News

Ajax’s Journey Back To The European Elite

Across football, there tends to be a series of ‘definitions’ or ‘labels’ that are placed on the shoulders of clubs based on their stature. Some are viewed as the elite who will consistently challenge in the Champions League and sometimes the Europa League, others are seen as dark horses on the edge of breaking into that category, whereas some are known for having outstanding developmental systems that allow for world-class players to come through their ranks.

Ajax falls into the latter category, although they were once considered to be an elite team amongst the likes of Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and others. Unfortunately, over time, they seem to have stumbled into the habit of allowing their best players to move on before they’ve even scratched the surface of what they’re capable of at the club. It’s a frustrating process that many of their fans want to move on from, and now, they’re putting the necessary pieces in place to cause a stir at the top once again.

The Amsterdam-based club are coming off the back of a campaign which saw them miss out on the Eredivisie title, with PSV Eindhoven seizing control of Dutch football. It’s a difficult pill to swallow when you’re beaten out by your rivals, but even more so when there’s such a high level of expectation on your shoulders.

They’ll also not forget their disappointment of losing in the Europa League final to Manchester United last year, in a game that they viewed as one that they should’ve been much more competitive in. Still, they’re used to the feeling of disappointment, so they should probably just lie down and take it, right?

Wrong.

This season they’ve been working hard to bolster their squad, to the point where they can compete on multiple different fronts in 2018/19. They’ve spent well over €40 million in order to do that with Hassane Bande, Zakaria Labyad, Dusan Tadic and the returning Daley Blind all serving as welcome additions to the first team squad. They seem to be a little bit more ruthless than they have been in recent years during the summer transfer window, and that can only be a good thing for their confidence both on and off the pitch.

In terms of the Champions League, which is the European competition they’ll be hoping to excel in this year, they face an interesting test in the form of Standard Liege. On paper, this is a game they should be looking towards as being extremely winnable, and in execution, they shouldn’t be afraid of the Belgians whatsoever.

This first leg is going to be all about not getting sucked into the intimidating atmosphere, as that could throw them entirely off their rhythm. If they can avoid defeat and edge out the draw then they’ll be in a great position for when they take it back to their place, but in our mind, we believe that they have more than enough quality to win 2-1 – which sets them up perfectly to see the tie out.