Where did Ajax's predicament lie?
This was a question with a clear answer.
The team had struggled to compete for a long time for only one reason: they were inferior to their opponents.
The reason for their lack of strength lay with the players.
The club's finances were inadequate, the influence of the Eredivisie had declined, and Ajax lacked enough appeal. All of this had caused Ajax to lack competitiveness on the European stage. But their poor performances in the Netherlands were just as serious, and that called for some reflection.
The reason Ajax had once swept across Europa was that Ibrahimovic, Van der Vaart, Sneijder, De Jong, Trabelsi, Maxwell, and other world-class stars had contributed enormously.
Later, Ajax had reached the semifinals and possessed star players such as Yang Yang and Yaya Touré. Their performances had been equally impressive.
After that came Suarez, as well as players such as Eriksson and Vertonghen, who currently played for Tottenham Hotspur.
But looking at Ajax now, how many players could still compare with those mentioned above?
From the broader perspective, Ajax had entered a period of upheaval after Yang Yang's departure. Van Basten's gamble had failed, the club's finances had fallen into crisis, and Martin Jol's tenure had produced no improvement. As a result, the Ajax traditionalists, led by Cruyff, had launched the Velvet Revolution and seized control of the management.
Over the years, Ajax's domestic results had improved somewhat under De Boer, but their overall performances remained lackluster. In particular, over the past two years, with a group of players including Eriksson departing, Ajax had quickly fallen into a quagmire.
"I agree very much with what Piet just analyzed. I also believe that Ajax's problems lie in midfield and attack."
Van Gaal was the last to give his opinion, and