Borussia Dortmund was the favourite team of choice for European football’s hipsters last season. And although there is much to love about the Bundesliga side, Ajax is a team that can hardly be disliked by anyone outside the Netherlands.
We all know about their Total Football philosophy and ability to produce stellar young talents, generation after generation.
And of course we all know what has happened to the club since they last won the Champions League in 1995.
The Bosman Ruling and Dutch football’s descent down the European pecking order has seen Ajax leave the elite. They will never again experiencing continental glory with the way football has changed unless something cataclysmic occurs to the football landscape.
Yet there could be cause for optimism this season. For the first time in a long time, the Amsterdam side has not lost a major player. At the risk of speaking too soon, Denmark international and much-coveted playmaker Christian Eriksen could stay put as Liverpool cannot provide Champions League football, while the only sales are Miralem Sulejmani to Benfica and Ryan Babel to Turkish side Kasimpasa. Neither player is a major loss. They also continue to produce talented players like Viktor Fischer, Ricardo Van Rijn and Siem De Jong.
It’s a change from the summers of the last decade which have seen Ajax lose talents like Gregory Van Der Wiel, Luis Suarez, Klaas Jan Huntelaar, Jan Vertonghen, Thomas Vermaelen, Marten Stekelenburg, Wesley Sneijder and so many more players.
That means the bones of the team that won the last two Dutch titles has been kept together. In terms of building on that potential, Ajax will hope to make more of an impact in Europe.
That has been an Achilles heel for the team recently. Not since the 2002/03 season, has Ajax progressed passed the group stages and in the intervening period they have often missed out on qualification altogether.
In 2010/11, 2011/12 and 2012/13 they were eliminated in the group stages of the Champions League after tough draws.
But the coming seasons provide a chance for consolidation as Dutch football is experiencing an interesting trend over the last couple of seasons. The traditional powers - Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord - have been retaking their place at the top of the Eredivisie from recent challengers like Twente and AZ Alkmaar. And in Ajax’s case, lining their pockets with as much Champions League money as possible will help stretch the gap.
But also from a sporting context, improving their own UEFA co-efficient and that of the Dutch Eredivisie is vital. Currently the Eredivisie is ranked eighth in Europe and not since 2006/07 has a Dutch club reached the knockout stages. That makes it all the more difficult for clubs from the Netherlands to achieve relative success in Europe.
Much will depend on the group stage draw again this season, but with an astute manager who knows the club well in Frank De Boer and a summer free of trauma, this season is an opportunity to consolidate their position.
Main image: Christian Eriksen is still at the Amsterdam Arena - for now
