At the bottom of the table for the first time: Ajax is in a historic crisis

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Ajax Amsterdam reached the lowest point in club history after the 2-5 defeat against leader PSV Eindhoven last weekend. Never before has the quintessential Dutch club had a more miserable start to a season in the national Eredivisie. After eight match days, Ajax is in last place in the rankings with five points – for the first time ever. Only home stadium Amsterdam Arena currently reminds us of the glorious club with 36 national titles, European fantasies and countless star players such as Johan Cruijff (1947-2016), Marco Van Basten (58), Luis Suárez (36) and Dennis Bergkamp (54).

The dismissal of coach Maurice Steijn (49) last week symbolizes the historic crisis. The Dutchman only took office in the summer. Remarkable: team leader Sven Mislintat (50), who hired Steijn, was also fired in September after four months.

Incorrect personal information in the club

The Ajax case started in February 2022. Sports director Marc Overmars (50) shot himself at the time because of inappropriate messages to employees. After that, Ajax functioned without a team leader for a long time. Some players joined the club during that time, but for too much money and not with the required level of play, says sports reporter Rypke Bakker from Sport1.

The departure of successful coach Erik ten Haag (53) to Manchester United was relatively unfavorable in the summer of 2022. At the same time, established top performers such as Antony (23), Sébastien Haller (29) and Lisandro Martinez (25) were looking for new challenges abroad. A major upheaval followed. Alfred Schreuder (50) took over the coaching position. However, the Dutchman fell far short of expectations, making him a thing of the past in November. Coach John Heitinga (39), hired in January 2023, led Ajax to third place in the competition. As is known, not enough for sports director Mislintat, who was appointed in May.

Fans beside themselves

But the situation became even more precarious. The technical director and former professional Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (40) withdrew due to mental exhaustion. Club legend and general manager Edwin van der Sar (53) lost an important staff member last season due to illness. Even the fans can no longer believe what is happening before their eyes. Their anger recently led to the match between Ajax and Feyenoord Rotterdam (0:4) being stopped due to burning fireworks on the field.

Now Dutch coach John van’t Schip (59) is taking over. From January, Alex Kroes (49), who most recently worked at AZ Alkmaar, will lead Ajax out of the crisis as the new sports director. It certainly won’t be the last personnel change. (Gentlemen)

Source : Blick