Today's Games 2018/19 Season

Ajax are all over Juve in the second half but seem to want to walk it in the net.

 

Goal for Ajax! Juve need two.

 

Have switched over to the Juve v Ajax game.
My but Ajax are a good side.
Juve need Ronaldo to do his usual.

There are a lot of very good young Dutch players, meaning the Nations League semi against England will be very tasty imo.

 

Well done grandpa Neil

 

It looks like Ajax, having played an abrasive game, scouring the last third for a winner, are going to clean up.

 

Ajax have been superb and really should have scored more.

 

come on Ajax....

 

fight for premiership survival takes a turn. Cardiff's win against Brighton has put the wind up a few clubs...

 

Cardiff with more winnable games to come

 

This was a class tweet from Ajax this morning. Proved spot on in the end

 

City or Spurs v Ajax in the semi.
Probably Liverpool v Barca in the other.
Mouth watering.

 

Brighton are in serious trouble now

 

I’d love a Liverpool v Ajax final, but suspect it will be City v Barca.

Those Ajax kids are quite something. Great testament to a club with a genuine philosophy which it has stuck to for decades. We can dream. Most they have ever paid for a player is £14m. Average age of this squad (which includes Huntelaar at 35 and Schöne at 32) is just over 24.

 

I watched the Ajax game too, some of their football was a joy to behold. How sad to hear some of their youngsters are destined for moves to Barca in the Summer. Really hope they get to the final with Barca and win

 

Delighted that Ajax have progressed, they play some wonderful football.

There was a very good piece in the Sunday Times a few weeks ago about Edwin Van Da Sar who is Ajax CEO and works along side Marc Overmaars and Bergkamp about the way the club is run, they have an academy from aged 10 years upwards and each team is schooled to play in the same style as the first team so that whenever a first team player is sold whoever replaces them from the academy knows what is their role is, it's all seamless. He admitted that they have to sell as that is the only way they can compete with the big spenders in the rest of Europe as their domestic budget is tiny in comparison. He added that this side has been something like 10 years in the making...........

It's about time that the big spending sides domination was broken...........

 

this is why fining clubs like us is farcical, I just don't see a level playing field

 

The system has been the same for decades. It was set up by their great and totally ignored (here) English manager Jack Reynolds before and after WW2, and developed by the genius Rinus Michels in the 60s. Total football, 4-3-3 at every level. Cruyff took it to Barca, their football is a more intricate Ajax style, but with the key element - a club ethos. The number of ex players, who may have played most of their careers elsewhere more lucratively, who end up going back and coaching there is huge, because they get and love the system, they grew up in it.

De Ligt has the potential to be a new Maldini, Beckenbauer or Bobby Moore. Club captain at 19.

 

There is a video of Terry Venables and Stan Bowles talking about it - think it started with them and Jago. Why the **** we didn’t stick to it is the issue. Here you go