20 MAR 2016 PSV - Ajax Match Day 28

[Sandro]

Hmm ok, he never won the KNVB Beker, but does anyone really care? Btw, why would there be a difference in a good knock-out coach and a coach who wins the league almost every time for Ajax?

[Orange14]

Hmm ok, he never won the KNVB Beker, but does anyone really care? Btw, why would there be a difference in a good knock-out coach and a coach who wins the league almost every time for Ajax?

A team can afford a slip up or two in a 34 match league competition. A slip up in knock out play and that's it, your out. In the FdB era, Ajax have been terrible in knock out play. We lost CL matches that we should have won (look at the pool we were in this year and how we lost to really poor quality clubs) and our performance in the Europa League has been a total joke. In the latter, the team was never prepared to play at all. this is the sixth season of FdB and I can count only a few decent European matches: 2012 win at Old Trafford and we came within a goal of knocking ManU out of the EL; win and a draw over ManCity in 2012 CL pool play (but were thrashed by Dortmund and Real Madrid in the other matches and then lost to Steau Bucharest in EL); beating Barca in CL pool 2013 but couldn't hold onto the lead against Milan that same year and then bounced out of EL by Salzburg when FdB clearly didn't do a good scouting job and the team was ill prepared.

[Sandro]

To win the league, normally the important matches have to be won as well. Ajax against psv in Eindhoven was a big match and we won (which doesn't mean we are champion yet, so we cannot afford to slip up ). To say we have got six finals left to the end of the season is cliché, but it holds a large element of truth.

I do totally agree that Ajax has performed (close to) terrible in Europe under De Boer, but I think it has more to do with a lack of quality and experience of the players than anything else. Psv did much better in Europe this year ofcourse. Their squad includes a couple of players that are more 'professional' / can switch to a plan B / play 'smart' when it is needed. Ajax under De Boer should have bought more of those kind of players instead of signing V/d Hoorn for example, or splashing out money for Sinkgraven.

And I am afraid a Dutch club performing well in Europe will become increasingly less likely, with the money going anywhere but to the Dutch clubs.