AMSTERDAM • There are few clubs with a history to match that of Ajax, and they are aiming to add a new chapter with their first treble since the days of Johan Cruyff.
The first leg, the Dutch Cup, was secured with a 4-0 Sunday stroll over Willem II.
Then there will be a battle for the Dutch league title that resumes this weekend. They are deadlocked with PSV Eindhoven on 80 points with two games left.
Before that, Ajax could be through to their first Champions League final since 1996.
They take a 1-0 lead into today's semi-final second leg against Tottenham, with young stars like Matthijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong and Donny van de Beek mesmerising Europe having defeated Real Madrid and Juventus.
Those players have dominated the headlines, but the work done by coach Erik ten Hag, 49, has been remarkable.
His career as a player was unremarkable by comparison, with the 2001 Dutch Cup the only major trophy he won on the field.
"He loved the game and he loved talking about the game," Scott Booth, who played in that Twente side, said of his captain.
Ten Hag the midfielder was close to Fred Rutten, his coach at Twente and, after ending his playing career at the age of 32, later became Rutten's assistant at PSV.
Before that, he had a spell as an assistant to Steve McClaren at Twente, helping the Englishman to win a first Dutch title in 2010.
These days, ten Hag's playing style draws comparisons to Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.
"When we lose the ball, we must win it back immediately," goalkeeper Andre Onana said.
"He is focused on that, he is always telling us that if we have control of the ball, we have the ability to push back any opponent."
In his first season as a coach in his own right, ten Hag won promotion with Go Ahead Eagles in 2013, but he left them for a job with Bayern Munich's reserve side.
His time in Bavaria coincided with Guardiola's first two years as Bayern coach.
"I still remember very well that when I quit the Eredivisie to go and coach in the German Regionalliga (fourth tier), lots of people in the Netherlands were sceptical," ten Hag told German daily Bild.
"I never regretted that decision. To work at a club as big as Bayern was like winning the lottery."
He lapped up the opportunity to watch Guardiola's training sessions up close before returning to the Eredivisie with Utrecht in 2015.
After two top-five finishes and a Dutch Cup final appearance, Ajax saw ten Hag as the ideal man to take over midway last season.
Ajax, the Europa League runners-up in 2017, were knocked out of both European competitions in the preliminary rounds last term, but ten Hag steered them to a second-place finish in the league.
The foundations were laid for this season's run.
"What he is managing to do with such young players is remarkable," former striker Pierre van Hooijdonk told TV station NOS.
"The likes of de Ligt, de Jong and van de Beek have only just come out of the academy and are already playing like veterans. Ten Hag deserves huge credit."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
LYON (France): Barcelona were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw at Olympique Lyonnais in their Champions League last-16 first leg on Tuesday as both sides remained undefeated in this season's
Ajax stunned Juventus to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 1997 as Matthijs de Ligt's thumping second-half header secured a 2-1 second-leg victory in the last eight
Ajax stun Ronaldo's Juventus to reach Champions League semis
Football: Kedah-bound national defender Shakir Hamzah
Football: Ikhsan Fandi focused on task as he begins Norway adventure. Ikhsan Fandi on trial with Raufoss against top-tier Norwegian club Mjondalen on Saturday. He is the first local-born
Ikhsan Fandi News from Singapore, Latest Ikhsan Fandi News
news.trendingnews.co.in/singapore/ikhsan-fandi
Football: Ikhsan Fandi focused on task as he begins Norway adventure The Straits Times. Singapore's Ikhsan Fandi has vowed to make an impact in Norway, after signing a two-year contract with Norwegian second-tier team Raufoss on Saturday.
Things Singapore does better than anywhere else - Hoffeldt.net
Neymar heads to Qatar for medical assessment Neymar will travel to Qatar to undergo a "complete assessment" six weeks into his recovery from a fractured right foot, Paris Saint-Germain said on
PSG star Neymar heads to Qatar for medical assessment - Sportstar
Rangers have boosted their Scottish Premiership title chances with the high-profile loan signing of Jermain Defoe. The former England striker has moved to Ibrox on an 18-month deal from Bournemouth.
Title-chasing Rangers sign Defoe on loan - sports.yahoo.com
Two other defiant goalkeepers, Football News & Top Stories
Sep 10, 2014 · The Guardian - Back to home expected to pick up the tab for the food needs of the seven to eight million North Koreans Cut off aid and North Korea could strike out as a last ditch effort
Furious Sarri Slams Chelsea Players As "Difficult To Motivate" After Arsenal Defeat Rafael Jan 20, 2019 8 Comments Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri was so furious with his players after a 2-0 defeat against Arsenal he insisted on using a translator to ensure his every word was understood clearly without mistake.
Maurizio Sarri says Chelsea's players are 'extremely
'Emotional breakdown' as Japan stuns imploding Iran Yuya Osako put Japan 1-0 up after half-time when the Iranian defence fatally stopped to remonstrate with the referee, and then stroked home the penalty awarded after a replay for Morteza Pouraliganji's accidental hand ball.
'Emotional breakdown' as Japan stun imploding Iran at Asian Cup
Entornointeligente.com / London , United Kingdom (AFP) — Liverpool powered back to the top of the Premier League as Xherdan Shaqiri inspired a 3-1 win over bitter rivals Manchester United, while
Liverpool back on top as Shaqiri sinks United, Arsenal's
Real lose all in space of a week. Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois grasping at thin air as a left-wing free kick from Lasse Schone soars past him into the top corner for Ajax's fourth goal
Real lose all in space of a week - theworldnews.net
0 comments:
Post a Comment