After the Coup against Real Madrid, Ajax Amsterdam want to get in the Champions League quarter-final against Juventus. The Potential of the Ajax talents is enormous – but Amsterdam can keep his new Stars?
The Ajax-gate factory is running like clockwork. Last Saturday Ajax Amsterdam scored for the quarter-final first leg of the Champions League against Juventus (kick-off on Wednesday at 21 GMT) hot: 4:1 won the Team of coach Erik ten Hag in the “Eredivisie” in Willem II Tilburg and extruded to PSV Eindhoven from the top of the Dutch first division. The fourth goal through midfielder Hakim Ziech was already the 100. Goal of the season for Ajax in the 29. Game.
The young Ajax Team – the average age is just under 24 years – is ready for the “old lady” Juve (whose players have an average four more years on the hump). “This is a big game for us,” says coach th Hague. Juve, this is not only Cristiano Ronaldo, but “a Team that has already won many titles”.
“Ramos, thanks!”
The knockout stage of the Premier class should be enough for the Italian tradition of the Association as a warning, Ajax not to underestimate. Exactly the had done Real Madrid, Champions League winners of the past three seasons. As Real had led in the first leg 2:1, had defensive star Sergio Ramos provoked a Yellow card, and thus the barrier for the reverse game – so sure, the captain was in Madrid, nothing would burn. But Ajax is a rule burned at the Bernabeu right fireworks. 4:1, the low won countries, throwing Real out of the race, and the 4,000 travelling Ajax Fans chanting “Ramos thanks!” (Thanks, Ramos!).
Mix between Young and Old
Outstanding players on that memorable evening with a goal and two assists Dusan Tadic. The 30-year-old Serb proves that it is too short would be used to reduce the success of Ajax only on the Amsterdam in a traditional high quality of the young players in the Team. Rather, the mix is just right.
Cheers to Dusan Tadic (2.v.l.)
“We have many outstanding talents, and also experienced a Top player,” said coach ten Hag already at the end of last year, in an Interview with “Sport Bild”: “In this outfit huge potential.” You proved already in the preliminary round of the Champions League, as Ajax abtrotzte the German champion FC Bayern’s two draws (1:1 in Munich, Germany, 3:3 in Amsterdam) and, as a group, the second without a defeat in the round of sixteen moved in.
Market value of young stars that exploded
From 2013 to 2015, the Hag had trained the second team of Bayern and in this time also the former head coach Pep Guardiola on the Finger looked. It was “like winning the lottery,” says the 49-Year-old in retrospect. Ten Hag is similar to how Germany’s Trainer of the year 2018, Florian Kohfeldt from Werder Bremen as a “better doer”, that is to say as a Coach that brings young talents to the front. As harmony discovered Frankfurt’s French striker Sebastien Haller, the ten Hag to his time as coach of FC Utrecht (2015-2017). Or now Ajax‘ “young Wild” as a defender Matthias de Ligt (19 years), the midfielder Frenkie de Jong (21 years old) and Donny van de Beek (21) or the striker Kasper Dolberg (21) and David Neres (22).
De Jong moves to Barcelona
Your market has rocketed in value this season, almost explosively to the top. De Jong will change according to the season for 75 million euros to FC Barcelona. And Europe’s top clubs – including the top Bundesliga clubs FC Bayern and Borussia Dortmund – Ajax queue to the other young stars to try to rescue for two-digit million sums from their contracts. So de Ligt is also linked with Barca. Under 70 million euros, the Defensive-shooting star is not likely to be available.
Overmars is working on the Team of the future
It is already clear that the team of the season in the Champions League-a sensation that falls apart before the next season. But anyone to grow at Ajax Amsterdam gray hair. The best players go out of their own talent pool for high transfer fees to financially powerful Clubs, is almost part of the Ajax-success model.
Ex-football player Marc Overmars, the is since 2012 as the sports Director for the cadres in charge often have a lucky Hand proved has already begun to invest the money from the de-Jong-Transfer in new players. Thus, under the Romanian midfield talent Razvan Marin (22) wrote in the last week, previously at Standard Liege, in Amsterdam. And this Monday the 17 years Junior national goalie Calvin Raatsie received his first professional contract. Overmars forges so the next Ajax-force to make the established Top clubs.
Now, de Jong, de Ligt and co. are, but once claimed, against the “old lady”. Last year’s finalist Juventus was clearly the role of the favorites, asseverate, all in Ajax. But you said that even before the first knockout round against Real Madrid.