Back to Basics; Ajax 2025-26 - Garcia to the Rescue?

This is what Jordy should have seen from the beginning. Starting to pose as the though guy by firing the Youth coach with bullshit like "when you lose, there are concequences..".
Then moving the Spaniard up to replace Grim, because of what? Grim should be doing better with this selection?

 

Everything is rotten at the club and it's getting harder and harder to blame Mislintat for that.

Although he still deserves a lot of the blame.

 

The rot clearly started on his time in charge and unfortunately the financial crisis he created is still affecting the club today.
Obviously it’s been a continuous struggle since, but Kroes has been very poor himself with recruitment, and in essence wasted money on a players that are not cutting it either.
Jordi has more than both hands full of this train wreck of a club, and I can imagine him sitting in the stands during matches, or taking in training during the week and thinking we’re in big trouble here, and WTF am I going to do?

 

I think some people would be drawn to rescue missions like that. Oftentimes, the kind of person (especially the manager) who is good at rescuing a club (or company, for that matter) is not the kind of person who is good at sustaining success.

 

Pep wouldn't come and take a reclamation project like that. There's no upside in it for him. If he wins, it's because he's coaching the biggest club in the Netherlands and it's supposed to happen. If he loses, then he risks tarnishing his reputation or appearing out of touch with current tactics or something. On top of that, I don't think he'd tolerate the funky management setup that Ajax have.

It would have to be a younger manager with something to prove who has, as you say, a vision. But that vision has to align with the Ajax philosophy/ethos, so it really has to be the club's vision as much as an individual manager's vision. And that person who have to be in synch with Jordi, and would need to have enough support to get through the first year or two while the deadwood is cleared out and new players (likely heavily from Jong Ajax) are allowed to find their feet.

It's not impossible, and it will happen eventually, but until then, Ajax are at risk of becoming a zombie club.

 

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Ajax never has to call Dennis Bergkamp again: 'I'm a loyal person, they just shouldn't hurt me'
Dennis Bergkamp (56) will never return to Ajax.
"I left in a very unpleasant way," says the 79-time Dutch international. "Then it's done too."
In the podcast 'Rondje Rob', in which he is interviewed by his friend and agent Rob Jansen, Bergkamp finally comes out again. The former attacker discusses his career in detail and looks back on his time at Ajax, where he was part of the technical heart after the Cruijff revolution. "I had a nice period at Ajax of which I think: 'Well, fine.' I was asked the question to help. That's what I did," said Bergkamp, who had to leave Ajax in 2017.

For Bergkamp, there is no way back. The former player of Ajax, Inter and Arsenal believes that there is little appreciation for what has been achieved in Amsterdam after the Cruijff revolution. "With all due respect, there is more laughter about the revolution than people really looking at the facts and saying 'wait a minute, something actually went right."
"I think we have changed things that have ultimately benefited others. We started with a club that may not have had debts, but there was no money. During the revolution, with the sale of talents and winning matches, a lot of money came in."

"Those who took it up didn't really understand what the revolution was about.
Look, if you have money it's very easy. Then you can buy success.
But policy is something completely different. Policy is that you believe in something together and get something done without looking at money." Bergkamp believes that the youth academy should be leading. Especially at Ajax. "I have experienced it myself that I broke through as a talent, was sold for a mega amount and was successful abroad, with all of England still knowing what I have done in the Premier League. That's the norm for me. The Netherlands is just a developing country. You can try to join the big ones, but that gap is getting bigger. You have to make a decision in what you are as a club."
Bergkamp says he has never regretted his choices. "I am a very loyal person by nature. They just shouldn't hurt me, then they have a problem."

 

Joeri Heerkens was helped off the field on Monday by physiotherapist Linda Veltman and his teammates Aaron Bouwman and Tijn Peters. © Pro Shots / Shane Winsser

Ajax keeper Joeri Heerkens has suffered a serious injury. The 19-year-old goalkeeper fell out on Monday at the match of Jong Ajax against Vitesse.
The Czech-born made the switch from Sparta Prague to Ajax last year for 2 million euros. This season, he played 19 games, but all for the Ajax Reserves in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie. In the 6-1 defeat on a visit to Vitesse, he was injured after 19 minutes on Monday with an ankle injury. Heerkens will have to be operated on and then rehabilitated, so he will probably be out of circulation for months. With the first team, he was on the bench 28 times, but Heerkens hasn't made his debut in Ajax 1 yet. The 1.93 meter tall goalkeeper became European champion last year with the Orange under 19.

 

I'm not familiar with how Bergkamp left Ajax. What happened?

One of the issues with Ajax is that, in addition to the snakepit of a boardroom, so many club legends have an opinion about things and demand that their opinion is taken seriously.

 

Yeah, I saw it too. It was quite weird.

 

It is often the case that utterly brilliant players make poor coaches because everything was so instinctive for them. Van Basten falls into that category. The Athletic did an article a while ago about it and sort of came to the conclusion that the best coaches that were former players tended to be center mids/backs and slow.

 

Saibari: 'Bosz asked if I was coming along to Nouri'
Ismael Saibari is very involved in the situation of Abdelhak Nouri. The PSV player does not play with shirt number 34 for nothing, the number that Nouri also used. In conversation with Voetbal International, Saibari talks about a visit to Nouri, together with coach Peter Bosz. After all, Bosz knows the Amsterdammer from his time as Ajax's coach. Saibari cites his religion as a motivation for his concern for the fate of Nouri. 'In Islam, it is encouraged to visit sick people, at home or in the hospital. In addition, for me it is humanity; that you visit someone and offer support. If you bring positive vibes, you hope that he is doing better.'
The Belgian midfielder has also been with Bosz once, at the request of the coach. 'The coach knew Abdelhak from before it happened. I understand that it was difficult for him to see Abdelhak in another state. He asked if I could come along, so that it would be a little easier for him. We had a nice afternoon. It shows his humanity. Often in football it is only professional-professional-professional and we forget the human side of a player or a trainer.'

 

I remember we experimented with him as a defensive midfielder earlier in the season and vaguely remember it going well so unfortunate he didn’t get more of a run. I guess he was pushed back into CB role to cover for other injuries? I know he’s not the exact profile we are looking for in midfield but Alvarez was a similar profile and was useful.

 

Very hard to get excited about Ajax, and despite a healthy looking result against the mighty “Heracles” who reside in the bottom of the average at best Eredivisie.
It’s just hard to watch and pretend that anything positive is really happening for Ajax.
However Thanks to the NEC Feyenoord draw today Ajax stays alive with a chance for the coveted Champions League place although it won’t be easy to to attain.
That being said, the truth is ALL of the potential Runners Up contenders are very flawed, and could well see a heavy beating in that Big Money competition that won’t help the Dutch Co Efficient Rankings whatsoever.