Ajax 2018-19 squad: were they elite or all just system players?
- Thread starter Rassvet
- Start date
Rassvet
Well-known member
I’ve spent my last few months thinking about this. We saw this Ajax team tearing up the Champions League knockout stages 2 years ago with brilliant football even against teams considered among the favorites like Real Madrid and Juve.
Their squad was then pillaged predictably with big fees paid out by top clubs for the likes of De Jong, De Ligt, Ziyech, and Van de Beek yet all have struggled at their respective clubs. Were/are they great talents just being misused and struggling to adapt or were they just cogs in a well built system but not actually that special individually?
Their squad was then pillaged predictably with big fees paid out by top clubs for the likes of De Jong, De Ligt, Ziyech, and Van de Beek yet all have struggled at their respective clubs. Were/are they great talents just being misused and struggling to adapt or were they just cogs in a well built system but not actually that special individually?
Rassvet
Well-known member
Even among those still at Ajax, it’s worth noting that Tadic was nothing special at Southampton, Tagliafico has generally been poor for Argentina and is now well behind Acuna in the pecking order, Blind couldn’t cement himself in the Manchester United starting eleven, while the likes of Schone are just journeymen type players.
iniestaGOAT
Senior Member
Had a spark when they started now they just garbage
FinBarcelonafan
Well-known member
Great team. Just shows how much you can get out of players, if you are well coaches. Ten Haag deserve all the praise in the world.
FinBarcelonafan
Well-known member
Great team. Just shows how much you can get out of players, if you are well coaches. Ten Hag deserve all the praise in the world.
FinBarcelonafan
Well-known member
Great team. Just shows how much you can get out of players, if you are well coaches. Ten Hag deserve all the praise in the world.
And he has done it again this season.
And he has done it again this season.
Fati_Future_BallonDor
Well-known member
A good coach can do wonders with players. Look what Tuchel has done with the chelsea players who look crap under lampard or Klopp how he turn average players to good players.
Frenkie has consistently been one of our better players until this season. Hardly flopped since leaving Ajax.
De Ligt has had to battle with Chiellini and Bonucci for a starting spot whilst suffering injuries and similarly to Frenkie a woeful management of the squad and managers.
Ziyech is now getting much more game time at Chelsea.
They're not flops, for Frenkie/De Ligt they've had average managers at the helm and terrible squad investment (if at all). Ziyech just needed time to settle. VDB was managed by Ole who won't manage a top half of the prem team for the rest of his career.
De Ligt has had to battle with Chiellini and Bonucci for a starting spot whilst suffering injuries and similarly to Frenkie a woeful management of the squad and managers.
Ziyech is now getting much more game time at Chelsea.
They're not flops, for Frenkie/De Ligt they've had average managers at the helm and terrible squad investment (if at all). Ziyech just needed time to settle. VDB was managed by Ole who won't manage a top half of the prem team for the rest of his career.
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