Cheer Up!

From the desk of the Publisher
Jim McGough
August 29, 2001

There has been a lot of criticism of Ajax, and especially of Co Adriaanse, in the Dutch press and on the Internet lately. Critical writers and fans are blasting the controversial coach for playing a "non-Ajax style" which some have even label with the ultimate insult of being "Feyenoord-like."

"Too defensive! Counter-attacking! Not 4-3-3! Dreadful to watch!"

I have a different perspective. :-)

While it's true that Adriaanse has been experimenting with different formations, including 5-3-2 (with good result) away to Celtic and Feyenoord, I don't agree that Ajax' style of play has been ultra-defensive and boring. To the contrary, Ajax are playing good football (admittedly, for all of two games) for the first time in, not months, but years!

Against Feyenoord, they really took the game to their arch-rivals, keeping the homeside on their heels in an increasingly subdued De Kuip stadium. Ajax did not play a purely defensive, counter-attacking style. They held possession, worked patiently for chances, and showed some creativity and real attitude and swagger in the game. Grim had almost nothing to do for long stretches at a time, because Feyenoord could hardly manage to put three passes together, much less shots on goal.

I would love to see a return to the Ajax of old, in 4-3-3 formation, attacking mercilessly from the wings, where they play with, in the words of David Winner in Brilliant Orange, "a georgeous, hyper-intelligent swagger ... like beings from a quite different, more advanced football civilisation."

But the times and, to the point, the economics of football have changed. It will be forevermore difficult for Ajax to retain the breadth and depth of talent necessary to play the great Ajax style, because the requirements are so high: the fundamentals of true Ajax football are described as TIPS: Technique, Intelligence, Personality and Speed. Finding and keeping 11 players who can play that way is probably beyond the means of an Ajax humbled by the rules of the European Union and the Bosman Ruling.

I think Co has tried to make this Ajax team play that way in the past (it didn't work), and he will strive for it in the future (if he has one). But it is just not realistic to take this collection of players and expect them to play like Ajax of the early 70's or mid-90's. You have to work with what you have, and Adriaanse has some varying degrees of greatness in Chivu, Knopper, van der Vaart and maybe a few others. (We each have our favorites.)

He also has a collection of hard-working but rather ordinary players to surround those extra-talented few. And he has some wild-cards in Mido, Maxwell, Trabelsi and especially Zlatan. And he has injuries. And he has the board, and the investors, and the press, and especially the fans to please.

Let's see what happens. If Ajax keeps scoring, and winning, and if the defense holds together, I think we'll see more of the typical Ajax style of play, more of the georgeous, hyper-intelligent swagger, more of the Ajax of old. And it would be nice to see some silverware again. Been a while.