (57. van Dalen), de Wit

We played fairly good first half and controlled midfield, but couldn’t score in the first 45 minutes. Tarik de Wit had the best chance in 9’, but his shot was saved and so the first half ended with 0:0 scoreline. I made tactical changes in second half - Mario de Groot started to play as regista and first substitutions in 57’ instantly made the difference. Johan van Dalen headed in a good cross by Sergio Alleyne. Dirk van Grinsven doubled our lead in 67’ - he received excellent through ball from de Wit and passed it calmly in the net. MVV got their best chance in injury time - poor mistake by Rene van den Bosch allowed Raul Ibanez to get a good look, but his shot hit the post and final whistle marked our good game and fine win. It also means we’re now unbeaten in 13 games in a row.

• we had 60% possession
• our shooting was 20/9
• we were called offside 10 times - a bit too much
• it was Pieter Stekelenburg’s 200th league game for Ajax

 

29.01.2031 - PEC Zwolle - AFC Ajax 1:4 (ED) - 89. Michael van der Vlag - 1., 11. and 24. Tarik de Wit, 20. Johan van Dalen

The game against PEC Zwolle should be easy and rotation players get their chance in this away game. It’s also interesting to see how Mithat Arabaci will do against us on the pitch, but I was a bit surprised before the match when I found out that PEC Zwolle uses him as AMC in their 4-2-3-1 formation. He’s clearly a defensive midfielder, perhaps DLP, but not AMC. Either way, I expected a win against smaller team and it came in the end, but the game itself was much more entertaining.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost, van den Bosch (66. Siereveld), Markiet, Lichaba, Ari, Verhoeven, Antonucci, Matal, van Dalen (66. Kluivert), de Wit (46. Capobianco)

We started with a flyer - Tarik de Wit scored a simple tap-in in the first attack (good cross from van Dalen) and it looked like things are going to get difficult for Zwolle. But our opponents got their first great chance in 7’ - Ismet Gluhalic had problems saving DFK, ball was loose in our six yards box and Michael van der Vlag was there first, but Gluhalic made a great save from close range to deny him. Then our attacking flow took over and goals came flooding - de Wit completed his hattrick (his second goal was a great strike from edge of area) and Johan van Dalen added one goal (excellent pass from de Wit to open a lot of space for him), but at the same time we were really poor defensively. Bad error from Tom Drost gave a great opportunity for Arabaci and Gluhalic had to make another great save to keep a clean sheet. After Johan van Dalen wasted his clear cut chance in 45’ it was half time and we had 4:0 lead. Great attacking football from us, but we need to cut down those defensive errors.

I made tactical changes for second half - de Wit came off and Jeroen Capobianco got his chance to prove his skills. He tried really hard and his header in 56’ landed against post, but we couldn’t add more goals. While we eased off in attack, defensive errors remained. Michael van der Vlag got another great chance in 74’ (another great save from Gluhalic) and finally just before the end PEC Zwolle scored their consolation goal. Moreno Markiet made a mistake and lost challenge inside our own box and van der Vlag finally hit the target. When final whistle called, it was mixed feelings for me - yes, we fielded weakened team and 4:1 is a very good result, but I wasn’t happy with our defense and especially with second half. We have done well to balance playing time in this season, so all of those players should have enough practice already, nobody were nervous and we should have been able to keep our good performance until the end.

• our shooting was 22/6 - not good enough
• Tarik de Wit and Johan van Dalen had a great game
• Tom Drost made his 300th appearance for Ajax in this game
• young defender Germain Siereveld made his debut for Ajax (he went on loan to Zwolle after that game)

 

Eredivisie

 

Sparta, sc Heerenveen and ADO Den Haag lost some ground in the table and Vitesse Arnhem have gained the most places in those past weeks

[Draakon]

February 2031

 

We have a lot of games in February, some tricky domestic fixtures and also Champions League knockout round against Arsenal, so I predict some rotation and almost everybody in the first team will get their chance to impress.

 

02.02.2031 - AFC Ajax - sc Heerenveen 4:1 (ED) - 3. and 38. Johan van Dalen, 6. Simon Janssen, 89. Dirk van Grinsven - 63. Vincent Scheepers

We went against sc Heerenveen in Amsterdam Arena with attacking formation and fullbacks were overlapping. We practiced attacking set pieces before the game, because our staff expected to take advantage of those situations.

Squad: Koops, Drost, van den Bosch, Schans (18. Alleyne), Lichaba, Ari, Stekelenburg, Janssen, van Grinsven, van Dalen (67. Kluivert), de Wit (67. Capobianco)

We had a great start to the game. Johan van Dalen scored a flyer and Simon Janssen extended our lead when only 6 minutes were played. sc Heerenveen defense looked to struggle against our technical players and passing. sc Heerenveen waited patiently for their chances and first of those came in 23’ - Daniele Guglielmi was unmarked in corner situation. Fortunately his shot went wide. Johan van Dalen doubled his tally in 38’ and we went to half time with 3:0 lead. We looked really good in the first half and our only problem was injury to Edward Schans that forced me to make early substitution.

sc Heerenveen got their goal in 2nd half - Rene van den Bosch misjudged his positioning and Vincent Scheepers scored. But we continued to attack well and create chances - Simon Janssen wasted his opportunity in 78’, however, Dirk van Grinsven finished scoring with a good header in 89’.

Great first half secured us confident win, even though I was less impressed with our performance after half time break.

• Dirk van Grinsven and Pieter Stekelenburg had a great game
• Dirk van Grinsven made his 300th appearance for Ajax
• Edward Schans will be sidelined for 2 weeks with thigh strain

 

05.02.2031 - AFC Ajax - MVV Maastricht 3:0 (Dutch Cup Quarter Final) - 29. Pieter Stekelenburg, 33. and 48. Tarik de Wit

Dutch Cup quarter final was our second game against MVV in just a few weeks and they didn’t surprise us in this one. We continued to go with attacking preparation and overlapping instructions, but rotated some players. Moreno Markiet started in central defense for injured Schans.

Squad: Koops, Drost, van den Bosch, Markiet, Lichaba, Ari, Stekelenburg (57. Verhoeven), Janssen, van Grinsven, van Dalen (63. Kluivert), de Wit (57. Capobianco)

The game started slowly and, perhaps surprisingly, MVV got the first good chance to score. Mirko Roland had a great opportunity in 22’, but his shot went wide. And then we found our scoring touches - Pieter Stekelenburg scored his goal with a shot that went in off the post. Tarik de Wit quickly doubled our lead and we went to half time with 2:0 scoreline. Our crossing and overlapping movement worked like a treat and MVV couldn’t cope with our attacking movement at times.

Tarik de Wit scored his second goal right at the start of second half and then we eased off and concentrated on possession. Dirk van Grinsven sent his header against crossbar in 56’, but we didn’t have to score more goals and we didn’t push too hard. In summary it was a very confident win against good opponents.

• Tarik de Wit, Simon Janssen and Leslie Lichaba were outstanding
• we made 24 fouls in this game, Engin Ari responsible for 8 of those, but somehow we avoided bookings
• we’re up against FC Groningen in semi finals

Team boards are starting to lose patience with some of the managers. Filip Daems was sacked by AZ Alkmaar after this cup round and SC Cambuur fired Michiel Hemmen - Cambuur have to make some changes if they still hope to survive and retain their Eredivisie place in this season.

 

09.02.2031 - AZ Alkmaar - AFC Ajax 0:2 (ED) - 13. Justin Kluivert, 17. Martin Clement (og)

AZ look like a mess before this game - they’re without manager and both their best midfielder and striker are injured. We continued to practice attacking movement, but because of tight schedule I decided to take this game easy and send out weakened team.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost (63. Alleyne), van den Bosch, Markiet, Gudelj, de Groot, Verhoeven, Antonucci, van Grinsven (72. Matal), de Wit (55. Capobianco)

We took control in this game early - Justin Kluivert converted his chance after our good counter and then AZ scored the most curious own goal I’ve ever seen. Their goalkeeper Bob Leeflang tried to open game with a long kick, but hit Martin Clement instead and ball bounced back into the net. It was a gift for us and summed up exactly how things are for AZ at this point. AZ got their best chance in 19’, but Ismet Gluhalic made a brilliant save to deny Vladimir Bizjak. Another brilliant save was needed in 28’ to stop Jamel Amrani’s shot. Despite our two goal lead at half time I wasn’t too pleased and confident with our game - we lost too many second balls in midfield and some poor decisions have helped AZ to create dangerous attacks. So I made tactical changes at half time, asking players not to overlap that often and to retain possession.

Both teams had one great chance in second half. Justin Kluivert’s shot was saved in 49’ and Jamel Amrani got another opportunity right in the last minute of the game. Ismet Gluhalic impressed in this game and another great save from him secured us clean sheet.

It was a good win for us. It’s nice to try out other players in those games - of course we weren’t as convincing as expected, especially defensively, but it was a good win with those players and Ismet Gluhalic impressed in our goal.

 

12.02.2031 - AFC Ajax - ADO Den Haag 2:0 (ED) - 37. Tarik de Wit, 68. Nketsi Matal

Schedule was tough, indeed, and we had only three days to prepare for this game. Our first team players looked fresh enough, but ADO had problems - most of their attacking leaders were either injured or tired and I expected that to help us. We rotated carefully and I made squad decisions based on form, training performance and fitness.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost (54. Alleyne), van den Bosch, Markiet, Lichaba, Ari, Stekelenburg, Janssen (67. Antonucci), Matal, van Dalen, de Wit (54. Senyane)

The first half was full of missed chances from both sides. It took only 5 minutes and Tarik de Wit sent his header against crossbar. ADO surprised us in 6’ - Yury Fattori got a chance and his shot was well saved by Gluhalic. Brian Sabajo had a rebound and another great opportunity, but only hit woodworks. ADO may rue their missed chances, but their position went much worse in 17’ - Brian Sabajo made awful two-footed tackle on Pieter Stekelenburg and was sent off. After that it was just a matter of time until we took control of the game. Tarik de Wit missed his first clear cut chance in 21’, but his shot from 17 meters did beat ADO goalkeeper and we went to half time with 1:0 lead after that wonderful goal.

We needed to secure our lead in second half, but it took some time to score our second goal. Nketsi Matal missed his chance in 50’, but found the target in 68’. Rene van den Bosch headed against crossbar in injury time, but it remained 2:0 in the end. I’m pleased with three points and performance.

• our shooting was 21/9
• we committed 20 fouls
• Francesco Antonucci made his 300th league appearance for Ajax
• 18 years old striker Lungisani Senyane made his debut for Ajax in 2nd half

 

15.02.2031 - Feyenoord Rotterdam - AFC Ajax 3:1 (ED) - 2. and 24. Manuel Santamaria, 65. Rashaan Fernandes - 70. Justin Kluivert - it was win or die game for Feyenoord. They’re 12 points behind us and defeat at De Kuip will surely bury their title hopes. Their players looked tired, but that hasn’t stopped them before. I had difficult choices to make with squad selection, because we had important Arsenal game coming in just 3 days. Edward Schans was fit again, but not ready to start in this game. I made some risky choices in squad selection and we practiced attacking movement before this game.

Squad: Koops, Drost, van den Bosch, Gudelj, Lichaba (55. Alleyne), de Groot, Verhoeven (58. Stekelenburg), Antonucci (58. Janssen), van Grinsven, Kluivert, de Wit

We didn’t start well. Defensive line were half asleep and we allowed Manuel Santamaria score a quick goal, and while nothing noteworthy happened in the next 20 minutes, Santamaria doubled his tally with excellent header in 24’ we looked in trouble there and needed to make changes. I tried changing Mario de Groot to regista, but it made little effect. Our most dangerous shot in the first half came in 41’ - Verhoeven tried his luck from distance and that shot was brilliantly saved by Feyenoord goalkeeper. First half ended 0:2 and we did not look good - two goals conceded and not a single good chance from our side.

We started our second half better - Tarik de Wit had a clear cut chance following his interception, but his shot was saved. In 50’ Justin Kluivert had a great opportunity, but his shot hit the post and went wide. We could have equalized there, but finishing let us down. Then Feyenoord started to get chances again - Santamaria’s hattrick was denied by Marvin Koops. In 65’ Leeroy Owusu had time and space in the box, Koops made another save, but Rashaan Fernandes finished from rebound. Third goal decided the game and things started to get embarrassing for us, even when Kluivert scored one goal five minutes later.

I was really unhappy with that result and performance. Our defense looked like a mess most of the time and in retrospect it was probably not the best decision to use Dragisa Gudelj in central defense. Stat sheet looked fairly even, but difference was finishing - Feyenoord took their chances while we wasted ours. That win keeps Feyenoord hopes alive and I had to apologise for our fans for that poor display.

 

18.02.2031 - AFC Ajax - Arsenal 0:1 (Champions League 1st knockout round 1st leg) - 68. Alessandro Fois

Arsenal were favourites for this pair and we knew that. Defensive positioning training before the game and rather careful tactical setup from us. I didn’t want to add pressure to lads and sent them out with positive message, to give their best effort.

Squad: Koops, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Lichaba, Ari, Stekelenburg, Janssen (69. Antonucci), van Grinsven (76. Matal), van Dalen (69. Kluivert), de Wit

First half was fairly even and careful from both sides. We had one good chance to score in 19’ when Johan van Dalen had a shot after our counter, but it was brilliantly saved by Arsenal goalkeeper. Second half offered some half chances until Alessandro Fois scored in 68’ - couple of missed tackles in midfield helped Arsenal to get their attack going and our midfield players didn’t track Fois into our box, so Arsenal midfielder took his shot well and scored a valuable away goal for Arsenal.

The game ended 0:1 and it was difficult not to feel disappointment. It was fairly even football for full 90 minutes and it could have gone either way - draw would have been fair result, but we fell just a little bit short against bigger opponents. Doubtful if we could turn this around in London.

 

22.02.2031 - AFC Ajax - VVV Venlo 2:2 (ED) - 36. Tarik de Wit, 67. Johan van Dalen - 54. and 72. Daniel Nilsson

Two tough games and poor results means that we need a good result from our next league game to get something positive and regain our confidence. VVV Venlo should be easy enough opponents for us and we practiced attacking movement before the game, but our squad selection wasn’t easy - Sergio Alleyne, Tom Drost and Francesco Antonucci were all suspended for this game. Missing both right-backs was especially difficult, because that left us with a tough choice and I finally decided to use Nketsi Matal in this position.

Squad: Koops, Matal, van den Bosch, Schans, Lichaba (61. Gudel), de Groot, Verhoeven, Janssen, van Grinsven, van Dalen (70. Kluivert), de Wit (59. Capobianco)

Tarik de Wit was the key player in our attacks in the first half. His shot hit the post on 24’ and in 36’ he found the target with a good shot - his 20th goal of the season. de Wit didn’t have too much space in the box, but took his shot well and it went past goalkeeper. Other than those two shots it was a drab football in the first half, but I could be satisfied at half time - we kept things well under our control.

In second half our defense started to crumble. VVV combined well in 54’, their first shot was saved by Marvin Koops and Rene van den Bosch tried to clear loose ball, but his clearance wasn’t the best one and Daniel Nilsson got a second chance and managed to squeeze it past our goalkeeper. And even though Johan van Dalen put us in front again with a good header, the second goal from Nilsson equalized score. Frustrating to give away our lead twice in one game, but we were lucky to get away with a draw - VVV had IFK in injury time and their header hit the post in the final seconds of the match.

Very disappointing result and I was very unhappy with our second half performance. True - our line-up wasn’t the best, but we should have been a lot better at home.

• our shooting was 22/7
• we gave 51 key passes, but couldn’t create too many good chances
• Tarik de Wit scored his 20th goal of the season

News from other clubs told about managerial decisions. Go Ahead Eagles sacked Robin van Persie. AZ Alkmaar revealed Pepijn Lijnders as their new manager.

 

28.02.2031 - FC Groningen - AFC Ajax 0:2 (ED) - 30. Johan van Dalen, 35. Tarik de Wit

With three poor results in a row, we desperately need a win here to finish our February with a good result. FC Groningen actually have a really good team and although results have not come their way in this season, we should expect a tough game, especially in away game. Weather was not on our side - it was damp and rainy in the match day and that hampered our technical game.

We practiced defending set pieces before the game. Rene Verhoeven sprained his ankle in training and he’ll be out for 5-6 weeks, but the rest of the team were fit and ready.

Squad: Koops, Drost, van den Bosch, Schans, Lichaba, Ari, Stekelenburg, Janssen, van Grinsven (68. Matal), van Dalen (68. Kluivert), de Wit (63. Capobianco)

We played a very good first half and had some chances to score, too. Edward Schans had the first great opportunity from corner in 20’, but his shot was saved. Our attacking pressure brought goals after 30’ mark - Johan van Dalen opened scoring and after Tarik de Wit headed against crossbar in 33’, he found the net with a very good shot from the edge of area. Tom Drost had a great opportunity in 42’, but his shot was denied by FC Groningen goalkeeper. Plenty of chances in this first half and two-goal lead was good enough for us at half time.

We continued to attack in second half, but looked a bit complacent and that prevented us scoring when chances came. Johan van Dalen and Leslie Lichaba wasted their opportunities and even while FC Groningen looked a bit more attacking in the final 15 minutes, we kept our clean sheet and I was happy to finally get a win.

• we created 5 clear cut chances
• Tom Drost and Simon Janssen had a great game
• Leslie Lichaba committed 8 fouls - a bit lucky he wasn’t sent off
• Engin Ari made his 100th career appearance for Ajax

In the final day of February, Danny Hoesen was revealed as the new SC Cambuur manager. A job I really can’t be jealous of - SC Cambuur are in a real slump and only a miracle could save them from relegation.

 

We didn’t get too many great results in February, but nothing’s wrong either. We lost two key games against Feyenoord and Arsenal, but we generally domestic results have come our way and we still have a good lead in Eredivisie table. And success in Champions League was never really on the cards, so it doesn’t count as a major flop.

 

Eredivisie

 

Feyenoord and Vitesse are fighting for 2nd place in the table. SC Cambuur can start to prepare for their destiny in Jupiler League.

[Draakon]

March 2031

 

08.03.2031 - AFC Ajax - SC Cambuur 3:2 (ED) - 29. Nketsi Matal, 68. Justin Kluivert, 83. Leslie Lichaba - 59. Curly Alberto, 85. Fadel Harianto

SC Cambuur are dead last in the table and so it should be the easiest game in March and I gave opportunities to rotation players. Attacking movement training + overlapping instructions were also an easy choice. From SC Cambuur side it was a managerial debut of Danny Hoesen.

Squad: Gluhalic, Alleyne, van den Bosch, Markiet, Lichaba, de Groot, Stekelenburg (44. Drost), Antonucci (65. Janssen), Matal, Kluivert, Capobianco (65. de Wit)

Despite our work in training our attacking movement, in fact, wasn’t so smooth in the first half. Chances didn’t come easy and we got our best opportunity in 29’ - Justin Kluivert found Nketsi Matal with a cross and it was 1:0. But Sergio Alleyne received his second yellow card in 44’ and that put us into trouble. I had to make necessary tactical changes and hope that we’ll maintain our narrow lead over second half.

It was a tough 45 minutes after the break. Game was much more open and SC Cambuur got their chances. Curly Alberto equalized from a counter attack. We needed something extra at that point and it came - Justin Kluivert scored a great goal from volley (another highlight to rewatch at the end of the season). Ismet Gluhalic made a crucial save in 81’ to deny Chelton Mühl and four minutes later Leslie Lichaba scored his first goal of the season to give us two goal lead. The game was not over - Fadel Harianto headed in from corner, but in the end SC Cambuur couldn’t find an equalizer and fell a bit short.

For neutrals, second half was a great entertainment. I was not happy with our performance, but had to admit that we did well to get this win with only 10 men.

• Leslie Lichaba scored his first ever goal for Ajax

 

12.03.2031 - Arsenal - AFC Ajax 3:1 (Champions League 1st knockout round 2nd leg) - 3. Lincoln, 34. and 79. Michael Jans - 16. Johan van Dalen

After losing 0:1 at home, away game against Arsenal looked like a struggle. We had our best players on the pitch and I hoped for the best.

Squad: Koops, Drost, van den Bosch (71. Alleyne), Schans, Lichaba, Ari, Stekelenburg, Janssen (64. Antonucci), van Grinsven, van Dalen, de Wit (71. Capobianco)

Arsenal didn’t waste any time. Pretty much their first attack ended with their first goal. Lincoln was completely alone in our six yard box and it was an easy tap-in. I made tactical changes after first goal, understanding it was away game against big club, so I ordered our fullbacks to support duties instead of attack. We did well to equalize in 16’ - Tarik de Wit gave a good pass to Johan van Dalen and good finish brought this game level, but to be fair Arsenal controlled midfield and had us under pressure for certain periods. Michael Jans and Lincoln were the duo that we struggled to contain and they two combined all Arsenal goals. We didn’t have any good chances after break and substituting Tarik de Wit was a sign of surrender from my part. Arsenal was clearly better team in this pair and deserved to go forward.

Bigger problem than the loss was that I messed up my team talk after our game. It was difficult performance to judge and I wanted to tell players that they could play better without being too critical. In summary I left whole dressing room rather confused, demotivated and morale dropped.

 

15.03.2031 - Vitesse Arnhem - AFC Ajax 5:1 (ED) - 20. and 80. Maarten Jacobs, 22. Donald Jourdan, 50. Ronni Nissen, 82. Screve N’Goma - 41. Dirk van Grinsven

It was a tough game just three days after returning from London. Vitesse are currently 2nd in the table and they have no absentees and they’re definitely trying to use their home advantage. I continued to prepare for this game with attacking movement training. In pre-match press conference helpful journalists reminded me that we lost our home game against Vitesse 1:2 in October, so perhaps it was time for a revenge.

We missed Sergio Alleyne due to his suspension, but the rest of our first team was ready to play.

Squad: Koops, Drost, van den Bosch, Schans, Lichaba, Ari, Stekelenburg, Janssen (50. Antonucci), van Grinsven (54. Matal), van Dalen (46. Kluivert), de Wit

We were clearly better team in the first 15 minutes of this game. Vitesse came against us with their standard 4-4-2 with Ronni Nissen being their danger man in attack, but at first we had some good chances to score. Tom Drost made a well-timed run in the box and had his clear cut chance in 9’, but his shot was well saved by Vitesse goalkeeper and in 20’ disaster began. Vitesse started to get attacks and their crosses did the damage - we left them too much space on our wings and defenders didn’t make a good job at marking in the box. Two quick goals in succession left us 0:2 behind and we were fortunate not to concede another goal in 31’ when Ronni Nissen had a great opportunity, but his poor shot was easily held by Marvin Koops. We then started to look better, but we needed to execute our chances. Johan van Dalen wasted his opportunity in 36’, but fortunately we got our goal before half time and that was what we desperately needed after woeful 20 minutes of football - finally a good move and a goal. First half ended 1:2 and our poor defensive display was, in fact, bigger problem than the actual scoreline.

Second half, unfortunately, wasn’t much better. Ronni Nissen got his goal in 50’  and it started to look like this game is lost for us. We actually did get chances to score but when we got them, our finishing let us down. Justin Kluivert missed his clear cut chance in 60’ and it was perhaps our last chance to turn things around. Vitesse looked confident while hesitation creeped into our minds and our attempts looked more and more desperate. We conceded two more goals in the last ten minutes and, to be honest, in the end it got really embarrassing. I couldn’t wait for the final whistle to come to end this misery and in dressing room I let the team know exactly what I thought about that performance.

It was definitely the worst performance of the season from us. Surely the worst defense that I’ve seen in Eredivisie in a couple of seasons. Poor display in general was capped with costly individual errors and that all summed up in humiliating defeat. I’m not sure how much of that comes down to my poor words after Arsenal defeat, but it’s my job as a manager to bring the team back from this.

• we allowed 24 key passes for Vitesse and 5 clear cut chances
• we made 21 individual mistakes - another number unlike our usual game
• Pieter Stekelenburg had a great game, but one man can’t do it all by himself

 

22.03.2031 - AFC Ajax - Fortuna Sittard 4:2 (ED) - 36. pen. Francesco Antonucci, 71. Dirk van Grinsven, 73. and 90.+1 Tarik de Wit - 32. Henk Vermeulen, 37. Germain Siereveld

I arranged team meeting after Vitesse defeat and while those often fail in FM, this one was necessary and words of encouragement were well received by the team. Home game against Fortuna Sittard was our last league game in March and I felt it was a must win game after what happened in Arnhem. In addition it was nice to see our loan players Sjoerd de Jong and Germain Siereveld in action.

We continued with attacking movement training and I asked fullbacks to overlap more.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Lichaba (53. Gudelj), de Groot, Stekelenburg, Antonucci, Matal (46. van Grinsven), van Dalen (64. Kluivert), de Wit

First half was careful from both sides. We had possession, but couldn’t create anything too dangerous and then Fortuna scored a goal - Henk Vermeulen headed in from corner. Typical set piece goal from smaller side that comes a little bit against the run of play, but with our fragile confidence it was another cause to lose confidence. I made tactical changes - de Groot started to play as regista and we improved our attacking game. Johan van Dalen had a great chance in 35’ that he sent wide, but he was fouled in the box just a minute later and Francesco Antonucci converted the penalty to equalize. However, as quickly as that happened, we also gave that all away. Fortuna got a free kick and our own talented defender Germain Siereveld scored from IFK just a minute after our penalty. Very quick reply from Fortuna and another example of extremely poor set piece defending from our side. First half finished 1:2 and while we were more attacking side in the first period, we didn’t get enough shots in and our poor defending left us in poor position.

Second half continued to be a struggle until around 71’ and then our pressure started to finally create good chances. Dirk van Grinsven dribbled through past defenders in Fortuna box and fired his shot in - his 10th goal of the season. Two minutes later we created a good goal from our defense - Sergio Alleyne gave a long diagonal ball to right wing, van Grinsven drilled a cross into box and Tarik de Wit scored a simple tap-in. Dirk van Grinsven, who came on at half time, changed the game for us in just three minutes. Fortuna looked nervous and we controlled the game from this point. de Wit extended our lead in injury time (another assis from van Grinsven) and second half come-back marked our win. That was a huge boost to our confidence and, of course, three points in the table.

• we had 5 clear cut chances in this game and we deserved to score those goals
• Dirk van Grinsven scored his 10th goal of the season

 

Almost every other week now brings some news about managerial movements. Virgil van Dijk was named as Go Ahead Eagles manager in the end of March and he left his current position at Helmond Sport.

 

March has been a really difficult month for us. We’ve conceded a lot of goals and were knocked out of Champions League (although success against Arsenal would have been a huge surprise. Not really encouraging. Fortunately other teams have dropped points too and we still have a comfortable lead in Eredivisie.

 

Eredivisie

 

Vitesse, Feyenoord and PSV fight for 2nd place in the table. Vitesse have had a strong second half of the season while Feyenoord looks the most consistent. SC Cambuur are almost relegated.

[Draakon]

Youth Intake 2031

 

I didn’t have a long wish list for this year’s intake. We have plenty of talented players in midfield, but we really could use a right back (or two). Complete forward would also be nice, but I see no imminent need for replacements in most of positions. In March we received the following bunch of players:

 

 

Engin Ceylan

By far the most talented youngster in this year’s group. Great pace, anticipation and off the ball movement. He also is a very consistent player, according to our coaching staff. I can already predict great future for him.

 

Rick Hendriks

Decent center-back, with some good attributes and some flaws.

Collin Brinkman

Good, two-footed left-back.

 

Edward van der Zwan

Very good young goalkeeper. Very determined

 

Some other players, despite having enough talent, unfortunately also possess some significant flaws. Joost de Boer have consistency issue and Raymond Burg needs extra work to become familiar in AMR position. Let’s see how they fare in U-19 before I can offer them professional contract.

[Draakon]

April 2031

 

01.04.2031 - FC Groningen - AFC Ajax 0:2 (Dutch Cup Semi Final) - 38. and 41. Tarik de Wit

I didn’t prepare specifically for the cup final. I expected our best team to do the job against FC Groningen (who have been very inconsistent in this season) and we practiced attacking movement before the game.

Squad: Koops, Drost, van den Bosch, Schans, Lichaba (71. Gudelj), Ari, (66. de Groot), Stekelenburg, Janssen, van Grinsven, van Dalen, de Wit (66. Capobianco)

We have been slow to start in a little bit too many games in the past couple of months. So it was again in this time. We weren’t ready in the beginning of the match and FC Groningen got a great chance already in 2’ - Pim de Reuver were played free with a nice through ball and Marvin Koops had to make unorthodox save with his feet to deny his clear cut chance. Just three minutes later Simon Janssen had a great look, but his shot was held by FC Groningen goalkeeper. In 15’ we got a free kick that Engin Ari delivered well into the box and Tarik de Wit went for it. His first shot from point blank range went against crossbar and even though he got the rebound, that one was saved well by opposition goalkeeper. I cringed at the sidelines watching those missed chances, but in the end of the first half we found our goals. Tarik de Wit was the man of the hour - he turned around his defender and fired it hard into the net and doubled his tally three minutes later with a strong header - it was his 25th goal of the season and essentially secured our place in the final.

Second half was much more under our control. Tarik de Wit almost completed his hattrick in 61’, but this shot was denied by brilliant save from FC Groningen goalkeeper Thijmen Nijhuis. Johan van Dalen had a great chance in 68’, but he only managed to hit the post and in 70’ Dirk van Grinsven didn’t use his opportunity to score.

Final whistle marked our 2:0 win, but it was confident performance from us and we were unlucky not to score more goals.

• our shooting was 30/9
• we had 5 clear cut chances
• Tarik de Wit had a great game
• Tarik de Wit scored his 25th goal of the season
• we’ll go against VVV Venlo in the final that’s scheduled for the end of the month

04.04.2031 - FC Utrecht - AFC Ajax 1:0 (ED) - 16. Sebastian Sosa

It was a rival game in away ground and FC Utrecht are tough opponents for anyone in Eredivisie. They play their trademark 5-3-2WB tactics and their right wingback Ron Bosman has given 23 assists in this season, collecting 13 man of the match awards, so wingbacks moving forward and crossing for two strikers is a danger that we need to be prepared for.

Squad: Koops, Drost, van den Bosch, Schans, Lichaba, Ari (58. de Groot), Stekelenburg (58.Verhoeven), Janssen, van Grinsven, van Dalen (68. Kluivert), de Wit

First half was even game and both teams only had a couple of half-chances. While van Dalen and de Wit saw their shots being saved, Sebastian Sosa managed to score in 16’. The cross came in from our left and central defenders left him perhaps a bit too much time to take the ball down and turn for a goal. At half time I felt we were a bit unlucky to be behind, but we had whole second half to improve our game.

I started to make tactical changes in 58’ - Mario de Groot came on and was switched to regista, but unfortunately it didn’t have a positive effect. We made two bad defensive errors in second half - Tom Drost was caught in possession in 64’, Clyde Drenthe snatched the ball from him and went 1-1 against Marvin Koops, but our goalkeeper won that duel. In injury time Mario de Groot’s missed interception gave Giorgio Dahmen a great chance, but that shot too was saved by Koops. Meanwhile we couldn’t create anything dangerous in attack and if anything, FC Utrecht seemed to control midfield even more than in first half. Our defenders looked error prone and despite the fact that motivation was there, we couldn’t produce our usual level of football. Disappointing defeat in a rival game and I can’t say we were unlucky. FC Utrecht was just better that day.

• we allowed 24 key passes and 28 dribbles, making things difficult for ourselves in defense
• 24 individual mistakes underlined our struggles
• Pieter Stekelenburg made his 300th appearance for Ajax in this game

In April Helmond Sport appointed Stijn Schaars as their new manager. End of the season is approaching and first transfer rumours with it. Napoli manager was on the stands for this game - they’re reportedly interested in Dirk van Grinsven. Dragisa Gudelj asked to talk to me and said that he feels he needs a new challenge - understandable, as his age is starting to show and he’s fallen behind Leslie Lichaba in first team selection. It’s probably for the best if I could find a new club for him in this Summer.

 

12.04.2031 - AFC Ajax - FC Twente Enschede 2:0 (ED) - 72. and 86. Johan van Dalen

Some players form has declined in recent weeks and I chose to use mainly rotation players against FC Twente. We were favourites in Amsterdam Arena. We practiced attacking movement in training and I ordered fullbacks to overlap more.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost, Alleyne, Markiet, Gudelj (65. Lichaba), Ari, de Groot, Antonucci, Matal, Kluivert (60. van Dalen), Capobianco (70. de Wit)

It was a drab and uneventful game for the most part. In fact, it was probably the most boring game of the season. We couldn’t create any chances in the first half and second half was much of the same, until substitute Johan van Dalen came on and made the difference. First he converted an excellent cross from Tom Drost and then secured the win with his header in 86’ that went in off the bar. Only two chances for the whole ninety minutes and two goals - can’t complain about the finishing, but it was evident that we had some bench players on the pitch in this one.

As uneventful as this win was, it secured us our 16th consecutive Eredivisie title, because Vitesse lost their game against FC Groningen and now we’re 10 points clear with three games to go.

 

18.04.2031 - AFC Ajax - PSV Eindhoven 2:1 (ED) - 21. Pieter Stekelenburg, 49. Tarik de Wit - 68. Melvin Jongeling

Despite securing our league title, it was a principal game against PSV Eindhoven in front of our home fans, so we treated it very seriously. PSV have played really good football after winter break and scored a lot of goals, so they should be treated as our equals at this point.

We continued with attacking movement training before the game.

Squad: Koops, Drost, van den Bosch, Schans, Lichaba, Ari, Stekelenburg (72. Verhoeven), Janssen, van Grinsven (72. Matal), van Dalen (63. Kluivert), de Wit

The game started slowly and it took more than 15 minutes before Dirk van Grinsven got the first shot on target. We managed to open scoring in 21’ - Pieter Stekelenburg acted like a good box-to-box midfielder, moved into PSV area and received a good pass from Tarik de Wit and finished calmly. We looked to control things after first goal, had a couple of half-chances, but half-time ended 1:0 and it was a deserved lead for us. Nothing too dangerous from PSV so far. Dirk van Grinsven was our main creator from right wing, moving well in attack and always dangerous with ball.

We doubled our lead early in 2nd half. Tarik de Wit moved into box with ball, dribbled past Dirk van Diest and fired it hard and low - unstoppable for PSV goalkeeper. Two goal lead made us feel much more confident. However, the game wasn’t over and Melvin Jongeling got one goal back for PSV. They had a long throw, Marvin Koops went for that, but missed his run and Jongeling headed in. Just five minutes later Jongeling headed against crossbar and PSV looked like they could come back and equalize. Leslie Lichaba struggled on our left defense - he already was booked and he couldn’t handle Yassin Yilmaz, who created chances with his crosses into box. However, we managed to stop this bleeding - I changed Lichaba to FBs orders in 74’ and we held our lead until the end. Valuable win and generally a good game from us.

• we made 50 key passes, 18 of those came from Simon Janssen
• Simon Janssen and Tarik de Wit were outstanding for us

Ajax U-19 team made us proud in this week, after winning U-19 cup final.

27.04.2031 - AFC Ajax - VVV Venlo p1:1 (Dutch Cup Final) - 34. Tarik de Wit - 45.+1 Mark Richards

We didn’t prepare specifically for this final. I knew VVV well enough and knew how they play. We continued our attacking movement preparation and we had all players fit and ready, while VVV missed their best winger Cali Daniel with injury.

Squad: Koops, Drost, van den Bosch, Schans, Lichaba, Ari, Stekelenburg (70. Verhoeven), Janssen, van Grinsven (70. Matal), van Dalen (65. Kluivert), de Wit

We completely controlled the first half. We had perhaps our best chance in 29’ - VVV defenders made a poor clearance that deflected from Tarik de Wit, straight into the run for Johan van Dalen, but our left winger managed to hit the post from point blank range. de Wit was unlucky in 33’ to hit frameworks from tight angle, but the goal came - Tom Drost found de wit in near post with his cross and it was 1:0. We looked really good and it was a deserved lead, but VVV managed to equalize just before half time whistle. Mark Richards won his header against Pieter Stekelenburg and it went in off the post. It was a goal out of nowhere and hurt us a bit mentally.

Perhaps because of that goal, but second half looked completely different. It wasn’t good football from neither of teams, substitutions failed to make positive impact and players started to get nervous when the end of normal time approached. No goals in second half and extra time was pretty much the same - no real chances to score. VVV defended in numbers and they did well enough to limit our chances.

The game went to penalty shoot-out. We scored all five penalties (de Wit, Kluivert, Janssen, Verhoeven and Matal) and Marvin Koops made one save in 4th round that proved to be enough to give us consecutive Dutch Cup win.

Not the best performance from the team, but I’m really happy with the win and our success.

 

Main challenge in April was Dutch Cup and I’m happy that we managed to win it. We also secured our Eredivisie title, so no complaints about results and performances. Two remaining games in May will be relaxed.

 

Eredivisie

 

Feyenoord, Vitesse and PSV are fighting for top three places. SC Cambuur are relegated

[Draakon]

May 2031

 

Nothing serious to play for, so it’s time to share playing time. For me the marker has always been 40 games - it’s good rotation, game time distribution and sign of squad depth if no player has to start more than 40 games. In this season we’ve done really well and everybody are well under 40, even Marvin Koops, as Ismet Gluhalic has had his chances between sticks. Pieter Stekelenburg, Edward Schans and Tarik de Wit have been carrying the load, but most others are between 20-30 games, which is just good to keep match fitness, but also train hard. These last two games in May are surely for rotation players.

 

04.05.2031 - Sparta Rotterdam - AFC Ajax 1:1 (ED) - 65. Ratko Nijs - 61. Rene Verhoeven

Sparta are doing well in this season and find themselves 8th in the table. We’re still training attacking movement and because of my squad selection I expect it to be rather tough battle. Edward Schans serves his suspension in this game.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost, Alleyne, Markiet, Gudelj, de Groot, Verhoeven, Antonucci (67. Janssen), Matal, Kluivert (60. van Dalen), Capobianco

Perhaps because of our weakened line-up, but we didn’t play well in this game. In first half we looked poor with ball - most of opportunities to create something ended with bad pass or we just lost possession. While our defense was good enough against Sparta attacks, they did get a lot of set pieces and looked really dangerous from corners. We lost too many headers in our box (often we weren’t really trying) and to go to half time break was more of a relief.

I changed tactics for 2nd half - Jeroen Capobianco started to play as false nine - but it didn’t change much. We scored opener in 61’ and it was rather lucky goal than consistent pressure to Sparta goal that led to it. Rene Verhoeven took a shot from 20 meters and it went in off the post. It was his first ever league goal for Ajax and showed what sort of danger he could possess from outside of box. But soon enough it was 1:1 - Moreno Markiet left Ratko Nijs too much space in our box and it was easy goal after cross came in from our left.

In the end, draw was fair result, but I was disappointed with our performance - we were not good enough.

• our shooting was just 6/1
• we allowed Sparta to make 21 key passes and 24 dribbles
• Rene Verhoeven scored his first ever league goal for Ajax

 

11.05.2031 - AFC Ajax - Helmond Sport 5:0 (ED) - 13. and 41. Nketsi Matal, 21. Justin Kluivert, 61. and 79. Omar van der Aar

Despite the result of Sparta game, I wanted us to end our season in a high and home game against Helmond Sport was a must win because of that. We continued to practice attacking movement and, because of home advantage, overlapped more.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost, Alleyne, Markiet, Gudelj, de Groot, Verhoeven, Antonucci, Matal, Kluivert (52. van der Aar), Senyane

It’s fair to say that against Helmond Sport we looked a lot better. After Justin Kluivert missed his initial chance in 5’, we took control of the game and never looked back. Nketsi Matal was a threat with his space and crossing down our right flank, Helmond defensive line couldn’t cope with our movement and goals did come. Helmond Sport was left to ten men just before half time whistle, after Fred Koeman (our own player on loan) made a reckless two footed challenge on Tom Drost. Why on earth did he do that, I can’t understand. That move doesn’t bring him a lot of friends in dressing room when he’ll return in July.

Young winger Omar van der Aar came on in 2nd half and instantly made impact with two goals and final result 5:0 was excellent finish to our season.

• our average rating was 8.45
• our shooting was 23/15
• we created 5 clear cut chances
• Nketsi Matal and Rene Verhoeven were outstanding for us
• Omar van der Aar scored his first league goals for Ajax

 

End of the season was like it should be. Youngsters and rotation players got their share of playing time, nobody got injured and we had no problems with yellow cards. Last matchday forced some clubs to make decisions about their staff, and Danny Schreurs was sacked by FC Groningen, to be replaced by Robin van Persie. To be fair - FC Groningen should have done better than they did in this season and to look elsewhere was normal action by FC Groningen board.

 

Eredivisie

 

Last two games made a difference in top three. PSV Eindhoven moved up to 2nd place and FC Utrecht climbed 3rd, while Feyenoord dropped to 4th. At the bottom of the table SC Cambuur were relegated, while Go Ahead Eagles and AZ Alkmaar survived relegation battle.

In Jupiler League FC Volendam were crowned as champions and they will be promoted to Eredivisie in next season.

 

Ajax goals: Tarik de Wit 27, Nketsi Matal 15, Johan van Dalen 11, Dirk van Grinsven 10

Ajax assists: Dirk van Grinsven 14, Nketsi Matal 12, Justin Kluivert 11, Tarik de Wit 10

[Draakon]

Season Summary 2030-2031

 

Eredivisie

Champions, as expected, although our points total was a bit short of 80, which is usually a good indicator of consistency and form. Despite that we were well ahead of other clubs in Spring and it’s mostly because our competitors were even more inconsistent and dropped points in unexpected games.

 

Champions League

We achieved our minimum aim and progressed from group stage, but couldn’t do much against Arsenal and it proved that we lack quality in squad at the moment to compete with European giants. Not sure how much it will change in 1-2 seasons, but to make improvement we probably should introduce some youngsters into first team to make changes over time.

Real Madrid were crowned as the Champions League winners after the did beat PSG in the final.

 

Dutch Cup

We retained Dutch Cup - unexpected, because we haven’t been too successful in this front in the past, let alone two seasons in a row. To be fair, the draw was favourable to us and the toughest opponents on paper were MVV in 4th round, and they finished 8th in the league, so well… Toughest game in reality was the final, which went to penalty shoot-out.

 

Youngsters

Jong Ajax finished 18th in Jupiler League. Not very impressive. They had a couple of good games and results, but only a couple, and most of those came because Peter van der Wal played a lot for them in 2nd half of the season. Stef Veldman scored 15 goals in Jupiler League, but that alone wasn’t enough when the defense is leaky and you lose your advantage in the end of the games.

U-19 offered more positive emotions - our youngsters finished 2nd in the league and won U-19 cup, so their manager Rob Hoskins did his job well enough

 

Stats and observations

To start with our defense - we looked a lot more vulnerable in this season defensively. Over the entire Eredivisie season we conceded 35 clear cut chances (good would be under 30) and goalkeepers had to make a lot of crucial saves to keep goals from flooding in.

Attacking part of the game looks more interesting. We scored a lot of goals - 72 (more than 2.1 per game), but at the same time we created only 73 clear cut chances (in previous seasons this number has been closer to 90). What strikes out is that in this year we were particularly poor from attacking set pieces. Corners and free kicks led to only 4 goals compared to 15 from previous year.

Our best creators were Dirk van Grinsven and Tarik de Wit, with 15 and 13 clear cut chances created respectively. Tarik de Wit has shown in this season that he can fulfill complete forward role, linking up plays up front and giving through balls behind defensive line for other players to run for, so that’s a real advantage that we could use in the future. His 10 assists are the proof of that. While de Wit scored 27 goals, he also was the unlucky one, hitting framework for 9 times in all competitions.

 

Fans Player of the Season

1. Tom Drost
2. Pieter Stekelenburg
3. Francesco Antonucci

 

Goal of the Season: Engin Ari vs. FC Groningen 05/10/2030

Young Player of the Season: Leslie Lichaba

 

Eredivisie Awards

 

Golden Boot:

1. Ron Bosman (FC Utrecht)
2. Dennis Graafland (ADO Den Haag)
3. Laurens Antoine (PSV Eindhoven)

 

Top Goalscorer:

1. Laurens Antoine (PSV Eindhoven) - 26
2. Dennis Graafland (ADO Den Haag) - 24
3. Raul Ibanez (MVV Maastricht) - 21

 

Goalkeeper of the Year:

1. Boyd Derksen (FC Utrecht)
2. Marvin Koops (AFC Ajax)
3. Joost Nijhuis (Sparta Rotterdam)

 

Young Player of the Year:

1. Manuel Santamaria (Feyenoord Rotterdam)
2. Francesco Martino (ADO Den Haag)
3. Johan van Dalen (AFC Ajax)

 

Manager’s Manager of the Year:

1. Me
2. Erik ten Hag (FC Utrecht)
3. Sander Duits (PSV Eindhoven)

[Draakon]

August 2031

 

I didn’t predict a busy Summer transfer window, but I hoped that at least some players will attract enough attention to receive decent bids, but it wasn’t about to happen. Instead I spent my Summer fixing up a lot of backroom issues.

 

Staff

I knew I needed to find a new head physio, but June started with news that our U-19 manager Rob Hoskins decided to leave and join Liverpool as a coach. I’m really sorry to see him go, because our academy was successful with him in charge and I saw potential in him, but attraction of Premier League giants was too big.

Long serving coach Richard Witschge retired in this Summer and I decided not to extend Darragh Tuffy contract (the lad has been trying to get his Continental Pro level for the past ten years, but always failed).

No wonder that first week of July was spent on job market. I signed Ken Gillard as the new U-19 manager, Italian Matteo Moranda as a coach and appointed Vitesse’s Jos Kortekaas as our new head physio. All good additions to our backroom staff.

 

Transfers

In 1st of July I let five players go. Peter van der Wal was the best of them - 25 years old midfielder could probably be first team starter for any Eredivisie team, but we have a serious surplus of talent in midfield and I saw no point in wasting his talent on our bench.

The rest of departures were Fathur Irawan (young right-back, didn’t progress enough), goalkeeper Louis van Duijvenbode, South African keeper Thabang Mthethwa (spent his last season on loan at sc Heerenveen, but failed to break into first team there) and central defender Desley Verbong.

As I said, no significant bids for our first team players, at least any acceptable bids, but I accepted to offer for fringe players.

Jeroen Capobianco went to sc Heerenveen for £700k+clauses (up to £825k) and young defensive midfielder Job ter Borgh moved to NAC Breda for £230k. Both were surplus to our needs and have more talented players in their position.

 

Contracts

Player contracts is the main question in the club in this Summer and probably in Autumn too. Plenty of contracts are ending in 2032 and negotiations are difficult. My aim has been to keep key player salaries around £30,000 per week, but players like Pieter Stekelenburg, Tarik de Wit, Dirk van Grinsven are asking a lot more for new deals and at the same time there’s no real hope that any big club would come and buy them for appropriate fee.

I extended deals for Edward Schans - his new £19,000 deal will last until 2034, and talented youngster Germain Siereveld. But those have been easy affairs. Tarik de Wit signed a new £26,000 p/week deal and I negotiated Pieter Stekelenburg down to £43,000 p/week - huge salary, but he’s 29 years old and at his prime. Johan van Dalen also signed a new deal and in the end of August our salary extends to £450,000+ p/week and not all deals have been signed. That’s a lot of money to spend for wages and surely I should offload some players sooner rather than later.

 

Loans

At first it looked like we will have fewer players on loan, but in the end of August it was again a very long list. Two players moved to La Liga, Marco Oomen went to Portugal Premier League, but most of the players remained in Eredivisie.

• Stef Veldman to Helmond Sport
• Sjoerd de Jong to Getafe (La Liga)
• Clyde Sastrodimedjo to MVV Maastricht
• Igor Soares to Almere City
• Marco Oomen to Chaves (Portugal Premier League)
• Mithat Arabaci to PEC Zwolle
• Germain Siereveld to sc Heerenveen
• Mohammed van Leeuwen to Helmond Sport
• Kevin de Jonge to PEC Zwolle
• Steven Otten to FC Volendam
• Jaap Hoogdorp to Racing (La Liga)
• Fred Koeman to PEC Zwolle

 

26.07.2031 - AFC Ajax - PSV Eindhoven 2:1 (Dutch Super Cup) - 45.+1 Dirk van Grinsven, 88. Nketsi Matal - 36. Kees van der Werff

PSV have had a busy Summer so far. They made the biggest transfer in Eredivisie, selling Yassine Yilmaz to Manchester United for whopping £15,5m and also their fullback Frank Reus. Both were integral for their team and so far PSV haven’t really used this money to upgrade their squad. Instead, they’ve expanding Philips Stadium and probably use this money on long term goals. They have a very good squad, although they definitely need some more depth in midfield and they’re looking for a new left-back (namely making bids for Leslie Lichaba), so I expect them to use at least some of this cash to improve their squad before transfer window is over.

We too have all players fit and ready for this Super Cup game, so no real excuses if we lose this one.

Squad: Koops, Drost, van den Bosch, Schans, Lichaba, Ari, Stekelenburg, Janssen (67. Antonucci), van Grinsven (64. Matal), van Dalen, de Wit (83. Senyane)

We started the game better than PSV. Tarik de Wit got a couple of early chances and we put PSV defensive line under pressure. Tom Drost made a raid to PSV box in 27’ and had a great look on goal, but his shot was saved. PSV didn’t have any noteworthy chances until 36’, when ball somehow found a way through challenges and missed interceptions to far post where van der Werff was running. He hit the post with his first shot, but collected rebound and finished his second attempt. Goal came completely against the run of play. Fortunately we equalized right before half time whistle - excellent cross from Johan van Dalen found van Grinsven in front of goal and we went to break with 1:1. That goal made my half time team talk so much easier, but I still feel we were unlucky not to have a lead at that point.

Second half was more even and neither of teams didn’t get good looks. Substitutions didn’t seem to have positive impact and looked like extra time is the only possible outcome here, when Nketsi Matal found a way to score a winner in 88’. Another great cross from Johan van Dalen and Matal scored a late goal to secure us Super Cup win. There was no time for PSV to react and find an equalizer. It was a scrappy win, in the end I have to admit that we just scraped it, but it felt good to beat PSV and give our season a positive start. Nice to see that the players fought until final whistle for that win. Still, our game has a lot of things we need to improve in the coming weeks.

• we committed 23 fouls
• Leslie Lichaba managed to make 6 individual errors
• Edward Schans suffered damaged foot in the game and he’ll be out for 2 weeks

 

13.08.2031 - ADO Den Haag - AFC Ajax - 1:0 (ED) - 82. Dennis Graafland

Two weeks have passed and we were ready to start our first league game of the season. Pre-season has been really good - not only Super Cup win over PSV, but all the friendlies and good games, even against big teams. In pre-season we worked with different corner routines and I’m ready to switch between them in competitive fixtures, depending on which players we have on the pitch.

ADO Den Haag were predicted to finish 7th and I expected it to be tough game in away stadium, but I was confident that we can win this.

Squad: Koops, Drost, van den Bosch, Schans, Lichaba, Ari, Stekelenburg (54. Talea), Janssen (58. Antonucci), van Grinsven, van Dalen (70. Kluivert), de Wit

First half was poor from both sides - neither we or ADO didn’t want to risk it and tactics was rather careful. I was more disappointed with our inability to create chances in attack, but I expected us to improve after half time break.

That, unfortunately, didn’t happen. Tarik de Wit got the first good shot on target no earlier than in 75’ and in 82’ ADO scored their goal. Good cross came in from our left, into our six yard box where ADO danger man Dennis Graafland had already ran. Rene van den Bosch should have marked him, but lost his man and it was easy tap-in for Graafland. We couldn’t improve even after goal and I had to accept a very disappointing defeat. Scoreline is one thing, but our performance was really disappointing and we didn’t pose any serious threat to ADO goal. Impossible to explain, how that happened or how ADO could shut us down so well. Very disappointing start to our campaign and we lost early three points. Stat sheet didn’t offer any consolation - we were poor in most of key areas.

• our shooting was just 9/1 and we had no chances whatsoever
• we made only 17 key passes
• we committed 20 fouls
• we allowed 25 dribbles
• Tom Drost looked to struggle and he made 7 individual errors

 

16.08.2031 - FC Twente - AFC Ajax 0:1 (ED) - 89. Johan van Dalen

Just three days to recover from this defeat and we’re up against FC Twente. Another away game and tricky fixture against mid-table side - FC Twente are predicted to finish 13th by media and bookies. However, three days is enough gap for bad things to happen - Marivn Koops suffered double hernia in training and he’ll be out for around two months. It’s a great chance for Ismet Gluhalic to prove himself and stake a claim for first team place.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost, Alleyne, van den Bosch, Lichaba, Ari (60. de Groot), Stekelenburg, Antonucci (69. Janssen), van Grinsven (72. Matal), van Dalen, de Wit

FC Twente got an early chance in 6’ - Isaac Osei got through defenders with a ball, but his shot was met by very good save from Ismet Gluhalic. After that the first half was under our control - Johan van Dalen sent his shot inches wide in 25’ and Dirk van Grinsven’s header scraped post in 30’. Despite controlling midfield, we were not creative enough in attack and could find a goal, so first half ended with 0:0 scoreline. It looked like a carbon copy of ADO game - we looked a bit out of ideas and I couldn’t see a way how we could change things for better.

I made some tactical changes in the beginning of 2nd half - ordered fullbacks to overlap more, but it made no significant difference. In 53’ we got our best chance of the game - Johan van Dalen had a shot, it took deflection and bounced in front of Pieter Stekelenburg. The midfielder was in six yard box alone, nobody around him and somehow managed to make a poor shot that was saved by goalkeeper who rushed back into action. Unbelievable miss that could destroy our anyway fragile morale. It looked like it could become a goalless draw, but we were saved late in the game by Johan van Dalen. Tom Drost sent a cross in and van Dalen headed it in off the underside of the bar. Dramatic winner alte in the game, real saviour for us.

Final whistle gave us a reason to celebrate, but I was still unhappy with our performance and attacking game (or lack thereof). However, I kept my feelings to myself and praised team for the win - in those situation gaining confidence is more important in long term than criticism, however justified it could be.

• our shooting was 17/5 - only small improvement from ADO game

 

20.08.2031 - AFC Ajax - Vitesse Arnhem 5:3 (ED) - 9. and 62. Johan van Dalen, 27. and 75. Dirk van Grinsven, 80. Lungisani Senyane - 60. Harun Firat, 64. Donald Jourdan, 88. Niko Loose

Two away games have not been too good for us, so our first league game in Amsterdam Arena will hopefully be improvement. What makes it more difficult is our opponents - Vitesse are predicted to finish 5th and are top half team, for sure. In addition it’s a bit of a grudge match after they humiliated us in the last season. What counts for our favour is the fact that their best striker Ronni Nissen is injured and has to sit this game out.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost (59. van den Bosch), Alleyne, Schans, Lichaba, Ari, Stekelenburg (59. Verhoeven), Janssen, van Grinsven, van Dalen, de Wit (54. Senyane)

The game had an unexpected start when Vitesse’s fullback Giovanni Somai went into Johan van Dalen with very late, two-footed tackle and received straight red card for his move when only three minutes were played. Vitesse was down to 10 men before game could even start and that gave us all the advantage that we needed. Surely, we took advantage and Johan van Dalen opened scoring in 9’. First half was under our control, we wasted some chances and used others. Dirk van Grinsven missed his opportunities in 19’ and 23’ before he finally doubled our lead in 27’. First half ended 2:0 and I was happy with that. We were in full control of the game and had two goal lead.

I asked players to slow things down and retain possession in 2nd half. Vitesse didn’t look like a threat from open play, but they managed to get some corners and one of those helped them score their first goal in 60’. Corner was flicked on from near post and central defender Harun Firat headed it in from far post. Rene van den Bosch should have marked him there, but was caught ball-watching on his feet. We composed ourselves quickly and Lungisani Senyane got a great chance just two minutes later. His shot was saved, but Johan van Dalen tucked it in from rebound and we regained our two-goal lead. Our joy was again short - another two minutes later it was 2:3 - our defensive line was completely outplayed, Donald Jourdan was left alone in front of goal and ball got to him on time - easy finish for Vitesse. At this point I was furious at the sidelines - to concede two goals against 10 men was completely unacceptable. It didn’t help when Dirk van Grinsven wasted his clear cut chance in 66’ and Rene Verhoeven’s opportunity was denied by brilliant save from Vitesse goalkeeper. However, we continued to create chances and goals finally came - Rene Verhoeven sent a long shot towards goal in 75’, it was saved with difficulties and van Grinsven scored from rebound. Five minutes later substitute striker Lungisani Senyane put this game beyond doubt with our 5th goal, but Vitesse still had another trick in their sleeve - Rene Verhoeven’s poor backpass was intercepted and following attack resulted in their 3rd goal. Final score 5:3 was undoubtedly entertaining for fans and neutrals alike. I was happy with our attacking game (finally plenty of great chances and number of goals), but that was expected with our numerical advantage. However our defense made some unacceptable errors in this game and perhaps we were just lucky with that red card. I can imagine how different this game could have been 11 against 11.

• our shooting was 16/12
• we created 9 clear cut chances
• Lungisani Senyane scored his first ever league goal for Ajax
• Dirk van Grinsven had a great game

23.08.2031 - AFC Ajax - FC Volendam 5:1 (ED) - 25. Renaat Gillard (og), 32. and 44. Tarik de Wit, 43. Eugene Talea, 87. Nketsi Matal - 41. Jos Kurt

With at least one good win under our belt and our confidence back, newly-promoted FC Volendam looked like a must win game at home. FC Volendam are predicted to finish 14th, they have a fairly good and young team and I hope they’ll do well in this season, but stronger teams are too difficult challenge for them at the moment. I wanted to make a few changes in our line-up, to try some new players and rotate team.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost, van den Bosch, Markiet, Lichaba (53. Koeman), de Groot, Talea, Janssen, van Grinsven (53. Matal), van Dalen, de Wit (57. Senyane)

We started much more confidently in this game. Eugene Talea got his chance to impress in midfield and he had our first great chance to score in 20’, unfortunately his shot went wide, although opportunity was there to make impression. We took the lead in 25’ after unfortunate own goal by Volendam goalkeeper Renat Gaillard. Ball bounced in six yard box, Johan van Dalen created some of the mess and distraction for Volendam defenders, who were unable to make a proper clearance and somehow ball bounced into goal from Gaillard’s back. Our right wing created problems for Volendam - Tom Drost supported attacks well, he and Dirk van Grinsven sent dangerous crosses into box and one of those found Tarik de Wit who fired it in with a force. In 41’ Volendam scored unexpected goal - Simon Janssen missed his interception in midfield, following attack led to opportunity for young winger Jos Kurt and he took his chane well - 1:2. We bounced back well from this and before first half was over, we scored two more goals. Eugene Talea converted superb through ball from Simon Janssen and de Wit doubled his Tally from another cross from our right wing. I could be happy with 4:1 scoreline at half time.

Second half was less exciting. We had some half chances and out of three substitutes Nketsi Matal was most motivated to make impact. He hit the post in 86’ and managed to score a minute later - even though he needed two attempts to find the net.

It was a well deserved win, good goalscoring form and the sort of game that we should show against smaller teams.

• our shooting was 20/11
• we made 30 dribbles in this game - Volendam defenders clearly struggled against our skillful players
• eugene Talea scored his first ever goal for Ajax
• Simon Janssen and Tarik de Wit had a great game

 

29.08.2031 - AFC Ajax - FC  Groningen 4:0 (ED) - 30. Simon Janssen, 60. pen., 78. and 83. Tarik de Wit

Five games in August finished with home encounter against FC Groningen. We wanted to finish the month strong and go to international break with good spirit, so for us it was very important game. FC Groningen are mid-table team, predicted to finish 10th in this season, but to my eye there is a lot of quality in their squad - a very young team, with best teamwork in Eredivisie, who usually play 4-4-2, with two good strikers and wingers who can cross balls into box. I needed a good strategy to eliminate that threat and I ordered Leslie Lichaba specifically to close down their right winger Pim de Reuver.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost (73. van den Bosch), Alleyne, Schans, Lichaba, Ari, Stekelenburg (69. Verhoeven), Janssen, van Grinsven (60. Matal), de Wit

We were perhaps slightly better team in the first half, but not by much. One good attack in the first half gave us the lead - Tom Drost brought ball into box and passed it to Simon Janssen, who fired it in with a strong shot. We didn’t have too many good chances in the first half, even though Tarik de Wit won several dangerous headers from set pieces.

Second half didn’t offer much exciting moments until Aziz Zaidi tripped Leslie Lichaba in the box in 60’ and referee awarded penalty for us. de Wit confidently converted it and after that we were in control of the game. Pieter Stekelenburg was forced off with injury in 67’, but that didn’t stop us. Tarik de Wit scored two more goals to complete his hattrick and FC Groningen had no way to stop him in this game. Great result for us in this game, excellent second half and I’m equally happy with our clean sheet.

• our shooting was 21/8
• our average rating was 8.00
• we didn’t allow FC Groningen a single chance through the whole game
• Tarik de Wit, Simon Janssen and Tom Drost had a great game
• Pieter Stekelenburg will be sidelined for 3 months with slipped disc

 

Eredivisie campaign started poorly for us, but we picked up after narrow win over FC Twente and in the end of the month our confidence is back and we look like title challengers once again. We’ve found our scoring form and I hope it can continue into September and Champions League games.

Champions League groups were drawn and we received a tough group B, with Tottenham, Atletico Madrid and FC Metz. No easy opponents, truly a death group, where even a 3rd place is not guaranteed for us. It’s a tough challenge and we have to be ready for it.

 

Eredivisie

No surprises in the top of the table - PSV have had the best start, with us and Feyenoord following the lead. August has not offered too many shock results and it shows in the table.

[Draakon]

Summer 2031 transfer window roundup

 

Even though it was very quiet Summer for Ajax, it was a very busy Summer for Eredivisie as a general. PSV and Feyenoord were responsible for the biggest transfers of the Summer, but there were other teams who invested at least a couple of millions into their squad. PSV sold a couple of their key players in June and spent that money in August - their squad looks a lot stronger now than it was in last season and it certainly shows in Eredivisie standings, too. Biggest transfers of Eredivisie in this Summer:

• Yassin Yilmaz from PSV Eindhoven to Manchester United for £15,5m
• Dominique van der Laan from FC Groningen to Aston Villa for £4,7m
• Roberto Jonkers from Feyenoord Rotterdam to Manchester United for £4,7m
• Frank de Reus from PSV Eindhoven to Newcastle United for £4,6m
• Zakaria Baltham from Genclerbirligi to PSV Eindhoven for £4,5m - Moroccon 28 years old complete forward, lured to PSV with a huge £61,000 p/week contract offer
• Georges Kongnyuy from Schalke to Feyenoord Rotterdam for £4m
• Jasper Achterberg from Vitesse Arnhem to PSV Eindhoven for £4m - PSV decided to spend big money for another striker

[Draakon]

Squad Update 2031

 

Goalkeepers

 

It’s fair to say that we have two fairly equal keepers now. Marvin Koops being more experienced and physically better, but otherwise not much difference between those two. I thought about giving Ismet Gluhalic one more season on loan and there were interested parties, but Koops’ injury in August means that I need him here in Ajax.

 

Right-backs

 

No changes here, Tom Drost looks as strong as ever and Sergio Alleyne provides cover for both DR and DRC positions.

 

Centre-backs

 

Rene van den Bosch has developed a lot in the last season and I feel comfortable in this department. Sergio Alleyne is tutoring Moreno Markiet and it results in his determination. Three reliable option for me in defense. Four, if to include Alleyne.

 

Left-backs

 

Perhaps our weak point in defense. PSV Eindhoven tried hard to get Leslie Lichaba in this Summer, but I couldn’t give him away. He’s our best left-back at the moment and with Dragisa Gudelj getting older and slower, using the Serb against quicker wingers becomes increasingly risky. But Lichaba is rather error-prone and does not contribute in attacking phase as much as Tom Drost does on our right flank. That’s the difference in class between two full-backs. It is probably the last season in Ajax for Gudelj - he doesn’t justify his £21,000 p/week salary on our bench and we have young and talented Fred Koeman coming up from Jong Ajax to claim his place.

 

Defensive midfielders

 

Two very solid options. I use Mario de Groot as regista, but Engin Ari is my first choice as DMCs against stronger teams and in Champions League level.

[Draakon]

Squad Update 2031

 

 

Midfielders

 

This is the part of the pitch where talent is concentrated. We have all sorts of different options and it’s difficult to give hot prospects like Rene Verhoeven, Eugene Talea and Jaap Hoogdorp enough playing time. Pieter Stekelenburg’s injury will make it a bit easier, though. Long term question is the future of Francesco Antonucci - I don’t want to offer him another big contract and he’s our second choice as APMa behind Simon Janssen. Perhaps it’s time for Italian to leave in 2032?

 

Wingers

 

No changes here, but it’s probably the last season in Ajax for Justin Kluivert. He too has starting to decline with age and Johan van Dalen is our first team choice on the left.

 

Strikers

 

Jeroen Capobianco left in this Summer and Lungisani Senyane will provide minutes from bench. South African is perhaps not the ideal player for single striker formation, but against smaller teams and when we have comfortable lead, he’ll do OK, until younger and better options will become available.

[Draakon]

September 2031

 

13.09.2031 - VVV Venlo - AFC Ajax 1:1 (ED) - 88. Mark Richards - 55. pen. Francesco Antonucci

Two weeks of international break is behind us and Champions League campaign is starting soon, but the month starts with Eredivisie game against VVV Venlo. VVV have established themselves as solid mid-table side in recent seasons and they’re predicted to finish 8th in this season. International break is always like a restart to the season - you have to regain your rhythm and confidence when league games start again.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost (67. Alleyne), van den Bosch, Schans, Lichaba, de Groot, Talea, Antonucci, van Grinsven (56. Matal), van Dalen, de Wit (67. Senyane)

We controlled the game in first half, but weren’t able to score. We had a couple of half chances and Eugene Talea tested VVV goalkeeper with very good free-kick that was parried with difficult save.

We were helped in second half with a poor decision by VVV central defender Clyde Shakison. He tripped Tarik de Wit in the box and because he was the last man, red card was given as well as penalty. Francesco Antonucci converted the spot kick and we were up 1:0 and had advantage for the rest of the game. Nketsi Matal came on from substitution and his well-measured crosses created the most dangerous moments in 2nd half. One of those found Johan van Dalen on the counter in 76’, but left winger missed his opportunity and then disaster struck. VVV got IFK late in the game, ball was delivered into our box and Mark Richards beat Edward Schans to it and scored. What a blow! We had one more chance in this game - another great cross from Nketsi Matal and open look for Johan van Dalen in 90’, but he wasted another chance. Final whistle came too early for us and we had to leave with a disappointing draw. I was furious with the late goal we conceded and especially with van Dalen for blowing two great chances for us. Things like that should not happen with the team like ours. Absolutely unacceptable loss of points.

• our shooting was 18/11 - we had enough chances to secure all three points
• Eugene Talea suffered calf strain in the game and will be out for 2-3 weeks

 

16.09.2031 - AFC Ajax - FC Metz 0:1 (Champions League Group B) - 44. Ali Boukhari

Our Champions League campaign started with home game against FC Metz. In a very tough group it’s perhaps the easiest game on paper (although FC Metz are a really strong side), so if we want to get anything out of this group, we probably need a good result here.

We practiced defending set pieces before the game. Rene Verhoeven started in midfield with Simon Janssen.

Holland boss Unai Emery was on the stands for this one and a lot of players had a chance to show their skills and earn a place in the national team.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Lichaba, Ari, Verhoeven (71. de Groot), Janssen (29. Antonucci), van Grinsven, van Dalen (63. Kluivert), de Wit

We started the first half really well. FC Metz players looked nervous and we almost took advantage of that. A couple of half chances and shots went narrowly wide of goal and Tarik de Wit headed against crossbar in 14’. Then Simon Janssen was forced off with injury and it changed our rhythm a bit. Dirk van Grinsven had a good chance in 36’ - he made interception of throw in and went 1-1 against goalkeeper, but sent his shot wide. And while I felt that we had edged first half, we gifted a goal to FC Metz. Edward Schans gave extremely poor backpass to Gluhalic, that was easily intercepted by Ali Boukhari and FC Metz striker fired it in with a fierce shot. It was very disappointing end for the first half and didn’t reflect the course of the game.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t find an equalizer after half time break. FC Metz defended well and our chances became rare. A couple of shots on target, but nothing too dangerous and in the end of the game it was another frustrating defeat for ous.

Things have not come our way in recent games and Edward Schans has made some costly mistake. Small details have decided difference between win and draw, draw and loss.

• Simon Janssen suffered damaged cruciate ligaments and is out for the season, that’s a serious blow after the game was over

 

20.09.2031 - Fortuna Sittard - AFC Ajax 0:0 (ED)

Back to Eredivisie, Fortuna Sittard game should be rather easy - Fortuna is a small team and predicted to finish 16th in this season.

Our squad selection was rather limited because of injuries - that could be either good or bad for us.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Lichaba (54. Gudelj), Ari, Verhoeven, Antonucci (23. de Groot), van Grinsven (69. Matal), van Dalen, de Wit

It was a disappointing game for us. We couldn’t create any good chances against Fortuna defence. Francesco Antonucci picked up a knock and de Groot-Verhoeven central midfield pair couldn’t create anything in attack. I tried to tweak tactics in 2nd half, increasing tempo and individual orders for players, but it didn’t make any difference. In the end it was another disappointing result away from home and to be honest we can’t afford to lose those points against smaller teams.

• we committed 23 fouls and that helped Fortuna to control tempo of the game
• Tom Drost was responsible for 5 individual mistakes
• Francesco Antonucci is out for 2 weeks with twisted knee

It’s been tough September for us. We haven’t played well and results have not come our way. Injuries have not helped us too, and we have too many first team players sidelined. Nothing much to do, but keep our head down and work hard to improve things.

 

23.09.2031 - FC Oss - AFC Ajax 1:2 (Dutch Cup 2nd round) - 84. Sjoerd Bierma - 19. Justin Kluivert, 52. Nketsi Matal

We desperately needed to get some confidence back and Dutch Cup game against Jupiler League side FC Oss provided a good opportunity for that. Tom Drost and Leslie Lichaba were suspended for this game, so in addition to injuries we missed two more players and I was not able to fill our bench with substitutes.

We went against FC Oss with attacking tactics, overlapping instructions for fullbacks and I also tweaked corner setup.

Squad: Gluhalic, Alleyne, van den Bosch, Markiet, Gudelj, Ari, de Groot, Verhoeven, Matal, Kluivert, Senyane

Justin Kluivert got the best opportunities in the first half. His first great chance in 13’ was parried with a brilliant save from FC Oss goalkeeper, but he executed better in 19’. Nketsi Matal pace and crossing caused FC Oss defenders all sorts of problems. We had the lead at half time, but I still expected us to improve after the break.

We continued to attack in second half - Matal doubled our lead in 52’ with easy finish and he also got a couple of half chances that he couldn’t convert. We expected to see out the game and control things until the end, but we were surprised by Sjoerd Bierma goal in 4’ - FC Oss midfield took the ball and scored an absolute screamer from 25 yards out. Truly outstanding goal and unstoppable shot for any goalkeeper. At this moment I was really glad that we’d already scored two goals in this game, because it’s almost impossible to completely eliminate chances of something like this happening.

Final result marked a good win for us - it’s OK, but I expected even better performance against Jupiler League side.

• our shooting was 15/11
• Nketsi Matal had a great game for us
• Nketsi Matal suffered calf strain in this game and will be sidelined for 2-3 weeks - injuries are just piling up

 

28.09.2031 - AFC Ajax - Feyenoord Rotterdam 8:2 (ED) - 7. and 82. Johan van Dalen, 13., 24., 28. and 78. Dirk van Grinsven, 30. and 39. Tarik de Wit - 6. Gregory Otten, 70. Georges Kongnyuy

September finished with Klassieker derby in Amsterdam Arena. In the beginning of the month I hoped that we can build up for this game with a string of good results and high confidence, but instead it is more like a matter of life and death game for us - we haven’t been good in September so far and if we fail to get the result here, it could mean that this season turns out to be a real disappointment for us.

We practiced attacking set pieces before the game, but I had only 16 players available for this match, so nothing to choose from and I had to use any players that were fit.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost (66. Alleyne), van den Bosch, Schans (70. Markiet), Lichaba, Ari, de Groot, Verhoeven, van Grinsven, van Dalen, de Wit (66. Senyane)

We started slowly and weren’t defensively alert in the first ten minutes. Feyenoord quickly showed what it might lead to - cross came in from our left and Georges Kongnyuy had a great chance to open scoring, but Ismet Gluhalic made a great save to deny him. But Feyenoord did get a breakthrough from following corner - we lost two headers in a row, Rene van den Bosch missed his header, ball cracked against crossbar and with Gluhalic out of position, it was easy finish for Gregory Otten. It took just a minute for us to equalize, though. A powerful header from Johan van Dalen surprised Feyenoord goalkeeper and it was 1:1 and although Dirk van Grinsven missed his clear cut chance in 10’, what followed was completely his show. Quick equalizer gave us our confidence back and we ruthlessly exploited Feyenoord’s left flank and goals flooded in from everywhere. Dirk van Grinsven completed his hat-trick in 28’ and when Tarik de Wit added our fifth goal, Feyenoord looked destroyed. We went to half time with impressive 6:1 lead and it was simply fantastic football from us. Great goalscoring and a lot of created chances. Tom Drost was lethal with his crosses and provided three assists and Feyenoord didn’t have an answer for it.

We took our foot off the gas in second half and substituted key players. Feyenoord got one chance to score in 70’ - cross from our left found Kongnyuy behind and between central defenders and good finish gave Feyenoord their second goal. Still, we added two more goals to finish this game strong. Johan van Dalen doubled his tally and Dirk van Grinsven added his 4th goal. Emphatic 8:2 win, exactly what we needed to end this otherwise poor month and excellent night for all home fans.

• our shooting was 24/10
• we had 8.58 average rating
• Dirk van Grinsven, Tarik de Wit, Johan van Dalen, Tom Drost, Rene Verhoeven and Mario de Groot were outstanding for us
• Dirk van Grinsven suffered stubbed toe in this game and is out for a week - that’s a shame, we could really need such performance in midweek Champions League game

September has not been easy for us - a lot of points lost in Eredivisie and while it’s almost inevitable to lose some points, we have lost too many against smaller teams in a short space of time. Injuries are tearing us apart and I can’t wait for the next international break to get some time for players to recover and return to full fitness. We have our two best midfielders out for a long time and it surely makes our Champions League campaign really tough.

 

Eredivisie

We’re 4th in the table. Considering how poor results we’ve had, it’s not the worst position. PSV have looked the strongest early in the season and FC Utrecht are picking up their form, too. Bottom of the table doesn’t offer any surprises either - smaller teams there with PEC Zwolle and Helmond Sport one of the main candidates for relegation.

[kidthekid]

great result against Feyenoord after the loss of form. Things should get better now

[Draakon]

October 2031

 

01.10.2031 - Atletico Madrid - AFC Ajax 2:0 (Champions League Group B) - 10. and 90.+2 Dennis Jansen

Away game against Atletico is tough anyway, but we were severely hampered by injuries. Dirk van Grinsven and Nketsi Matal were both out and Justin Kluivert had to start in AMR. Good news is that Eugene Talea is back in full training and that gives at least some options in midfield. We practiced defensive positioning before this game and honestly I believed that draw would be really good result for us. I set our fullbacks to FBs and switched tempo higher, in hope to create some counters.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost, Alleyne, Schans (70. Markiet), Lichaba, Ari, de Groot (61. Talea), Verhoeven, Kluivert, van Dalen, de Wit (70. Senyane)

First goal of the game came fairly quickly. Dennis Jansen broke offside trap and converted his chance when only 10 minutes were played. I realised soon that our tactical tweaks are not working properly and switched our tempo to normal in 22’. Atletico got a great chance to double their lead in 38’, when Ismael Louza was completely unmarked at far post, but Ismet Gluhalic made a great save to keep our hopes alive. Despite that we gave away two clear cut chances the first half wasn’t too bad. We got enough possession and attacks to create something, but we didn’t have too many good chances and our shooting was off target. Gluhalic has made two key saves in first half.

Second half was a bit different. Atletico looked much more in control and the were more confident. When game moved on it was obvious that our opponents were a lot better individually and it got too hard to control all their attacking moves. Because 0:1 is a narrow lead, we had small hopes until the end of the game, but Dennis Jansen finished it off in injury time with a header and that was it. Brave fight from the lads, but Atletico was too good.

• our shooting was 10/1 - we didn’t get good looks and shots went off target
• we allowed 40 dribbles - way too many and clear indication that Atletico were better individually
• Ismet Gluhalic had a great game for us - two key saves in first half coupled with two brilliant saves in second - outstanding performance from our young goalkeeper

 

04.10.2031 - PEC Zwolle - AFC Ajax 0:2 (ED) - 19. Tarik de Wit, 46. Justin Kluivert

Eredivisie game against PEC Zwolle should be easy, because they’re one of the smallest teams in Eredivisie and in fact predicted to finish 18th in this season. Still, we haven’t been to our best in recent games and my assistant manager advised us to practice defensive positioning before this game.

Marvin Koops and Dirk van Grinsven returned to full training, but they were both too unfit to start in this game. I started Eugene Talea in attacking playmaker role and because he’s not really a dribbler, his position was APs.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost, van den Bosch, Schans, Lichaba (61. Gudelj), Ari, de Groot, Talea, Kluivert, van Dalen (64. van der Aar), de Wit (61. Senyane)

We started slowly, but Tarik de Wit opened scoring in 19’ from our very first good chance, with a great strike. PEC Zwolle players started to look nervous after our goal. First half as a whole was rather uneventful. We didn’t create enough chances after our goal and our shooting at half time was just 10/2.

Justin Kluivert changed things right at the beginning of the second half. His strike from 25 yards landed in PEC Zwolle goal and that secured us all three points. Outstanding shot and a bit unexpected from experienced winger, but we really needed to put this game beyond doubt and that goal secured us all three points. Young winger Omar van der Aar was brought on later in the game and he really wanted to make impact. He got two great chances in the final ten minutes, but both shots were saved and youngster looked a bit disappointed.

I was pleased with three points, but expected more chances from attacking players, so we have room for improvement.

• our shooting was 21/7
• we had 61% possession

 

17.10.2031 - AFC Ajax - FC Utrecht 4:1 (ED) - 8. and 37. Dirk van Grinsven, 13. Francesco Antonucci, 28. Tarik de Wit - 68. Engin Ari (og)

We needed this international break desperately because all of the injuries and we had a number of players back for this game against FC Utrecht - Francesco Antonucci, Dirk van Grinsven and Marvin Koops were ready to start. And we needed them all in this game - FC Utrecht were predicted to finish 3rd, but they were leading the table in this moment, so this game counted as real six pointer for us. International break forced me to make some changes, though, as both Rene van den Bosch and Johan van Dalen looked tired before the game and were rested.

Squad: Koops, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Lichaba, Ari, Verhoeven, Antonucci (62. Talea), van Grinsven (62. Matal), Kluivert, de Wit (67. Senyane)

We started this game really well and scored two quick goals. Dirk van Grinsven took the ball into box in 8’, needed two attempts, but got it in. Francesco Antonucci doubled our lead after follow up of the corner - great to see him score after injury - and Tarik de Wit scored our third goal with a very good shot from just inside of area. Dirk van Grinsven doubled his tally in 37’ and the first half finished 4:0 - fantastic half from us and perhaps the best football I’ve seen in a long time.

Second half was much less attractive. Nothing much happened, only significant moment was unfortunate own goal by Engin Ari that didn’t give FC Utrecht much reason to celebrate. In the end it was a great result for us in a very important game and excellent performance defensively - we shut FC Utrecht down and didn’t give away any chances.

• Dirk van Grinsven, Francesco Antonucci and Tarik de Wit had a great game

 

22.10.2031 - Tottenham Hotspur - AFC Ajax 0:0 (Champions League Group B)

We have played Tottenham only once in the past, but I had no illusions - this away game in London is going to be really difficult for us. We practiced defensive positioning before the game (obviously) and I hoped that our players could at least put up a real fight. Tottenham came with 4-4-2 tactics and I replied with setting our fullbacks to FBs again, because I expected their wingers to cause us most of the problems with their crossing.

Squad: Koops, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Lichaba, Ari, de Groot (62. Talea), Antonucci (66. Verhoeven), van Grinsven, van Dalen, de Wit (76. Senyane)

Tottenham were favourites and they created better chances in the first half. Aimar Lopez namely was their danger man - he had one good look in 26’ after IFK and Marvin Koops had to make a brilliant save to deny his shot. Then in 40’ he had a free header from point blank range, put sent it well over. Tottenham were better team, but we survived the first half and I was pleased to see that our defensive positioning worked almost perfectly - Tottenham were called offside for no less than 9 times in the first half. Our defensive line moved with very good cohesion and excellent timing.

We improved our game in 2nd half and limited Tottenham chances better. What’s even better - when game started to end, chances started to come our way, too! Dirk van Grinsven headed against post in 67’ (so unlucky), the sent his shot just wide four minutes later. Substitute Lungisani Senyane made a great interception in 86’ and went on goal, but his shot was parried by Tottenham goalkeeper - great stop and I cringed at the sidelines. There was the chance to win it and we didn’t use it. Edward Schans received his second yellow card in 89’ and was sent off. Fortunately that didn’t change final score. I’m fairly happy with 0:0 in away game - we deserved that point and it fought well for entire game.

• Edward Schans and Engin Ari made 6 individual mistakes each - we’re still lacking individual skills in this level
• Tottenham collected 17 offsides in this game - we neutralized them really well with our offside trap

 

26.10.2031 - Go Ahead Eagles - AFC Ajax 0:3 (ED) - 35. and 49. Tarik de Wit, 80. Rene Verhoeven

With positive emotion from Tottenham draw, we went to Deventer to meet Go Ahead Eagles. It was a must win game for us, as Eagles are predicted to finish just 15th in the league, but my assistant manager warned me of their set pieces and we practiced defending in dead ball situations. Still, I expected us to dominate midfield and asked fullbacks to overlap more.

Squad: Koops, Drost, van den Bosch, Markiet, Lichaba, Ari (46. de Groot), Verhoeven, Antonucci, van Grinsven (54. Matal), de Wit (70. Senyane)

We controlled the game since the beginning and Dirk van Grinsven got the first good chance in 9’, but his first attempt went wide. It took us 35 minutes to find our first goal - Leslie Lichaba sent a cross into near post area and Tarik de Wit timed his run well to arrive on time. Easy finish and his 10th goal of the season. Dirk van Grinsven wasted his second clear cut chance in 42’ and first half finished 1:0. I was little disappointed, because we deserved to score more goals, but couldn’t take our chances.

Things improved after half time break - Tarik de Wit doubled his tally with a header and we slowed things down after that, concentrating on possession and taking care of the ball. Rene Verhoeven scored our third goal in the end of the game with excellent shot from 30 meters. He has a very good long shot and I gave him permission to take more attempts from distance and bang - that’s what happened.

Confident win in the end for us. Tactically we were spot on and I was really happy with players and my tactics.

• we had 62% possession
• our shooting was 21/8
• we didn’t allowed Eagles to have any real chances
• Tom Drost and Rene Verhoeven were outstanding for us in this game

 

29.10.2031 - Achilles’29 - AFC Ajax 0:5 (Dutch Cup 3rd round) - 9. Rene Verhoeven, 13., 14. and 41. Justin Kluivert, 45.+1 Lungisani Senyane

Dutch Cup 3rd round game against Jupiler League side Achilles’29 was supposed to be easy for us and in truth it was. I sent in rotation players and expected them to do the job.

Squad: Gluhalic, Alleyne, van den Bosch (68. Markiet), Schans, Gudelj, de Groot (68. Ari), Talea, Verhoeven (63. Antonucci), Matal, Kluivert, Senyane

It was no contest from the start. We were leading 3:0 inside the first 15 minutes and Justin Kluivert completed his hattrick before half time break. Lungisani Senyane header finished the first half with 5:0 scoreline and that was good enough. Second half was more quiet, but we didn’t have to try too hard at that point. Lethal finishing from us and confident win against smaller team.

• our shooting was 14/10
• we had 8.53 average rating
• Justin Kluivert, Rene Verhoeven, Eugene Talea, Nketsi Matal and Sergio Alleyne were all outstanding for us

 

October was a good month for us in Eredivisie. I’m especially happy with FC Utrecht result, but overall we improved our performance and goalscoring form compared to what I saw in September. We finally got our first point in Champions League group and that’s a sign of improvement, too.

I spent much time in this month for contract negotiations. Sergio Alleyne extended his contract until 2034. Young prospects Clyde Sastrodimedjo, Mithat Arabaci, Kevin de Jonge, Stef Veldman and Omar van der Aar signed new deals until 2035.

 

Eredivisie

 

With several good results we find ourselves in top of the table. A bit surprising, actually, but the rest of the teams lost some points and we took advantage of that. PSV and FC Utrecht still look like the strongest contenders. There’s a lot of football ahead of us - we can’t be too relaxed and have to concentrate seriously for every game.

[Draakon]

November

 

04.11.2031 - AFC Ajax - Tottenham Hotspur 2:2 (Champions League Group B) - 7. Dirk van Grinsven, 9. Tarik de Wit - 61. and 64. Aimar Lopez

We were encouraged by our good display against Tottenham in London, but I knew that if we lose our home game, we’re out of this group. We practiced attacking set pieces before this game, but our squad selection was limited, because both Edward Schans and Engin Ari were suspended.

Squad: Koops, Drost, Alleyne, van den Bosch (71. Matal), Lichaba, de Groot, Talea (61. Verhoeven), Antonucci, van Grinsven (71. Matal), van Dalen, de Wit

We had an excellent start to this game. Johan van Dalen made a good run from left wing and crossed for Dirk van Grinsven, who put us in the lead - his 10th goal of the season. Just two minutes later Tarik de Wit doubled our lead after IFK. We were looking really good, confident and Tottenham was in serious trouble. Leslie Lichaba almost found the net in 12’, but his shot clipped crossbar and went over. Tottenham slowly composed themselves. In 29’ they had a free kick from dangerous place. Luca Di Meglio curled it over wall, but smashed crossbar. We were still leading by two goals at half time and I was happy with our goals and overall performance.

Second half was another story, though. Tottenham made substitutions and their striker Aimar Lopez came on and made the difference. He was too quick for our defenders with ball on his feet and scored two goals in a row. Tottenham were level and it was anyone’s game after that. Aimar Lopez had a great chance to complete his hattrick in 84’, but sent his shot wide, fortunately for us.

The game ended 2:2 and I was disappointed with our second half collapse. We couldn’t create anything after half time break and Tottenham changed the game with good substitutions. We desperately needed this win, but let it slip away.

 

08.11.2031 - sc Heerenveen - AFC Ajax 1:1 (ED) - 70. Daniele Guglielmi - 48. Tarik de Wit

sc Heerenveen are a strong team, predicted to finish 11th, but after difficult game against Tottenham it’s another tough fixture for us. Even though sc Heerenveen have a fairly good squad, they’re 6 games without win and starting to lose their confidence, so I hoped it might give us advantage.

Squad: Koops, Drost, Alleyne (70. van den Bosch), Schans, Lichaba, Ari, Talea, Antonucci (65. Verhoeven), van Grinsven (10. Matal), van Dalen, de Wit

It was a drab match in the first half. No real chances for either teams and I had to make early substitutions because Dirk van Grinsven picked up a knock.

Second half started better and Tarik de Wit gave us a lead in 48’ - he took the ball into box and his strong shot was too good for sc Heerenveen goalkeeper to stop. His 50th goal for Ajax! Chances remained rare for the rest of the game, and unfortunately we allowed sc Heerenveen to equalize in 70’, after IFK. Sergio Alleyne made a good tackle, but Daniele Guglielmi was first to react and his shot found its way in from near post. It was another situation for Marvin Koops where our goalkeeper should have done better - he allowed one goal in from his near post in Tottenham game and now again.

The game finished with 1:1 and it looked like a fair result. On stat sheet we looked like a better team, on the pitch - not so much, so probably draw was a fair result. We have conceded some costly set piece goals against smaller teams and that has to improve in the future.

• surprisingly, we lost possession battle 48/52
• we committed 23 fouls, 7 were made by Leslie Lichaba
• Dirk van Grinsven came off with twisted ankle and he’s out for 3-4 weeks

 

November international break was significant for Rene Verhoeven - 20 years old midfielder earned his first cap for Holland and did fairly well in the game, so we’ll probably see him featuring in national team again in the future.

 

23.11.2031 - AFC Ajax - Helmond Sport 1:1 (ED) - 45. Francesco Antonucci - 48. Brahim Verhoeven

After long international break we returned to Eredivisie games with home encounter against Helmond Sport. It should have been easy game against small club - attacking tactics and overlapping instructions were easy choice. We were strengthened by Pieter Stekelenburg’s return - his back injury kept him away for three long months, but our midfielder looks much stronger with him. Rene van den Bosch looked tired after international break and was rested in this game.

Squad: Koops, Drost, Alleyne, Markiet, Lichaba, de Groot, Verhoeven (58. Talea), Antonucci, Matal, van Dalen (63. Kluivert), de Wit

We controlled game completely in the first half. Tarik de Wit got the first clear cut chance already in 3’, but his close range shot was saved. Nketsi Matal wasted his chance in 38’, but in the end of the first half our much needed goal came. We won the ball back in Helmond’s half and a couple of good passes gave Francesco Antonucci a good look. Experienced midfielder kept his composure and finished calmly. I was happy with this late goal, because we deserved it, considering how many chances we created in the first half. Our own Mohammed van Leeuwen stood in Helmond goal in this game and he looked really good, making some good saves in the first half.

I changed tactics for the second period and asked players to retain possession. Not sure if this was the reason, but Helmond instantly got some good attacks in the beginning of the second half. One good counter gave them a great chance in 46’ and Marvin Koops saved us from the worst, but two minutes later the equalizer came - Brahim Verhoeven is a fairly short striker, but he can direct headers really well and when he somehow squeezed himself between two central defenders and directed his header to far post, it was too good for Marvin Koops to save. Johan van Dalen had a chance to reply quickly, but his shot from great chance in 49’ went wide. Tarik de Wit had a fierce shot on target in 72’, but it was met by brilliant save from van Leeuwen and when final whistle blew, it was a very disappointing draw for us.

I was furious with our second half and because we dropped two points very cheaply. We had enough chances in this game to score more goals, but we didn’t take them and were punished because of that.

• our shooting was 28/11
• we made 55 key passes, 19 from Francesco Antonucci
• Tarik de Wit had a great game
• Nketsi Matal made his 200th appearance for Ajax

 

26.11.2031 - FC Metz - AFC Ajax 2:1 (Champions League Group B) - 20. Ali Boukhari, 70. Nabil Alioui - 32. Johan van Dalen

After two draws with Tottenham, it was now or never to win our next game. We weren’t favourites for away game and practiced defensive positioning before the game. Leslie Lichaba was suspended, so I used Dragisa Gudelj in DL and set him to FBs instructions because his lack of pace.

Squad: Koops, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Gudelj, Ari, Talea (66. Stekelenburg), Antonucci (70. Verhoeven), Matal, van Dalen, de Wit (80. Senyane)

We got our first great chance in 13’ - Tarik de Wit gave excellent through ball to Johan van Dalen, but his shot was saved. In 20’ FC Metz built up attack from our left, cross came in and Ali Boukhari headed in. It was a bit unfortunate, because we had played well so far, but this goal derailed us a little and just a minute later FC Metz got another clear cut chance. Marvin Koops was able to save this one and in following attack Tarik de Wit headed against crossbar. Unlucky! We deserved to get something out of this game and our equalizer came in 32’ through Johan van Dalen, who sent a great shot to far post. We looked more confident after equalizer and FC Metz started to look nervous. At half time it was 1:1 and I had a strong feeling that small details or clinical finishing could decide this game in second half.

We looked better in attack in second half. No real chances, but we had possession and looked to create something, until in 70’ FC Metz got their second goal. Out of nowhere Nabil Alioui took a volley from the edge of area and fired it into top corner. Unstoppable shot for any goalkeeper, outstanding goal and no way to defend against goals like that. It felt unfair. We continued to look for our goal - Rene Verhoeven and substitute Lungisani Senyane got good chances in the last ten minutes, but we were unable to break through and had to return from France with a loss.

It was unfair result - we played well and didn’t deserve this loss. I assured the lads that we were just unlucky, but it also shows you have to take all your chances in this level and clinical finishing is a key factor in Champions League

• our shooting was 16/9 - very good for away game
• we’re 4th in the group now and can’t gain any places regardless of the result in last game

 

29.11.2031 - AFC Ajax - MVV Maastricht 2:1 (ED) - 16. Johan van Dalen, 63. Tarik de Wit - 44. Raul Ibanez

Nothing has done well for us in November and we desperately needed to finish this month in better mood. But the challenge was not easy, because MVV are a really strong team - they’re predicted to finish 6th and although they’re just in the middle of the table because their poor August, MVV have picked up their pace after that. Besides that our own youngster Clyde Sastrodimedjo has made some good performances in their ranks. MVV used 4-2-2-2 2DM tactics - something we haven’t played much against in this season.

It was a game to celebrate, because it was my 800th game in football management.

Squad: Koops, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Lichaba, Ari (62. de Groot), Verhoeven, Antonucci (67. Stekelenburg), Matal, van Dalen, de Wit (82. Senyane)

We looked extra motivated from start and Johan van Dalene opened scoring in 16’ - it was our first good look on goal and good finish from our left winger. However, right in the end of the first half Raul Ibanez equalized - he got some space between defenders, turned around and sent it into goal. Marvin Koops let it in from his near post - another doubtful positioning from our goalkeeper. First half was fairly even - chances were rare and small details could decide this game.

I changed tempo to quicker for 2nd half and it almost brought us a goal in 47’ - Nketsi Matal picked up a loose ball and had a great chance, but his poor shot was weak and easily held by MVV goalkeeper. We found a winning goal, though, and Tarik de Wit was the man who scored a header from corner in 63’. We managed to hold our narrow lead until the end. However nervous it was in second half, it was very important win for us and after such a poor month I’ll take any win I can get.

• our shooting was 23/9

 

November has been poor month - nothing much has come our way and we’ve lost points in games that we should have achieved better results. Our Eredivisie position was especially hurt because poor performances against sc Heerenveen and Helmond Sport and our Champions League campaign is essentially over.

One good moment in November was in the first week when Dirk van Grinsven extended his contract with us until 2034. Negotiations took a lot of time, but finally we agreed with £49,500 per week.

 

Eredivisie

 

FC Utrecht are looking strong, PSV Eindhoven are virtual leaders in my eyes and we’ve lost some ground on them in November. One marker for me has always been 40 points in the first 17 games - that can still be achieved, but competition is really tough in this season.

[kidthekid]

This has been a slightly tougher season than usual. Hope things pick up.

[Draakon]

December 2031

 

03.12.2031 - Sparta Rotterdam - AFC Ajax 1:2 (ED) - 63. pen. Corey Moore - 61. Johan van Dalen, 69. Rene Verhoeven

After MVV win I wanted to keep our good form going and use our confidence that we gained from that win.

Physios reported that Dirk van Grinsven can return to full training. That’s good. However, I decided to drop Marvin Koops and Sergio Alleyne, because their last performances have been less than impressive.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost, van den Bosch, Schans, Lichaba, Ari, Talea (46. Verhoeven), Antonucci (71. Stekelenburg), van Grinsven (67. Matal), van Dalen, de Wit

It was a drab first half from both sides. Only a few half-chances and we got the closest to our goal in 13’ when Johan van Dalen’s header hit the post. But we didn’t create enough opportunities and can’t complain too much.

Second half was slightly better. We took the lead in 61’, when van Dalen scored a header after free kick. Sparta goalkeeper had come out from his line and van Dalen directed his header well. Only two minutes later we gifted Sparta their equalizer. Engin Ari tripped Corey Moore in the box and Sparta striker took his penalty well. Sparta took encouragement from that goal and in 69’ Moore had another opportunity to score. Cross found him at the far post, Tom Drost was late to mark him, but Moore sent his shot against post from close range. And in a very next attack we scored our winner - de Wit found Rene Verhoeven in front of goal and young midfielder scored an easy goal. It looked like we wanted this win a little bit more and in the end Verhoeven’s goal was enough. Not the most convincing game, but I’m pleased with three points from away game.

• we allowed Sparta to make 22 dribbles and made 21 individual mistakes - not our best stats and we should have been better against Eredivisie mid-table side

 

06.12.2031 - AFC Ajax - AZ Alkmaar 2:0 (ED) - 20. Dirk van Grinsven, 25. Leslie Lichaba

Just three days between two games. AZ Alkmaar are not the team to underestimate - they are predicted to finish 12th in Eredivisie, but currently occupy 7th position and are overachieving. Their main strength is their forward duo who have scored 13 goals each and even though they are inconsistent at times, they look really dangerous in attack.

In this game, however, they looked a bit tired even before kick-off. I knew we had home advantage in Amsterdam Arena and instructed fullbacks to overlap more than usual.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Lichaba, Ari (64. de Groot, Verhoeven, Antonucci, van Grinsven (67. Matal), van Dalen, de Wit (59. Senyane)

We took the lead in 20’ and Dirk van Grinsven opened scoring with excellent finish from the edge of area. His shot was strong and went low, past goalkeeper. Five minutes later Leslie Lichaba made a good run into box, received good pass from Francesco Antonucci and had a great chance to score. The left-back is not a natural finisher in those situations, so he needed to take two attempts, but it was our second goal and we were 2:0 ahead. AZ Alkmaar reacted well and started to get chances of their own - Lamin Abdelhadi headed against post in 35’ and Pieter Simons had a shot on target in 40’ that needed a great reaction save from Ismet Gluhalic, but we managed to hold onto our lead and went to half time with two-goal cushion.

Second half continued to be even battle and both teams had their opportunities. I made early substitutions to give key players some rest and perhaps that eased off our pressure and allowed AZ to make some good attacks. However, no clear cut chances were given and Ismet Gluhalic was confident between sticks, so our two-goal lead held until the end.

I was pleased with result and our performance and especially with clean sheet. Defense have been our problem in recent games and we’ve lost valuable points because of those 1:1 draws, so 2:0 is a nice improvement.

• Dirk van Grinsven suffered damaged heel in this game and he’ll be out for a week because of that

 

09.12.2031 - AFC Ajax - Atletico Madrid 0:2 (Champions League Group B) - 71.Joel Piroe, 73. Osvaldo Romero

Our Champions League campaign has not turned out very well, so I wanted to finish it strong in front of home fans. However, I was well aware that this last game doesn’t decide anything in the standings, so I gave rest to key players that I could spare. Logically, we prepared for this game practicing defensive positioning.

Squad: Koops, Drost, van den Bosch, Markiet, Lichaba, Ari, Stekelenburg (70. Talea), Antonucci (58. Verhoeven), Matal, Kluivert, de Wit (64. Senyane)

We started the game well, looked good with ball and tried to attack. Our best chance came in 19’ when Justin Kluivert had a great look on goal, but brilliant save from Atletico goalkeeper stopped his shot. Atletico looked most dangerous around 32’ mark - Emiliano Vega had a great chance and it was Koops’ turn to make a brilliant save. Then Ismael Louza headed against our crossbar after corner. First half brought no goals, but I was pleased with our performance so far - we had some chances and weren’t beaten in midfield.

Second half was a little bit different story. Atletico tidied up their defense and looked for opportunities from counters. In 64’ Chijoke Ifeanyi got the first great chance to score for Atletico, but his shot went well wide. Goals did came though. Counter-attack gave Joel Piroe a great chance, he was too quick for Moreno Markiet, rounded Marvin Koops and passed it into the net. Two minutes later Atletico doubled their lead after corner - our clearance wasn’t good enough and their central defender Osvaldo Romero won a header against Markiet in our six yard box. Moreno Markiet’s mistakes were not too plain, but youngster perhaps got to know that he’s not yet ready to play in Champions League level. We lost the game and I was disappointed in our second half performance - we didn’t create chances after half time break and my substitutions didn’t make any impact.

• we made 26 fouls in this game, 7 were made by Leslie Lichaba

 

With this loss it’s time to forget this Champions League campaign as quickly as possible. We weren’t beaten too badly, but fell a little bit short in almost every game.

 

Champions League Group B

1. Atletico Madrid 13
2. Tottenham Hotspur 9
3. FC Metz 9
4. AFC Ajax 2

 

12.12.2031 - AFC Ajax - ADO Den Haag 3:0 (ED) - 2. Johan van Dalen, 45. Tarik de Wit, 63. Nketsi Matal

Back to Eredivisie and the first team that we meet for second time is ADO Den Haag. In August we were beaten in away fixture 0:1, but I was prepared to take revenge in front of home fans.

Our defensive line was hampered by suspensions of Leslie Lichaba and Tom Drost. Sergio Alleyne and Dragisa Gudelj are perhaps a little less attacking as full-backs that I like in a home game, but I hoped for the best.

Squad: Koops, Alleyne, van den Bosch, Schans, Gudelj, Ari (62. de Groot), Verhoeven, Antonucci (59. Talea), Matal, van Dalen, de Wit (63. Senyane)

We had a great start - Johan van Dalen scored a flyer from corner. Early goal gave us confidence and shook ADO Den Haag. Dragisa Gudelj has not featured in our first team too often in this season. Perhaps it was the reason why his mistake gave Dennis de Jong a great chance in 22’ - good shot was saved by Marvin Koops. After this moment we regained control of the game. Tarik de Wit’s header grazed crossbar in 23’ and in the final minute of the first half another header by our striker made it 2:0. It was great time to score and two goal lead at half time allowed us to be more calm and composed in second half.

ADO never really challenged us after the break. Johan van Dalen wasted his clear cut chance in 59’ and four minutes later Nketsi Matal made it 3:0 after another corner. Winning by three goals was a great result and I was happy with our performance in this game. Two goals from corners was a nice surprise - we could use our attacking set pieces more effectively in other games, too.

• Johan van Dalen had a great game
• in the first 17 games we’ve got 40 points - just around our target for the first half of the season

 

17.12.2031 - AFC Ajax - Helmond Sport 2:0 (Dutch Cup 4th round) - 48. Nketsi Matal, 66. Omar van der Aar

I used mostly rotation players for this cup game, but my assistant manager surprised me with his pre-match advice. While I agreed with his note that we should use overlapping more, I didn’t expect him to ask for defensive positioning training before the game against much smaller team. I was also looking to see our own Mohammed van Leeuwen in action, as he’s been Helmond’s first choice goalkeeper in this season.

Squad: Gluhalic, Alleyne, van den Bosch, Markiet, Gudelj, de Groot, Talea, Antonucci (54. Stekelenburg, Matal (68. van Grinsven), van der Aar, de Wit (54. Senyane)

We weren’t really good enough in the first half. Some half-chances, but nothing too dangerous. Tarik de Wit got our best chance in 27’, but his fierce shot was well stopped by van Leeuwen. Our midfield was not creative enough and some players needed probably more time to gel on the pitch.

Second half was slightly better and our crossing started to work. Dragisa Gudelj gave excellent cross to Nketsi Matal, who opened scoring with a simple tap in. Similar goal was our second - youngster Omar van der Aar found the net after good cross from Matal. Two goals were enough - nothing spectacular, but job well done.

• we gave 52 key passes - possession and ball movement was good enough, but last pass was often missed

 

20.12.2031 - Vitesse Arhnem - AFC Ajax 2:1 (ED) - 28. and 36. Donald Jourdan - 57. Dirk van Grinsven

Away game against Vitesse Arnhem is a difficult challenge for us. We won our first encounter in this season in very entertaining fashion 5:3, after Vitesse’s Giovanni Somai was sent off early, but I expected them to be better at home.

We practiced attacking set pieces before the game and I tried to set up our team so that Vitesse’s 4-4-2 wouldn’t be too dangerous to our defense. Difficult task, because they have two very good, pacey strikers and have scored a lot of goals in this season.

Squad: Koops, Drost, van den Bosch, Schans, Lichaba, Ari, Verhoeven, Antonucci (65. Stekelenburg), van Grinsven (62. Matal), van Dalen (76. Kluivert), de Wit

We started well end got good chances in the first 15 minutes. In 2’ Tarik de Wit turned around his defender and had only goalkeeper to beat, but his shot was saved. Johan van Dalen had a clear cut chance in 12’, but that too was stopped by Vitesse keeper. I cursed those missed chances even more when Vitesse opened scoring - Donald Jourdan scored an easy goal after corner. Edward Schans did poorly to mark him. Jourdan doubled his tally in 36’ - he timed his run well into box to receive cross from our right. Leslie Lichaba missed his interception and easy finish from six yard box for Vitesse. First half finished 0:2 and that was a big disappointment. Very poor first half from both of our central defenders. We haven’t done well to stop Vitesse strikers, although I specifically asked to mark Donald Jourdan tightly. Our tactics in general look OK, but we haven’t finished our chances. Being 0:2 down, it’s difficult to tighten up defensively when we need to throw fullbacks forward to support attack.

We looked a bit better after half time break. It didn’t take too long for us to score - Dirk van Grinsven received excellent through ball from Francesco Antonucci and finished calmly. In 86’ Rene Verhoeven took a shot from 30 yards - very well struck attempt, but it rattled crossbar. Very unlucky for youngster not to score from this. So the game finished 1:2 and our poor first half performance cost ust the game.

I was very disappointed with this defeat. Our poor defense and two costly mistakes decided this game. Vitesse can proudly celebrate, because they took their chances well and held onto that lead.

 

31.12.2031 - AFC Ajax - PSV Eindhoven 5:1 (ED) - 43. Francesco Antonucci, 45.+1, 52., 59. and 65. Tarik de Wit - 58. Melvin Jongeling

Vitesse defeat motivated us to be a lot better in our next game, and this one was hugely important. The last game of the year, Topper derby and if you consider Eredivisie standings - a true six pointer that could have a huge impact on title challenge. I focused hard on tactics and player selection and tried to keep my mind off upcoming transfer window and winter break.

PSV have probably the best strikers in Eredivisie and they play standard 4-4-2. We need our fastest defenders because of their pace and I hoped our finishing is a lot better than it was against Vitesse.

Squad: Koops, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Lichaba, Ari (70. de Groot), Verhoeven, Antonucci (67. Stekelenburg), van Grinsven, van Dalen, de Wit (70. Senyane)

It took a lot of time before first good chance came. Both teams were well organised and defended well. We got our first good opportunity in 24’ - Rene Verhoeven opened with a good run into box, received a well-timed pass from Tarik de Wit, but his shot hit the post. Unlucky again for him. We finally got our goal two minutes before half time whistle - Francesco Antonucci found the net from corner. When PSV tried to recover from this late goal, we scored another - Dirk van Grinsven found Tarik de Wit with his cross and our striker finished from close range. Two late goals in the first half made the difference and PSV morale was seriously damaged by those goals. We had looked more in control after 30’ and it was a deserved lead.

In second half we continued in same fashion - another show of technique and passing by van Grinsven gave de Wit another good look and it was 3:0. PSV tried to change things and brought on ex-Ajax striker Melvin Jongelin. He did have an impact in 58’ - he received long ball forward, Sergio Alleyne couldn’t stop him and it was easy finish for him. But it didn’t change the outcome of the game. Just a minute later de Wit completed his hattrick and even added his 4th goal in 65’. PSV changed to 4-1-4-1 after that and both teams slowed down.

It was a massive win for us, a crucial game and excellent result. Tarik de Wit was the man of the hour with his four goals and I just wish we could play like that more often.

• our shooting was 14/10
• we had 8.17 average rating
• we committed 22 fouls
• Tarik de Wit and Dirk van Grinsven had a great game

 

December was a good month in Eredivisie and were still in Dutch Cup competition. I don’t mind our defeat to Atletico, because it didn’t change anything in our Champions League group. Title race is still on in Eredivisie and it’s perhaps for the best if we can concentrate to domestic league in new year.

 

Eredivisie

 

Top three have moved forward. FC Utrecht are having a great season so far, led by their best striker Sebastian Sosa. PSV were taken aback a bit by this hammering by us. Feyenoord have showed more inconsistency and have dropped some points.

[Minuy600]

I've been following for a bit in the background and this is indeed a very interesting save! Very cool to see it last for 3 years now even if you're 'only' in 2032. How big is Helmond Sport's stadium now? They seem to be a pretty consistent Eredivisie side now.

[Draakon]

Well, yeah. Helmond got promoted to Eredivisie for 2022/2023 season and they built a new stadium with 16 551 seats for the same year. They've managed to hold onto their place in top tier for 10 years, although always predicted to drop down by media. They've been lingering near relegation zone for whole decade, best finish was just 13th in this period. In this season they're back in relegation zone again, but there's always play-off they can win  They survived relegation play-offs three years in a row right after their promotion.

[Draakon]

January 2032

 

First of all, I had to deal with some transfers and movements. Rene Verhoeven wanted to move forward and I promised to sell him if we receive acceptable bid. Atletico Madrid is interested, but not willing to pay enough (his release clause is £18,5 and in my opinion he’s worth it), so for now the deal is off.

I decided to release both Justin Kluivert and Dragisa Gudelj - six months before their contracts run out. Both players accepted mutual termination, but this move was not greeted by fans, who were saddened by club legends leaving. I brought left winger Omar van der Aar from Jong Ajax to fill in for Kluivert and recalled young left-back Fred Koeman, who was on loan at PEC Zwolle. Because we fell out of Champions League, we have less games in second half of the season and I feel that our squad of 23 men is big enough.

I decided to sell young left-back Jordi van Molen to Willem II Tilburg for £75k+clauses (up to £94k). He doesn’t look good enough for Ajax first team and there’s no reason to keep him in the club for longer.

With transfers decided, it was time to deal with player contracts. Leslie Lichaba signed contract extension until 2035 and he’ll earn £17,000 per week from now.

 

24.01.2032 - AFC Ajax - FC Twente Enschede 2:1 (ED) - 28. Leslie Lichaba, 64. Johan van Dalen - 17. Rocky Lie A Kwie

Back to Eredivisie action and our schedule is favourable in January - two home games in a row and we should be able to defeat those teams. FC Twente is our first opponent. We practiced defending set pieces, but went to the game with attacking mentality and overlapping instructions for fullbacks. We missed Moreno Markiet, who picked up a chest injury in training.

Squad: Koops, Drost, van den Bosch, Schans, Lichaba, Ari (57. de Groot), Verhoeven, van Grinsven, van Dalen (64. van der Aar), de Wit (72. Senyane)

First half of the game was uneventful until Rocky Lie A Kwie (funny name) opened scoring in 17’. His cross from our right wing took a direction to far post and somehow surprised Marvin Koops. Questions about our goalkeeper’s positioning and concentration there. We couldn’t find enough chances from open play, but our equalizer came through set piece, as Leslie Lichaba sent a powerful header in from corner. I wasn’t too happy with our display in the first half - we looked OK in the beginning of the game, but lost our rhythm after FC Twente goal and being 1:1 at half time at home is definitely not good enough.

Second half was better, though. Johan van Dalen wasted his clear cut chance in 59’, but didn’t miss his second opportunity five minutes later. Good cross from Dirk van Grinsven there - his 10th assist of the season). I asked the players to slow things down after our goal and retain possession, so we led this game to win.

I’m pleased with three points, but it was a sloppy performance. I can blame winter break and perhaps we need some match practice to get us going again, but we should have been better.

• our shooting was 17/4 - only a few really good chances and shots didn’t find the target
• we made 34 dribbles
• Dirk van Grinsven had a great game

 

28.01.2032 - AFC Ajax - VVV Venlo 3:0 (ED) - 28. pen. Francesco Antonucci, 39. Martin Clement (og), 82. Lungisani Senyane

VVV Venlo should be easy prey for us at home, so we continued with attacking setup and overlapping instructions. Engin Ari was disappointing against FC Twente, so I dropped him and Mario de Groot started as DMC.

Squad: Koops, Drost (56. Alleyne), van den Bosch, Schans, Lichaba, de Groot, Verhoeven, Antonucci, van Grinsven, van Dalen (68. van der Aar), de Wit (64. Senyane)

VVV almost took the lead in 9’ - Rogier Steemers was open in the box after IFK, but Marvin Koops did well to save his shot. It was a wake up call for us and we reacted well and started to control midfield. We created some good chances, but failed to find a goal. Dirk van Grinsven’s shot in 12’ was saved and Tarik de Wit had a great opportunity in 22’ that he blasted well wide. I was frustrated because of those wasted chances, but then our breakthrough came and it came from spot kick. Francesco Antonucci was fouled in the box and he converted the penalty himself. Well done and that left some weight off our shoulders. Unfortunate own goal from Martin Clement helped us along the way and we went to half time with 2:0 lead. Good scoreline, but I wasn’t entirely happy with our performance, especially with our finishing in front of goal.

Second half was much less eventful, only noteworthy event being Lungisani Senyane’s goal in 82’. In the end it was a good win and clean sheet for us, but VVV fans might wonder what could have happened if Steemers had only finished better in the beginning of the game.

• we created 5 clear cut chances in this game

 

31.01.2032 - FC Volendam - AFC Ajax 1:2 (ED) - 61. Nick Bos - 11. Dirk van Grinsven, 34. Tarik de Wit

Another small team to play against in January. Confidence was high after VVV game, so we continued with attacking tactics and overlapping. Justin Kluivert and Dragisa Gudelj left the club in January and FC Volendam was the club who picked up Gudelj. That meant he played against us so soon after his departure. Our young and very talented 17 years old striker Engin Ceylan was on the bench for this game.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Lichaba, Ari, Stekelenburg, Antonucci (58. Talea), van Grinsven, van Dalen (65. van der Aar), de Wit (69. Ceylan)

First half was quiet, but it gave us two goals. Tarik de Wit and Dirk van Grinsven combined on our right wing for the opener and then Tarik de Wit doubled our lead with a good header that went in off the bar. Just a few chances in the first half, but two goals.

Johan van Dalen had a great chance after a break, but his shot in 59’ was saved. That was a moment I came to regret two minutes later when Nick Bos got one back for FC Volendam. The winger scored an outstanding goal from well outside of area. FC Volendam were on a counter, cross came from our left and Bos just took a volley and smashed it into top corner. Incredible goal, nothing that Ismet Gluhalic could do about that. 1:2 scoreline made us a bit nervous and things almost turned to sour in injury time when Bos had a half chance to equalize, but this time his shot went wide.

Another ugly win for us - I was not happy with performance, but three points was more important.

• we allowed 24 key passes for FC Volendam - too many against a club like that
• Engin Ceylan made his Ajax debut in this game
• Johan van Dalen came off with dislocated shoulder in 2nd half and he’ll be out for around two months

 

Three games in January and three wins. A lot of room for improvement in our football, but winning breeds confidence and we’ve found chances and goals in every game, so I can’t complain too much.

 

Eredivisie

 

FC Utrecht and PSV Eindhoven are keeping up the pace. Really tight at the top in this season.

[Draakon]

February 2032

 

04.02.2032 - Fortuna Sittard - AFC Ajax 0:2 (Dutch Cup Quarter Final) - 22. Omar van der Aar, 45.+1 Engin Ceylan

Draw in Dutch Cup has been favourable to us and we’ll go against Fortuna Sittard in quarter finals. Schedule has been tight in this week, so I planned to use rotation players against Fortuna, but my assistant advised me to practice defensive positioning before the game. While Dragisa Gudelj turned out for FC Volendam, Justin Kluivert had signed for Fortuna Sittard and he’ll come against us in this game.

We miss Johan van Dalen, so Omar van der Aar has to fill left wing for us. Moreno Markiet has recovered from his chest injury and he’ll start in defense. 17 years old Engin Ceylan will get his first start in this game.

Squad: Gluhalic, Alleyne, van den Bosch, Markiet, Koeman, de Groot, Talea, Stekelenburg (62. Verhoeven), Matal, van der Aar, Ceylan

There was a drama in 11’ when Fortuna were awarded a penalty - Rene van den Bosch made a completely unnecessary foul near the edge of our box and Fortuna had a great chance to take the lead. Fortunately for us (and not Fortuna, pun intended) Ismet Gluhalic made a great save to keep our clean sheet. Omar van der Aar scored our first goal in 22’ - he made a good interception in midfield and continued with solo run into Fortuna box and finished calmly. Not bad for 18 years old player. It was a good goal for us, because we hadn’t created much until that point and this goal gave everybody a lot of confidence. Fortuna had to open up their game after that goal and opportunities started to come our way. Eugene Talea wasted his opportunity in 30’, Engin Ceylan missed his shot from open look two minutes later and Mario de Groot had a good attempt from 20 meters that hit the post in 36’. Second goal was in the air and it finally came in the injury time of the first half - new guy Engin Ceylan finished from loose ball inside the six yard box - his first ever goal for Ajax.

I was fairly pleased with our performance at half time - should have finished better, but we created a lot of chances and I knew that goals will come.

We continued to attack after half time - Engin Ceylan sent his shot wide from clear cut chance in 46’ and his shot in 62’ took a brilliant save from Fortuna goalkeeper. We were very wasteful with our opportunities and both Ceylan and Omar van der Aar missed another open look in the last ten minutes, so final score was 2:0. Good win and performance, but finishing, overall, was disastrous.

• our shooting was 21/8
• we created 7 clear cut chances
• we committed 20 fouls
• Rene van den Bosch made 6 individual mistakes - including conceding penalty
• Nketsi Matal had a great game
• we’re playing AZ Alkmaar in the semi final

 

07.02.2032 - FC Groningen - AFC Ajax 0:2 (ED) - 16. Omar van der Aar, 53. Tarik de Wit

We have had four games after winter break in which we have been strong favourites, but now it gets tougher - away game in FC Groningen is a difficult challenge and to add to that it was a dreadful weather in Groningen. Some kind of sleet came down and pitch was all muddy - not good for our technical football. I was a bit worried how we’d do without Johan van Dalen - we could definitely use him against top teams.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Lichaba, Ari, Verhoeven (61. Stekelenburg), Antonucci (65. Talea), van Grinsven, van der Aar (71. Matal), de Wit

First half was, in fact, a fairly ugly game on a muddy pitch. We took the lead after great combination from our attacking three in 16’ and FC Groningen’s Vincent Schmidt had a good opportunity to equalize in 25’, but Ismet Gluhalic made a good save to deny him. Both teams had one chance in the first half and I was pleased that we were leading at half time.

Tarik de Wit scored our second goal after half time break - Francesco Antonucci delivered long ball upfield and de Wit was the fastest to get to it. Calm finish in the end in 1-1 situation. FC Groningen didn’t give up and they put us under real pressure after our second goal. Ralf Stam came on for opponents and he changed attack and caused all sorts of trouble for our defense. One brilliant save from Gluhalic in 56’ was needed to stop him. Youngster Ferry de Geer had two good chances late in the game, his header in 87’ went against our crossbar. Despite that pressure our defense held and we kept our clean sheet. After final whistle I felt it was a hard fought win for us and for the last 30 minutes we defended really well. Ismet Gluhalic stepped up too and proved he can be our first team goalkeeper. I’m also pleased that we took those chances that we got in attack and our finishing was excellent.

• we allowed 24 key passes and 22 dribbles for FC Groningen
• we made 26 defensive mistakes, 6 of those were made by Sergio Alleyne
• Francesco Antonucci had a great game for us

 

13.02.2032 - Feyenoord Rotterdam - AFC Ajax 0:0 (ED)

Probably the toughest game in February - away derby against Feyenoord. Engin Ari was suspended for this game, but no other news from training camp, so I sent our our usual first eleven and hoped for the best.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Lichaba, de Groot, Verhoeven, Antonucci (73. Stekelenburg), van Grinsven (62. Matal), van der Aar, de Wit (86. Ceylan)

First half was fairly even football. Both teams had some half-chances, but we didn’t hit our shots on target. Feyenoord danger man was Cameroonian Georges Kongnyuy who had some half-decent looks in the first half, but was generally under control of our defense.

Second half was much the same until we got our best chance of the whole game in 84’ - substitute Pieter Stekelenburg had a great look after our counter attack, but his shot was way too weak and it didn’t pose any real threat to Feyenoord goalkeeper. Stekelenburg could have win it for us, but as the final whistle was called, it was fair to say that too teams cancelled each other out and a draw was fair enough.

In a long season I’d usually say that away draw against Feyenoord is good enough and not complain about the result too much, but in this year the title race is so close that every lost point is much too valuable to lose. So I hope this miss from Stekelenburg wouldn’t cost us in the long run.

• our shooting was just 17/5 - decent number of shots, but nothing too dangerous
• 5 individual mistakes from Mario de Groot stood out - not the kind of impression to make if you want to challenge for first team place

 

Eredivisie clubs are starting to lose patience and some managers feel their positions under threat if results do not improve. VVV Venlo was one of them and they sacked their manager Chris van Weerden after another poor defeat.

 

21.02.2032 - AFC Ajax - Fortuna Sittard 3:0 (ED) - 38. Dirk van Grinsven, 42. Tarik de Wit, 85. Engin Ceylan

I expected us to be a lot better against Fortuna Sittard. Firstly because we just had beaten them in a cup game, but secondly because we played this one at home. We practiced attacking movement before the game and, as usual, ordered fullbacks to overlap. Training for this game was not without incidents, as Marvin Koops injured himself in training and groin strain will leave him sidelines for around 3 weeks.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Lichaba (59. Koeman), Ari, Verhoeven, Antonucci (65. Stekelenburg), van Grinsven, van der Aar, de Wit (69. Ceylan)

It took us a long time to break Fortuna defense. They looked really solid for the first 30 minutes of the game, but in the end of the first half they finally lost their concentration for a moment and we scored two goals in a quick succession. We had midfield under our control, but didn’t create enough chances in the first half and those two goals made my team talk a lot easier.

We could play second half without much pressure and I allowed youngsters to get some playing time in the league game. Engin Ceylan was trying to make things happen - he earned us a penalty that Omar van der Aar missed in 79’, then had a great chance just a minute later that was denied by a brilliant save from Fortuna goalkeeper, but in the end he finally found himself in score sheet after finding the net from corner.

It was a good win in the end and good scoreline. I’m pleased with the result and our performance.

• our shooting was 21/13
• we didn’t give Fortuna Sittard any chances in attack

 

Go Ahead Eagles were the next team in line to make the decision and they sacked their manager Virgil van Dijk.

 

27.02.2032 - AFC Ajax - PEC Zwolle 2:2 (ED) - 37. pen. and 70. Tarik de Wit - 9. and 51. Jos van Leeuwen

The last game in February should be easy - home game against PEC Zwolle, who are the last in the table at the moment. I took some liberty to give opportunities to rotation players, but came to regret it after 90 minutes of football.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost, van den Bosch, Markiet, Lichaba, de Groot, Talea (52. Verhoeven), Stekelenburg (52. Antonucci), Matal (74. van Grinsven), van der Aar, de Wit

We didn’t start well and some very poor defending in 9’ allowed PEC Zwolle to build up a good combination from centre. Ismet Gluhalic made a good save to stop their first attempt, but 17 years old winger Jos van Leeuwen scored from rebound. Very disappointed with this start. We slowly got midfield under our control after 30 minutes of football and chances started to came. Pieter Stekelenburg had a great look in 32’, but his shot was saved and then Tarik de Wit was fouled in the box and our striker converted the penalty himself. It wasn’t the best penalty I’ve seen, but it still went in and that’s what matters. Nketsi Matal could have given us the lead in 42’, but his shot went wide and despite getting several chances in the first half, we went to the break with 1:1 scoreline. Disappointing stuff.

Unfortunately, things didn’t get better in second half - Jos van Leeuwen got his second chance of the game and scored his second goal. Leslie Lichaba was too slow to spot his run behind defensive line. We hada quick chance to equalize, but Rene Verhoeven wasted his opportunity in 54’ and even though Tarik de Wit scored his second goal to equalize in 70’, we didn’t create any good chances in the last 20 minutes and had to accept a very disappointing draw. I was really furious with it, because losing points like that against the weakest team in Eredivisie in this time of the season is completely unacceptable.

• our shooting was just 23/6 - not good enough
• we had 5 clear cut chances in this game, but we failed to win

 

I should be happy with our February, but the last game and dropping points against Zwolle is really upsetting. We should be much better against smaller teams, in fact we’re already lost too many points against small sides in this season. It matters little if we put up great performances in tough away games, if we lose points so easily at home.

 

Eredivisie

 

Top three have really put some distance behind us, although FC Utrecht have lost some points in recent weeks and they look like they start to buckle under pressure. At the bottom of the table PEC Zwolle is still about to be relegated and that surprise draw against us gave them little in terms of poins.

[Draakon]

March 2032

 

02.03.2032 - AFC Ajax - AZ Alkmaar p0:0 (Dutch Cup Semi Final)

After poor result against PEC Zwolle, we needed to bounce back with a win and March started for us with Dutch Cup semi final against AZ Alkmaar. While AZ have done really well in this season, I expected us to be favourites in Amsterdam Arena and chose attacking formation with overlapping fullbacks.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Lichaba (73. Koeman), Ari, Verhoeven, Antonucci (63. Stekelenburg), van Grinsven, van der Aar, de Wit (63. Senyane)

First half of this semi final was uneventful - no real chances to either sides. We tried to create something, but our attacking movement was off sync and we wandered to offside positions too often.

Second half was improvement in this regard - Dirk van Grinsven had two great chances around 60’, but his first shot was saved and second went wide. A bit unexpected from the player of his class. It looked like we’re going to extra time when Sergio Alleyne had a great chance in injury time - our central defender was in AZ box after IFK and ball found its way to him, but the moment ended with a typical central defender’s strike - smashed against goalkeeper with full force.

Second half was much better in terms of attack, but our finishing let us down. Extra time was again more careful and teams tried to secure their clean sheet. So the game went to penalty shoot-out. AZ definitely felt that their chances are better in penalty lottery and I was a bit nervous if our young team could keep composure in nervous moments. No need to worry - Lungisani Senyane, Rene Verhoeven, Dirk van Grinsven and Pieter Stekelenburg converted their penalties and when Ismet Gluhalic had saved 2 out of 5 penalties it was enough to secure our win and place in the final.

• Sergio Alleyne made his 400th appearance for Ajax
• we will play FC Groningen in the final in April

 

06.03.2032 - FC Utrecht - AFC Ajax 0:2 (ED) - 66. Tarik de Wit, 88. Omar van der Aar

Away game in Utrecht was very important for us and definitely tough challenge. FC Utrecht have played a great season so far, but they have been fragile lately and lost some points since winter break. FC Utrecht players also looked really tired even before kickoff.

News from our training ground say that Marvin Koops is back in full training and is on the bench for us against Utrecht.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Lichaba, Ari, Stekelenburg (58. Verhoeven), Antonucci, van Grinsven (78. Matal), van der Aar, de Wit (75. Ceylan)

We were clearly more attacking side in the first half, but couldn’t create any clear chances. In fact, we just got our first half-chances in 36’, so fairly dull game from us. Goalless first half was obviously not what I expected from the team, so things had to improve after half time break and they did.

Tarik de Wit got our first good chance in 60’, but his shot was saved. Edward Schans had a great look in 66’ after corner - his shot from close range was blocked. But the pressure on FC Utrecht goal was persistent and the goal came - de Wit headed in his 25th goal of the season in the following attack. We continued to play - young winger Omar van der Aar hit crossbar in 71’ and Engin Ceylan wasted his clear cut chance in 82’. 1:0 lead is always fragile, but we secured all three points when van der Aar doubled our lead in 88’. Good cross from Tom Drost to create this goal. Young striker Engin Ceylan headed against crossbar in 89’ - a little bit unlucky not to score.

We improved our game in second half and looked much better. Plenty of chances and two goals - I’m happy with the performance.

• our shooting was 27/9
• we didn’t allow FC Utrecht to get any chances
• Francesco Antonucci had a great game for us

 

13.03.2032 - AFC Ajax - Go Ahead Eagles 2:1 (ED) - 34. and 53. Tarik de Wit - 83. Papito Bicintini

Home game against Go Ahead Eagles should be easy, but that’s what I said about PEC Zwolle and look how that played out for us. Attacking formation and overlapping instructions were in order. Go Ahead Eagles are currently without manager and that should also work in our favour. Marvin Koops returned to goal in this game.

Squad: Koops, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Lichaba, Ari, Verhoeven (61. Talea), Stekelenburg, van Grinsven (69. Matal), van der Aar, de Wit (69. Ceylan)

We got an early chance in the game - Jeroen Smits played with high foot in the box and penalty was awarded. A bit harsh call from the referee, but we didn’t take that gift and Dirk van Grinsven’s penalty was saved by Eagles goalkeeper. Poor effort. We continued to attack and chances came - van Grinsven had a good shot on target in 29’ that was brilliantly saved, but our right winger created our first goal five minutes later with wonderful cross that found Tarik de Wit behind central defenders. It was 1:0 at half time and although I didn’t have too much to complain about, the early missed penalty made things a bit more difficult for us.

We continued well in second half. Pieter Stekelenburg played the role of advanced playmaker in this game and his direct balls behind defensive line caused our opponents much problems. One of those balls found de Wit in 53’ and our striker finished his chance calmly. It was his 50th goals for Ajax. What I didn’t like was that second goal allowed complacency to creep in and our concentration dropped. That allowed Eagles to score a late goal back - Tom Drost lost the ball and Leslie Lichaba missed the run of Papito Bicintini. Marvin Koops, perhaps, wasn’t too alert either. I was furious because it was clearly a goal caused by complacency that could have been avoided. Despite that hickup we held our lead until the end and took the three points that we needed.

• our shooting was 22/9
• Pieter Stekelenburg had a great game for us - 16 key passes from him

 

Go Ahead Eagles named Jordi Clasie as their new manager after that game.

 

19.03.2032 - PSV Eindhoven - AFC Ajax 0:0 (ED)

Away derby against PSV is our most important game in March and perhaps in the rest of the season. A true title showdown between two clubs who are level in terms of points. I know it wasn’t to be easy challenge and we practiced defending set pieces before the game, because I knew that PSV will get at least some corners and free kicks and we couldn’t afford to give them goals from dead ball situations.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Lichaba, Ari, Verhoeven, Antonucci (67. Stekelenburg), van Grinsven (63. Matal), van der Aar, de Wet (87. Ceylan)

We had an early chance in 2’ - young winger Omar van der Aar had a great look from close range, but the nerves let him down and he sent his shot well wide. The rest of the first half was tightly contested midfield battle and neither of teams didn’t take any risks.

Second half was similarly quiet. We didn’t give any chances to PSV and didn’t create anything too dangerous either, but we had one good look in 80’ - PSV goalkeeper came out of the box to make a clearance, Stekelenburg got the ball in midfield and instantly took ambitious attempt towards empty goal. Very unlucky that it only hit crossbar.

Final whistle was met with mixed reactions - we had two chances to win this game and we let it slip away, but on the other hand PSV needed to win more and we could be satisfied with away draw.

• our shooting was 11/1
• we didn’t allow PSV any chances

 

International break was full of action to our players. Engin Ari made his debut for Turkey and young defender Rene van den Bosch earned his first cap for Holland. Rene Verhoeven was also called to national team, so it’s nice to see our players making breakthrough in international level.

I’m fairly pleased with our March results. Games were a bit nervous, perhaps, but we got good results and we’re still leading the table, although PSV is level on points.

 

Eredivisie

 

FC Utrecht look to be stuck in 3rd place after some poor results in March. Title race is still on and it’s a rarely interesting season compared to some of the previous years. Dog fight near relegation zone is equally brutal - Volendam, Helmond Sport, Fortuna Sittard and Go Ahead Eagles battle for their place in Eredivisie. PEC Zwolle, I’m afraid, looks to be relegated.

[Draakon]

Youth Intake Update 2032

 

What I needed from this youth intake is a great right-back and perhaps a striker or two, if we’re not extending Lungisani Senyane contract in this Summer. The rest of the positions are fairly well covered at the moment and in no need of urgent hot prospects.

This season’s youth candidate’s team looks like this.

 

 

Wim Splinter

The best prospect of this season’s intake. Fairly good physically, very good flair player and decent technical abilities. His manners (back to goal) and attributes suggest he’s more of a target man and should improve his vision, passing and technique to succeed as complete striker, but we have time to mould him into one.

 

Jelle Sandler

Yes! Finally a decent right-back that I really needed. He doesn’t look like much physically, but he is very young (just turned 16) and has plenty of time to improve. Mental attributes look good for his age, especially teamwork and his balanced nature means that I can use our good tutors to make him better mentally.

 

Rob Pluim

I didn’t exactly need a goalkeeper, but this lad has potential. No real weaknesses, excellent teamwork and professional attitude. He can fulfill his potential, I’m sure of that.

[Draakon]

April 2032

 

03.04.2032 - AFC Ajax - sc Heerenveen 0:0 (ED)

After international break and welcoming new youngsters into the club, it was April and time to return to Eredivisie football. We played our first game in April at home against sc Heerenveen. I knew that the only way to secure title is to win all the rest of the games and we wanted to start strong.

Match preparation included Johan van Dalen, who returned to full training after his injury. At the same time Fred Koeman had to miss some games because of his chest injury that he suffered in training. We practiced attacking set pieces before the game - I expected to get at least some corners in home game and that could be beneficial.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Lichaba, Ari, Verhoeven, Antonucci (46. Stekelenburg), van Grinsven, van der Aar (57. van Dalen), de Wit (76. Ceylan)

We played really poor first half and for a long time couldn’t create anything dangerous near sc Heerenveen goal. Our possession turned into something in the final minutes of the first half - Omar van der Aar sent his header just inches wide of goal and then had a great chance to open scoring, but only managed to hit post. Tarik de Wit also headed just wide and Dirk van Grinsven’s shot in the last minute of the half took a great save from goalkeeper. Lot of action in those final minutes, but it was still goalless at half time.

Unfortunately our poor luck continued after the break. Rene Verhoeven had a shot on target in 62’ - that was brilliantly saved. Tarik de Wit headed against crossbar in 66’ and Engin Ari curled his free kick against frameworks in 81’. Despite all that pressure we were unable to break through and final whistle marked a goalless draw. Very frustrating and disappointing - I feel that we were unlucky to hit framework so many times and still not to score, but at the same time I have to admit that it was up to players to use those chances better and we failed to do that tonight.

• we kept things under control in defense - no chances to sc Heerenveen
• hitting frameworks 4 times in one game has to be some sort of record for us
• Francesco Antonucci suffered twisted ankle in first half and is sidelined for 3 weeks

 

10.04.2032 - Helmond Sport - AFC Ajax 0:2 (ED) - 18. Rene Verhoeven, 61. Dirk van Grinsven

I expected comfortable win against Helmond Sport, although we were without Tom Drost and Leslie Lichaba who were both suspended and we could have used Antonucci in midfield, but had to use Pieter Stekelenburg as advanced playmaker. So, a little bit unusual line-up in this game.

Squad: Gluhalic, Alleyne, van den Bosch, Schans, Koeman, Ari (63. de Groot), Verhoeven (70. Talea), Stekelenburg, van Grinsven (70. Matal), van Dalen, de Wit

We went to the game with real motivation and wanted to take control of things on the pitch from early on. Tarik de Wit took the ball into the box on our first attack and fired hard - brilliant save from Helmond goalkeeper (our own Mohammed van Leeuwen, by the way) denied him, but we continued to press. Dirk van Grinsven had a great chance in 11’, but that shot was saved oo. Johan van Dalen saw his header hit the post just a minute later and Tarik de Wit wasted his clear cut chance in 17’. Helmond could not resist this pressure long and another attack in 18’ brought our first goal - Tarik de Wit took a fierce shot, another save from van Leeuwen, but this time Rene Verhoeven got to rebound first and put it into the net. We dominated the first half, but some really outstanding goalkeeping and brilliant saves from van Leeuwen kept Helmond hopes alive at half time.

Second half was not to be any better for our opponents - Johan van Dalen managed to hit the post again, and then Dirk van Grinsven doubled our lead to secure our three points. I chose to slow things down and retain possession for the rest of the game, so things were less exciting in the last 30 minutes. Tarik de Wit had another great chance in 69’, but that shot too went against post - you could say that we were unlucky to find frameworks too many times for the second game in a row. In the end it was 2:0, although I feel that we should have scored a lot more goals, but away win and clean sheet is always good result.

• we had 60% possession
• our shooting was 27/11
• we made 32 dribbles
• another game where we didn’t allow our opponents any chances
• Johan van Dalen suffered bruised head in this game and will be out for a week

 

We lost ground on PSV with our draw against sc Heerenveen, but PSV made a goalless draw with AZ Alkmaar in this matchday, so we were back on level terms with them again.

 

16.04.2032 - MVV Maastricht - AFC Ajax 1:3 (ED) - 39. Niels van Delft - 9. Tarik de Wit, 15. Omar van der Aar, 74. Dirk van Grinsven

Next was a tough away game against MVV. Our opponents have been inconsistent, but have showed that they can beat any team, especially at home, so I wasn’t sure about our chances in this game. We had our fullbacks back in action after serving their suspension, but at the same time we missed Francesco Antonucci and Johan van Dalen, so we didn’t have all our best players for this game.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Lichaba, Ari (60. de Groot), Verhoeven, Stekelenburg, van Grinsven, van der Aar (69. Matal), de Wit (75. Ceylan)

We had a very good first 15 minutes of the game. Tarik de Wit opened scoring for us - he turned around his defender skillfully and finished calmly with placed shot. de Wit was again in action in 15’ when his cross from our right found young winger Omar van der Aar and we were 2:0 ahead fairly quickly. Unfortunately we lost our rhythm a bit after that - MVV composed themselves and tried to stop bleeding in their defense. de Wit had a couple of good chances, but one of his shots were brilliantly saved and another clear cut chance went wide. MVV at the same time managed to get their goal from corner - Niels van Delft was completely unmarked in our box and tucked it in from between defenders. Very disappointing to concede late in the first half. That goal made my half time team talk much more difficult and our second half a little bit more nervous.

Second half offered less chances for us, but Dirk van Grinsven became our man of the hour in this game. Although he wasted a great chance in 47’, he scored our third goal later and so secured all three points from a difficult game. I was pleased with the result - better than expected.

• we had 60% possession and controlled the midfield brilliantly
• Rene Verhoeven and Pieter Stekelenburg both had a great game - brilliant work in the middle of the park from both midfielders

 

25.04.2032 - AFC Ajax - FC Groningen 3:0 (Dutch Cup Final) - 21. and 72. Johan van Dalen, 90. Pieter Stekelenburg

April games finished with Dutch Cup final. Although I insisted in press conferences that competing on two fronts is not an issue for us, I actually felt in this season that it was more difficult to concentrate on cup games with title race being so tight. So, I actually was a bit relieved that it will be over, one way or another, and we could fully concentrate on the last two league games. We practiced defending set pieces before the game. Fred Koeman was suspended for the final, but that didn’t affect us too much. Johan van Dalen was match fit again - that was great news.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Lichaba, Ari, Verhoeven (63. Talea), Stekelenburg, van Grinsven (69. Matal), van Dalen, de Wit (69. Ceylan)

We looked slightly better of two teams in the first half, but only got one half-chance during those 45 minutes and in 21’ Johan van Dalen took his shot really well and sent it past goalkeeper to take the lead. FC Groningen struggled to create any chances and held our advantage in second half - van Dalen looked to be in the middle of most action. He almost doubled his tally in 60’, but somehow managed to shoot wide of goal. However, another chance in 72’ was too good to miss and his second goal pretty much secured our win. Pieter Stekelenburg, who again had a very strong performance as our playmaker, got his goal in the last minute and final scoreline 3:0 was indeed flattering. We were not so dominant as the final score indicates, but we took our chances well and kept things under control in defense

• we had 60% possession
• our shooting was 21/9
• we made 52 key passes
• again we didn’t give our opponents any chances
• Johan van Dalen had a great game for us
• we won our 3rd consecutive Dutch Cup and 4th in the last 5 seasons

 

Good month for us, despite some rotten luck that we experienced against sc Heerenveen. We’ve managed to keep ourselves on top of the league, won the cup final and at the same time have played some really good football - we’ve scored goals and defended well. Players are in form and confident, so that makes us believe that we could go all the way.

 

Ajax U-19 finished their season and it didn’t turn out too good. They were just 9th in the league and lost the U-19 cup final. League position is definitely not what is expected of our academy.

In the end of the month our long serving coach and club legend Dennis Bergkamp announced that he will retire this Summer. That’s a loss in background staff that I need to replace after the season ends.

 

Eredivisie

 

We have a lot better goal difference than PSV has, so on level points we have an advantage. FC Utrecht could lose their 3rd place to Feyenoord. At the bottom of the table PEC Zwolle are relegated, Helmond Sport and Go Ahead Eagles are most likely to face relegation play-offs.

[Draakon]

May 2032

02.05.2032 - AFC Ajax - Sparta Rotterdam 4:0 (ED) - 33. Tarik de Wit, 71. and 90. Nketsi Matal, 89. Francesco Antonucci

Only two more games to go in this season, the first of those at home against Sparta Rotterdam. Our morale was high after cup win and I expected that to be in our favour. I also hoped that we could avoid stupid yellow cards in this game, so that key players could all play in our last game against AZ Alkmaar.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost, van den Bosch, Schans, Lichaba, Ari (72. de Groot), Verhoeven (58. Antonucci), Stekelenburg, van Grinsven (66. Matal), de Wit

We controlled the game in the first half, but struggled to get shots on target at first. Dirk van Grinsven had a great chance to open scoring in 8’, but experienced winger messed up his shot and it was easily held by goalkeeper. But the goal inevitably came and it was Leslie Lichaba who created it - his cross from our left found Tarik de Wit in six yard box and it was easy finish from close range. Sparta looked better in latter stages of the first half and they almost equalized in 38’ - Thijs Visser sent a header towards our goal after corner and it bounced back from crossbar. Half time whistle marked our narrow lead, but despite that I felt that we should have been better in the first half - we can’t allow to waste chances like that in those games.

Second half was a little bit nervous, as those situations in 1:0 often is. We missed the target just by inches a couple of times and in 70’ we almost gifted Sparta their equalizer - Leslie Lichaba missed his header in IFK situation and Thijs Vissers got his chance, but Ismet Gluhalic made a key save to maintain clean sheet. Just a minute later we scored our second goal after good combination and that was it. Sparta fell apart a little bit in the final minutes - Francesco Antonucci was allowed to dribble into their box and fire it into top corner - magnificent goal to make it 3:0 and in the final minute substitute Nketsi Matal doubled his tally with a simple tap-in. It was a very good result and I’m pleased with four goals, but it took some time to break Sparta and Thijs Vissers will probably regret that he wasn’t more clinical with his chances. Stat sheet indicates that there are aspects in our game that we can’t be happy about.

• our shooting was 20/6
• we committed 21 fouls
• we allowed 22 dribbles
• Leslie Lichaba had a great game for us
• PSV Eindhoven made a 1:1 draw with Vitesse in the other game

 

09.05.2032 - AZ Alkmaar - AFC Ajax 2:0 (ED) - 30. Tom Drost (og), 39. Rico van Leeuwen

It’s fairly simple task for us in the last game - draw is good enough to secure a title and PSV must win if they want to get any chance in this battle.

I’m happy to see that Simon Janssen is back in full training after his cruciate ligament injury, but he’ll not play in this season and will get full pre-season training camp to build up his fitness to come back into football.

Squad: Gluhalic, Drost, Alleyne, Schans, Lichaba, Ari, Verhoeven, Stekelenburg (58. Antonucci), Matal (65. van Grinsven), van Dalen, de Wit (76. Ceylan)

We had good first 15 minutes and should have taken the lead in 5’ when Nketsi Matal had a great chance after our counter-attack, but his shot was saved by AZ goalkeeper and that made me cringe at the sidelines. AZ played their usual 4-4-2 and they have perhaps the most prolific attacking duo of the Eredivisie in Lamin Abdelhadi and Rico van Leeuwen, who have scored 50 goals combined in all competitions in this season. That meant we had to be aware in the defense. AZ took the lead in 30’ and it was unfortunate goal for us - header came in after corner and went in after a touch from Tom Drost. Drost was guarding our far post and although ball came at his direction, he couldn’t quite stop it crossing the line. In 39’ Rico van Leeuwen got his great chance to score and he easily doubled AZ elead. We weren’t disheartened, but our task looked really difficult at half time and I was worried that we can’t turn this around in the second half.

And we couldn’t. AZ did really good job to close things down defensively in second half and we couldn’t create anything dangerous after half time break even though we really needed to score goals. Motivation was there, but our tactics just didn’t work and I was out of ideas how to change this game. Final whistle marked our defeat and to our horror we learned that PSV had beaten FC Twente in the other game. That means we’ve lost the Eredivisie title for the first time since I took charge of the club. It was a real drama for PSV as they had to fight back twice against FC Twente and finally edged it 3:2. But the fact is that title was ours to win and in the most important game we failed, so no reason to look elsewhere.

 

Can’t quite believe that our season ended like this, with a real disappointment, but I take it as a learning experience and another reason to rebuild our team a little over Summer.

 

Eredivisie

 

FC Utrecht finished 3rd. Go Ahead Eagles and PEC Zwolle were relegated, and Helmond Sport once again survived relegation play-offs.

 

Ajax goals: Tarik de Wit 29, Dirk van Grinsven 16, Johan van Dalen 12

Ajax assists: Dirk van Grinsven 14, Tarik de Wit 12