Những bài viết hay về bóng đá Hà Lan & Thế giới: Bert quits !!

Brazil''s Bastos eager to avenge Dutch rejection


By Simon Kuper
Published: July 2 2010 03:00 | Last updated: July 2 2010 03:00
When Brazil''s left-back Michel Bastos takes to the field today to mark Holland''s genius Arjen Robben, it won''t be his first experience of the Netherlands, but it will be his most glamorous.
In 2001 the teenaged Bastos arrived to play for Feyenoord Rotterdam. The club, not famous for brilliant decision-making in the transfer market, farmed the kid out to tiny neighbours Excelsior. After one unremarkable season there, Feyenoord returned him to Brazil. Bastos wept. Now he looks headed for a World Cup final, as long as he can contain Robben.
Brazil and Holland look so similar that you wonder if they are related. Once famed for creative football, both have counterattacked here. Both have coasted through games. Even the most typically Brazilian footballers, Robben and Robinho, sound like relatives. Yet if these teams are brothers, Brazil is the big one. It plays like Holland, just a bit better.
That''s not because individual Brazilians are so wonderful. Zico, a past Brazilian who was wonderful, has marvelled at how such modest parts make up such a strong whole. Bastos, for instance, is a makeshift left-back: like many Brazilian full-backs who come to Europe, he proved so comfortable on the ball that his clubs promoted him to midfield.
Brazil''s defensive midfielder Gilberto Silva is 33 and fading. Felipe Melo won the Golden Dustbin for biggest flop in Italy''s Serie A last year. Robinho promises much and delivers little. Even Kaká has had a gruesome year at Real Madrid. Compared with the Brazil of 2002, today''s lot look on paper like the C team.
Yet on grass they "exude invincibility", admits Holland''s coach Bert van Marwijk. Brazil have won games here while holding something back for later. What pre-tournament friendlies are for other countries, the first four World Cup matches have been for the Canaries: a gentle warm-up. They let the opposition play, then strike the instant they win possession.
That moment of turn-over, as it''s called in basketball, determines modern football. The Dutch rely on it too. They figured out years ago that endless passing, or "knitting", no longer cuts open defences. Now only Spain knit.
Once Brazil or Holland - or Argentina - score an opening goal, the game is in effect over. The opposition has to attack, space opens up and the Dutch and Brazilians exploit it. These guys rarely miss chances. Brazil''s Luis Fabiano is his country''s goal-poacher since Ronaldo, but less fat.
The Dutch have coasted too. Since their opening game against Denmark on June 14 they have been waiting for today - like turkeys for Christmas. The Dutch know their own weaknesses all too well.
Brazil''s right-back Maicon will try to explore the territory of Holland''s non-tackling left-back Gio van Bronckhorst. (Dutch tactics revolve around hiding Gio.) Centre-back John Heitinga occasionally wanders off like an errant pet. Robin van Persie has looked unhappy at centre-forward. In fact he has provided the one classically Dutch dispute of the tournament: substituted against Slovakia, he allegedly yelled at Van Marwijk that he should have taken off Wesley Sneijder instead.
Furthermore, Holland lose to Lusophones. Brazil or Portugal have knocked them out of their past three World Cups, and in 2002, when the Dutch missed the tournament, Portugal knocked them out in qualifying. The Lusophones can hold the ball when necessary, and control the tempo of the game. That''s just what the Dutch expect to do.
Probably only one man can swing this game for Holland. Everyone knows exactly what Robben does: dribbles inside and shoots with his left. But because he can change pace apparently with every step, he''s almost unstoppable. Bastos needs to prove just once more that Feyenoord erred in rejecting him.

World Cup: Joe Biden likes the Netherlands to win it all, or at least he hopes so​

July 3, 2010 | 5:41 pm
Who knew the vice president of the United States was such a big soccer fan?
Or at least a fan of Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben and the rest of the Dutch team?
Landing in Baghdad on Saturday to visit U.S. troops and talk with Iraqi leaders, Joe Biden told reporters "we hope the Netherlands wins the World Cup."
Who the "we" was is unknown. Presumably it was not Americans of Spanish, Uruguayan or German descent, but perhaps Biden simply likes the way the Dutch play and favors them over the other three World Cup semifinalists.
Or maybe, as the Associated Press put it, it was because he was about to meet "chief U.S. diplomat, top American military commander and the U.S. envoy to Iraq, Ad Melkert, who is Dutch."
Good thing Melkert isn''t Argentine. Who knows what Biden would have said then.
-- Grahame L. Jones in Cape Town, South Africa

The Question: What have been the tactical lessons of World Cup 2010?​

Spain have adopted the Barcelona formula, which seems to be the way club football is going​

Spain''''''''s Carles Puyol, centre, celebrates with team-mates after scoring against Germany during their 2010 World Cup semi-final. Photograph: David Gray/Reuters
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This has been the tournament of 4-2-3-1. The move has been apparent in club football for some time; in fact, it may be that 4-2-3-1 is beginning to be supplanted by variants of 4-3-3 at club level, but international football these days lags behind the club game, and this tournament has confirmed the trend that began to emerge at Euro 2008. Even Michael Owen seems to have noticed, which is surely the tipping point.
Formations, though, are one thing, their employment something else, and what has been noticeable in South Africa has been the vast range of 4-2-3-1s. Spain, when they finally adopted it against Germany, and stopped trying to squeeze Fernando Torres and David Villa into the same side, fiddled with the line of three, pulling Xavi back and pushing Andrés Iniesta and Pedro forward so it almost becomes 4-2-1-3, which seems to be the route club football is taking. It has had very attacking full-backs and has pressed high up the pitch, essentially using the Barcelona formula.
There are those who protest at their lack of goals (no side has reached the final scoring fewer) but they are a classic example of a team that prefers to control the game than to become obsessed by creating chances. Perhaps they at times become mesmerised by their passing, perhaps there is even something attritional about it, wearing opponents down until they make the mistake, but it is beautiful attrition. Those who have protested at the modern Holland, and their supposed betrayal of the heritage of Total Football, which is being painted as the ne plus ultra of attacking football, should perhaps look back at the European Cup finals of 1971-73 when Ajax expressed their mastery by holding the ball for long periods. Frankly, if they ever faced a side who took them on rather than sitting eight men behind the ball, we may see a more overtly attacking Spain.
Which brings us to Germany. They too play a 4-2-3-1 and, although Philipp Lahm breaks forward occasionally, theirs is essentially a defensive set-up. Here again goals are the great betrayers; it was bewildering how much praise was heaped on their supposedly fresh, open approach just because they scored four goals in three games. This Germany was superb on the counterattack, and the interaction of the front four of Miroslav Klose, Thomas Müller, Lukas Podolski and Mesut Ozil was at times breathtaking. But this was reactive football.
In three games, Germany scored an early first goal ?" against Argentina and England, it was essentially handed to them ?" and in those games they ruthlessly took advantage of the space opponents left behind them as they chased an equaliser. England, Argentina and Australia all defended idiotically against them, and were severely punished. In the other three games, teams defended decently against them and the early goal didn''''''''t arrive surrounded by watercress on a silver salver. In those games Germany managed one goal, and that a wonder-strike from Ozil. Against Spain their poverty of ideas was such they ended up sending the lumbering centre-back Per Mertesacker forward as an auxiliary striker, an idea so bereft of subtlety that the only time I remember it working was when Dennis Smith once sent Gary Bennett forward for Sunderland against Oxford in 1990.
Reactivity, in fact, has been a feature of this World Cup, which is one of the reasons the proactivity of Spain is so welcome. It''''''''s probably too early to highlight it as a definite trend, for the world seemed headed in a similar direction in 2004 when José Mourinho''''''''s Porto won the Champions League and Greece won the European Championship, only for attacking football to return the next season, but with Mourinho''''''''s success with Inter, it may be that the great creative boom of the past decade is drawing to a close.
Holland and Argentina both effectively played broken teams, the former in a 4-2-3-1, the latter in a 4-3-1-2. Certain players were clearly designated to defend, others to attack, with very little to link them. The allure of the approach is understandable, for with the limited time available to managers it is difficult to develop sophisticated systems (Spain benefit from the fact that so many of their players play for the same club, and that they have essentially played the same way, with minor evolution, for four years), and simplification is desirable.
It can be effective, and the way Nigel de Jong and Mark van Bommel have protected Holland''''''''s shaky back four has been admirable, but it can render a team static and reliant on the ability of a couple of individuals (Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder; Lionel Messi and Carlos Tevez). And if the forwards do no tracking back at all the system can very easily be unsettled by a breaker from midfield, as for instance Bastian Schweinsteiger showed against Argentina.
Even Brazil had an element of reactivity about them, often sitting deep, pressing only when the opponent had crossed halfway, and then hitting the space behind them. They played an angled 4-2-3-1 that had the advantage of getting Robinho into an area other 4-2-3-1s found difficult to counteract. Although they capitulated miserably in the second half against Holland, and although they have an utter disregard for the samba stereotype, they have been arguably the strongest side in the world over the past four years, winning the Copa América, the Confederations Cup and finishing top of Conmebol qualifying. That they and Spain never met feels like one of the great missed games.
Then there was Ghana''''''''s 4-2-3-1, with the five midfielders packed deep and Asamoah Gyan the lonest of lone strikers, only in bursts breaking free with the sort of passing that suggests they might actually be a force in years to come. Japan played a 4-2-3-1 with a false nine, almost embracing their historical lack of midfield flair (and no, two free-kicks, brilliant as they were, plus a goal on the break against Denmark doesn''''''''t suddenly make them a creative force, even if Keisuke Honda offers great hope for the future).
The rise of 4-2-3-1 has had knock-on effects. Attacking full-backs have become rarer ?" and the difference in attitude of the respective pairs of full-back is arguably the major difference between the two 4-2-3-1s that will meet in the final. It had seemed that the advance of lone-central-striker systems would spell the end for three at the back, for who needed two spare men? Well, it turns out that teams intent merely on surviving, playing for goalless draws, do, and that''''''''s what Uruguay did against France, North Korea did against Brazil, and New Zealand did on a regular basis.
Again, that suggests a preparedness to absorb pressure that it''''''''s hard to believe wasn''''''''t in some way, if not inspired then at least encouraged, by Inter''''''''s success in Barcelona. There was evidence that a technically inferior side could, though discipline and industry, endure a prolonged assault. It is that same battle between proactivity and reactivity that will be fought on Sunday; and for once, it is the Dutch who find themselves cast as the destructive force.
Được aja_bar sửa chữa / chuyển vào 23:20 ngày 09/07/2010

Giá mà aja dịch giúp sang tiếng Việt nhỉ????
Đùa chứ ai cũng bận mà.........

The last World Cup proved it: the world''s greatest "small" football player is neither Messi, nor Xavi or Ribéry, but Wesley Sneijder.
Matchmaker and scorer, offensive midfielder and assist provider, Holland''s midfielder might already have snatched 2010''s "Ballon d''Or", much to the surprise of many football enthusiasts, but surely not his. Cause Wesley has always been Sneijder''s biggest fan.
By Simon Kuper and Stéphane Régy for So Foot Magazine.
One day, as he''s having breakfast with the rest of the Dutch national team, Wesley Sneijder calls out to Piet Velthuizen, Vitess Arnhem''s goalkeeper.
"Hey, Piet, how much do you make?"
"400.000 euros" answers Velthuizen.
Pause.
Then Sneijder with the comeback:
"Dontcha think it''s kind of funny that I make twenty times as much as you do?"
Even though Sneijder later stated that the exchange was merely a joke -which is possible, given modern footballers'' sense of humor-, the episode is still quite enlightening: amidst that humongous ego cluster**** that is the Dutch locker room, Wesley Sneijder is without any doubt the most in love with himself.
And this isn''t anything new either. At age 19, seeing his coach relegate his name on the subs list got him in such a huff that when he finally got to see some pitch action and score a goal, he turned to the bench and gave his coach the finger. Not so subliminal message: don''t mess with pure talent.
No one ever doubted the kid was gifted anyway. Even at Ajax Amsterdam, home of one of the world''s most famous youth academies, his ability to play with both feet perfectly used to amaze everyone. As a teenager, as his friends were working on such basics like push passes, he was already delivering free-kicks on Nigel de Jong''s head with his right and left foot, depending on his mood of the moment. Always perfect and surgical.
At age 18, he''s already a frequent starter for the professional Amsterdam team. Three months later, he becomes an international for the Oranje.
In 2004, when Real Madrid is knocking on Ajax''s door to get the kid for 27 million euros, he is not exactly awash with joy and excitement, but rather taking the news as something he had been deserving all along, a due.
Not really a surprise for someone self-described as an "intelligent anarchist". Why anarchist? Because Wesley likes it when he has total freedom on the pitch, short, long, one or two touches, deep or lateral, it''s all good as long he''s the one calling the shots. And why intelligent? Because the result is always matching his expectations. Beyond his achievements with the Oranje in South Africa, one had to remember his first game for Internazionale Milano on the 29th of August 2009. Six hours only after having landed in Malpenza to sign his contract, his jersey freshly slipped on, he humiliated AC Milan on his own pure talent. In the end, victory 4-0 against the historic rival and Gattuso''s panties in a bunch after 30 minutes of an epic game of mouse and cat.
"Mourinho is my favourite coach ever because he understands what kind of player I am. He could have been my father".
As they say, takes an egomaniac to know one.
WESLEY, THE LOUD MOUTH
Truth be told, there is definitely a before and an after Mourinho in Sneijder''s life. Before, it''s the story of that annoying little spoiled wunderkind with an uncanny ability to make an enemy out of anyone crossing his path.
Mocked for his size -1.70m-, some Holland teammates call him "The Smurf", others "Sneijdertje" (which means "small Sneijder" and should be pronounced with disdain and scorn).
They all hate him with a passion, most notably Robin Van Persie, a player that Sneijder doesn''t like either -when the two players are on the pitch, they squabble like snotty kids for the right to shoot free-kicks, and the former had nothing better to say when he got substituted during the game against Slovenia this summer that "Sneijder should have been the one being substituted, not me".
As a result, everyone was afraid for a long time that Sneijder would go the way of Clarence Seedorf, that is talented, a loud mouth and in the end getting sidelined from the national team for bad behaviour. Which almost happened on the 28th of March 2009 during a qualifier for the 2010 World Cup. Starting the game on the bench, to the benefit of... Robin Van Persie, Sneijder finally enters the pitch 20 minutes into the second half, moans and sulks, plays badly almost on purpose and rushes to the locker room as soon as the final whistly is blown, without the hint of a cheer for his teammates, in spite of a 3-0 victory. During the previous game, he had already confiscated all the free-kicks and a few months earlier during Euro 2008, he had asked no to stay at the same hotel than the rest of the team. At the time, observers are asking themselves the question: "Is Sneijder the pretentious too Dutch even for the Dutch"?
One thing is sure at this point in time: Real will not take it anymore. Enough of his selfishness and annoying tendency to take shots from about everywhere on the field. So when Florentino Perez became the new president of the Merengue, Sneijder was asked to pack his stuff and find himself a new club. Yet, Wesley Sneijder thought he would dodge the bullet. Convinced he was the greatest -after the goal he had scored against the archrival Atletico on his first game in Madrid- he had logically claimed the locker located between Kaká''s and Cristiano Ronaldo''s, the two new biggest recruits of the madridistas. He even went as far as telling Rafael Van der Vaart to find a club that would suit him better, read a less presitgious one.
So when the axe finally fell and saw Real Madrid keeping Van der Vaart while getting rid of him, it was quite the brutal wake-up call for Sneijder.
His comment: "What Xabi Alonso accomplishes on the pitch, I can do it too. Easily. And I''m not the only one to know it. Real Madrid is full of bad people".
YOLANDE AND THE SMS
Summer of 2009''s soundtrack could have been the swan song of Sneijder''s career. It is instead the stage of the most important evolution in his career so far.
As the player is busy calling Florentino Perez and Jorge Valdano "mafiosi" as soon as a mic is in voice range, José Mourinho is smelling blood.
Every day, for weeks, the Portuguese technician sends the Dutch player text messages to tell him how much he likes him.
Finally, Sneijder ends up signing for the Italian club and love becomes mutual. He likes everything about Mourinho: the way he sits at the back of the plane with the players like a mob boss, his aggressive pre-game talks and, of course, his unshakable self-confidence.
His best friends at Inter he says are "Balotelli, Stankovic and Materazzi", players not exactly known for their humility. With Milan, Sneijder won every single competition he entered past season (Italian Cup, Championship and Champions'' League). In the meantime, Real was getting knocked out in the Spanish Cup by Alcorcón, a team playing in the Spanish Third Division, of the Champions'' League as soon as in the 8ths of final and failed to claim the Liga against archrivals Barcelona. Wesley could have used the occasion to settle the score. But he had better fish to fry. Since December of 2009, the Dutch player has been engaged with Yolanthe Cabau van Kasbergen, an actress so beautiful that she decided not to take part in a recent national beauty pageant to give other participants a chance. To seduce her, Wesley Sneijder started sending her text messages. Once the deal was closed, he waited to be on a plane to propose to her using the pilot''s mic. Wedding''s supposed to take place on the 17th of July 2010. And the guests might have to watch all of the groom''s goals during the World Cup during the toast

Johan Cruyff: Ajax set Marco up for failure!
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Johan Cruyff was silent this year. The last time he was actually big news was when Marco van Basten told him he didn’t want to follow JC’s guidelines at Ajax.

As a result, JC said: Fine. And walked away. He was also conspiciously absent from Champions League analysis on Dutch telly.
The official reason was that JC was too busy with his university, sports courts and shoetique but insiders knew he was fed up with the lack of interest in the interviews by the NOS tv-makers and the constant criticism he got from the younger generations. So, Johan though: sod it!
But, in the new Sportweek magazine, Johan Cruyff again speaks his mind.
About Ajax and Marco van Basten.
“I saw it go wrong at Ajax. And I warned Marco. You have to really make “a clean ship” in Amsterdam. And with a vengeance. Otherwise they’ll set you up for failure, and they did! I saw this coming months and months before. I don’t have an issue with Marco. He didn’t want to follow my advice, which is fine by me. But then I don’t have a role to play. But I saw all this coming and it has been happening for years and years.

The organization is rotten to the core. You can’t sign a new coach and expect him to solve it. The problem lies deep. It’s typical that Ajax fired seven or eight coaches now and the management and board stay untouched. Some people simply have to leave. Then you need one supervisor and one executive to carry out the mission and that’s it. And for specific specialist jobs, you can hire the best in on a project basis. It’s not hard. I think I could do it.

I know the club inside out. And the Cruyff University has been around for ten years now so I know a lot of experts in different fields. You can easily say, hey…would you please take a look at this or this? Ajax screws up at many levels. Take the signing and firing policies. Players like De Jong and Van der Vaart are European top players, and they left for a fee! In the past, this happened to Van Basten himself, to Kluivert, Davids, Rijkaard… Ridiculous! That annoys me so. Whenever the board screws up, they fire the coach.”
About Real Madrid

Cruyff also blames Ajax for the trouble Sneijder and Huntelaar are in. “It’s Ajax’ responsibility to help players take the right decision. You gotta understand club cultures. Real Madrid has always been run by opportunistic people. Football is number 2 at Real. Money is number 1. At Barca, it’s the other way around. The players need good advisers. Van der Vaart wanted to play in Spain, ok. I get that. But when Sneijder is injured, you shouldn’t move to Real. You know they need you as a stop gap for Sneijder. There’s always been debate about Rafael and Wesley in one team, so that will repeat itself once you go to the same club. It’s an ABC. Huntelaar too. They signed him in the winter because of Van Nistelrooy’s injury. I understand that, but from Huntelaar’s perspective, he should have said: do you want me, or do you want a quick fix for Ruud? And if the players can’t see that, Ajax should have helped them. But no, other interests were more important. And now look at them. It’s a waste!”


About Oranje:
“At the way Oranje plays now, I can’t see them win silverware. With all due respect, we have a good team, good players and a good coaching staff. But we’re too flimsy, too light to win against the big boys. Nations like Germany and Italy never had those great players like we do, but still as a team they can kill games off and grab the results. That’s how you win cups. We are too late against good teams. We lack a line, so to speak. I think timing is everything on the pitch and our playing field is too long when Sneijder and/or Van der Vaart play as creative midfielders.

They are the playmakers and they should play with the field in front of them. Against Macedonia, Sneijder played well because they allowed him to. He was standing with his back to the goal, receiving the passes from behind, and he was allowed his turn. But against Germany, Italy, England, Argentina, Brazil and Spain, he won’t get that time. He needs to play on the position as holding midfielder, but as a playmaker.

You need work-rate and depth in front of him. Van Persie, Robben and Kuyt for instance. They can make the distance and they threaten defenses with their runs and movement. I’m not criticizing Van Marwijk, I think he did well in the qualifications, but now you need to prepare for the big nations. And Sneijder needs to move a line back. I’m not sure who to take out, but I would experiment with Mark van Bommel as libero and De Jong next to Sneijder. Wesley needs to play in the Guardiola role, who was not a holding midfielder or defender, Pep was our playmaker.”
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Một bài phỏng vấn trước thềm World Cup Aja lượm được trên WorldCup Blog một góc nhìn của JC, đơn giản vậy. [r32)]

Cruyff: stop the rethoric!!
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There’a a new magazine in Holland ( where I am right now) and it’s called JFK. And it’s for and about male heroes…. No comment.

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But, the first e***ion….can you imagine the e***ors together? Who do we want to interview in our first e***ion? Sure. Johan Cruyff. Ex top footballer. Ex top coach. Inspiration of the Cruyff University. Founder of the Cruyff Foundation. Sneaker-entrepreneur. Analyst. Football fan. Role model.
So here we go. An adapted interview, thanks to JFK.
How do you experience getting older?
“Everyone gets older. I don’t mind. On some levels, you have to take a step back and on other levels it’s actually great. Physically, sometimes it’s annoying. My game of golf hurts a bit, sometimes haha… But I still get out of bed with joy, I have many things to do and I can still do the things I want to do…”
Your body was always your tool, is it harder to accept growing old?
“Only when I would live in the past. And I don’t. Living in the past means you’re going backward. My body was my tool but I used my brains and my communication skills as well. I simply have to accept that I can’t do now what I did 40 years ago. Simple.”
How does it feel to be immortal, to be a legend?
“It doesn’t…hahaha…. It’s not something I think about, eh? I mean, when I’m dead I’m dead. It doesn’t matter to me how people will remember me. I do want to leave a legacy and I’m working on that. I don’t football is the best legacy, that’s more memories. But with my charity work I’d like to leave something behind and I enjoy doing that.”
What phase of your life was the strongest?
“Well, physically and as a player I guess between the ages of 26 and 30. But mind you, in my last season – for Feyenoord- I only missed one game due to an injury. And not because I was so strong physically, because I wasn’t, but due to my vision. I could see games and situations much more clearly and knew when to protect myself. I’m mentioning this to explain that when you grow older, you do grow wiser and sometimes you don’t need too much strength…”

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What does your life look like nowadays?
“I’ve got my private life of course. I love spending time with my grandchildren in Barcelona and I enjoy playing golf. Then there’s my work, the University and the Cruyff Foundation. Sport is an important part of society and it seems like sports is taking a more important role all the time. Whether you talk about obesity for children or heart problems, in today’s society sports should be important. I also believe sport can help youngsters in problem areas to focus and to learn discipline and joy. I believe sports can play a role in integration of different cultures. It’s interesting: tax laws, religion, rules and regulations, language…. it’s different all over the world on many levels. But football is the same everywhere. Put an Inuit, a Chinese person, a Muslim, a Russian, a South American indian and a Dutch person together and they can’t do a thing together. Give them a football and voila! They can play a game! I am dedicated in developing football pitches ( trapveldjes) in the world, because it gives the youth a focus. Instead of hanging around or getting into trouble, they can play football.”
There’s 100+ football courts in the world with your name on it. Do you have more ambitions with the Cruyff Foundation?
“It’s not a matter of ambition. I was lucky, I could achieve what I wanted to achieve. I create opportunities for others, so they can better themselves. It’s not about the number of pitches I make. It’s about allowing kids of 15 years old to stop being obese. Those kids, when they’re 50, they’re in trouble and their problems will further pressure the medical health and financial sectors. It will impact society.”
What’s the plan with the Cruyff University?
“It’s about creating opportunities for young talents in sports, who normally would have to chose: either I play my sports and forget school, or I forget my sport and study. In my vision, young prospects should be able to do both. I believe a good education supports the sport performance and the other way around. I also believe it’s important for sports people to have something to fall back. Athletes like Gullit or Beckham or Schumacher or John McEnroe may not need it, but it’s the many many athletes from the mid-tier and lower, who return to society when they’re 35 years old or something and who need to integrate again. I’ve seen documentaries of former players ( Jan: Glenn Helder, Ulrich van Gobbel) who got into severe trouble with gambling and money and alcohol and I think we all have a responsibility here *****pport these athletes as best we can.”

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JC was offered this mosaic to celebrate the 10th birthday of the Cruyff University. The mosaic is made up of pictures of University graduates
And how come you have a passion for shoes?
“The quality of my shoes was key for my performance. Simple. A craftsman needs good tools. I needed good shoes. I was very picky when I was playing. I remember people saying, after a long day: oh, now I’m going to take my shoes off… I would like them to say: these shoes are so nice, I will wear them again tomorrow….”

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Football enriched your life, do you feel you need to give back?
“No…. It’s something that just happened. I got a lot from football and I gave back. And will give back. It’s how it goes. I never sit down and think: ok, what else can I do? It just happens. The thing that struck me and sort of got me going was this simple though: most athletes are good people who never learned how to live after their career. No association or federation takes care of them, after their career. It starts with a thought.”
Are you happy?
“Absolutely. I love my life. I’m proud of my family. I’m with Danny, totally happy, for more than 40 years and she’s always been my compass in life. My career was wonderful. I’ve met many great people, live my life in one of the world’s best cities… I’m financially independent and I feel free…”
Are you proud of your son Jordi?
“Sure thing. What he’s done is much harder than what I have done. Whenever he played good, people would compare him to me and say he is like his dad. Whenever he played a bad game, people would say he is more like his mom. Very tough. He started at Barca and it’s also tough to play in a team coached by your dad… He’s been through a lot but he’s done very well. He played for some great clubs and went his own way. We have a tremendous father-son relationship.”
Van Basten – almost a son for you – wanted you to get involved at Ajax. You didn’t see eye to eye then and now Van Basten has moved on too…. How’s Ajax?
“I never expected Marco to leave Ajax that sudden. Some things didn’t go well, we knew that, but there was still a lot to be done… But, now with the new people it is still a mess. Ajax is not longer Ajax. I can’t understand why they didn’t read that Coronel report better. Marco was ready to take it on, although he wasn’t in agreement with me on the speed. I say: sack everyone and start again. You cannot do it “a little bit”. It needs to be done with a tough hand, as we say.”
But don’t we expect too much from Ajax in this little football nation?
“No! Little football nation? We finished second in the World Cup! For the third time! We have top players in England, Spain, Italy, Germany! We have the best youth development system. We need some national pride. We need vision. Barcelona was a small club when I went there! Never won anything in Europe. There was not a lot of money. It’s vision you need and then the money will follow. I am sick of the defeatist mentality in Holland and in Amsterdam too. Where’s the bravado? Where’s the confidence and the mentality? I think Ajax can do what Barcelona did. I also believe there is big money available if Ajax- or Feyenoord for that matter – would make the right steps.”
Would you – again – be willing to step in at Ajax?
“Depends on what they want and who wants it. I’ve had my fair share already and I’m not some Pipo the Clown who you can ask to come in and then use for a pr or power game. A lot needs to be done there. Running a football club is easy on the one hand, but tough on the other. Because people putting their hands up do it have a big career there and their interest goes before the club’s interest. Or they do it for their ego or whatever. It’s important to have people involved who don’t need the job financially. There are a lot of structural issues at Ajax, but they can all be solved. Feyenoord is much further. Look at the table and it feels like Feyenoord is doing bad and Ajax is doing great, but it’s the other way around. Feyenoord is garnering support for their strategy and they do have their youth system organized. It’s a matter of time or Feyenoord will be back again, as a well run, modern Dutch football club. Ajax is still drifting and they lost their identity on the pitch. It’s a disgrace.”
What is the problem?
“The problem at Ajax is that the club is ruled by people who think they’re more important than the club. By friends who keep one another in their seat. The management team is covering their asses and the board is made up of people from the membership council. The board appoints the management team, so it’s all “who knows who”. The ego’s have won and the goose with the olden egg is being slaughtered. It’s best for the club if everyone resigns and we can start a new council, just like Ajax did in 1965. Michels came as head coach and Jany van der Veen became head scouting and youth development. Two real Ajax people, who did it all for the club.”

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Can you see Marco return in football?
“Sure. Marco is a football icon. He’ll never leave football. I do believe he didn’t enjoy the last part of his Ajax coachingship and his ankles gave him some grieve yet again. I actually hope Ajax will see the light in time and I have always said that Marco should return as their general manager.”
Are you in touch with him again?
“I’ve always been in touch with him. The stories that we had a fall out are stupid. We had a difference of opinion. Marco was in charge of Ajax and I had different ideas. I won’t be blocking him and I said: fine. Do it your way. See you later. But not angry or anything.”
Marco doubted whether he was a good coach. Is that a bad omen?
“No on the contrary. By asking those questions you grow. It’s not a sign of weakness but of strength. If you don’t ask those questions, you will never know. I think it’s intelligent and profound to do this. Is this my thing? Is this my destiny? The questions are sometimes more important than the answers. All that rethoric… I hear it in the media, I hear it at Ajax… It’s not good. You know where I developed my personality most? Not in Amsterdam or Spain… In the US. When I was in Washington D.C. I did a sports business degree at the university and they taught me to think critically. That’s why I clash with people, like recently with the NOS ( JC stopped analysing CL games for the NOS). It’s all entertainmment now, isn’t it? All Endemolized. There’s no more room for real in-depth information. Well, so be it. I’m out of here, I said.”
You criticized the Dutch team. A lot of Dutch fans didn’t like that.
“Too bad. I call it the way I see it. I can be a blind supporter too, but what good does it do when I yell with the rest of them that Oranje played great?? They didn’t. It wasn’t good. It wasn’t Dutch football. It was re-active and at times – particularly the finals – dirty. Van der Vaart as left winger and Kuyt as right winger…. It’s not the type of football I’d play, because they’re not wingers. They’re midfielders. They don’t have any depth. And then you wonder why Van Persie plays a weak World Cup? Even Robben, who’s a top player and one of the best on the planet, didn’t add a lot to the team play, did he? It was a strong but relatively mid-tier defensive block, with some great talents up front, hoping that one of them would make the difference. And it almost worked! If Robben would have scored that ball, Holland would have been the champs. But not due to fine tactical play, but as a result of two highly talented players (Sneijder and Robben) and a moment of brilliance. I want Holland to win, like I wanted Spain to win. But only if they deserve it.
And listen, I understand Van Marwijk. I don’t have a problem with that, but don’t expect me to say that we played great because we didn’t. And I know we had problems in the team ( Robben’s injury, Van Persie’s injury, Gio’s age) but let’s keep it real.”
Still, coming second is a great achievement.
“Depends what you want to achieve. We came second in 1974 and people still talk about it. I’m not sure how people will look back at this Holland team. At the same time, this team wasn’t that good. Our back four isn’t world class. Gio was, but was on his way out. Greg van der Wiel might well become world class and Stekelenburg is also just on that level. We need to develop further. Nigel de Jong, I know him well, he’s not a dirty player but he’s changed into a holding midfielder. He’s overdoing it now a bit in the wrong direction but he’s a football player in his heart. Like Van Bommel. He didn’t play a good finals, in essence Mark is a good player. The next step should be to forget the style that we played at this World Cup and work towards a new style for the European Championship.”
Any ideas for Bert van Marwijk?
“Well, I think I mentioned my ideas already and not always to everyone’s liking… I wouldn’t play with two holding midfielders. Not like this. I’d play 4-3-3. In my book, if he’s fit, Robben should play on the right and Van Persie on the left, like Villa plays for Barcelona or like Henry did. Huntelaar should be the main striker. I believe Van Marwijk needs to find some balance in midfield with Sneijder as the playmaker van I do think De Jong as defensive midfielder. I would play Afellay on midfield as well.”
So, no place for Van Bommel or Van der Vaart?
“Well, Van Bommel would be my Arie Haan. I’d play him libero. Next to Heitinga. Not sure who the left back should be, but if Van Marwijk gets Douglas to play for Holland, maybe Heitinga should move to the left. Van der Wiel right. And Van der Vaart would be Sneijder’s understudy. Elia should be Van Persie’s replacement and Beerens is Robben’s. And then play attractive, attacking football. Why bother otherwise?”
Do you think Bert van Marwijk should stay on?
“Why not? He’s done very well, but the Dutch Federation should determine how the coach should play. It’s not fair to Van Marwijk to not give him some framework. What is he to do? His qualification series was tremendous. He goes into the World Cup with injured players and wants *****rvive the group stages. Instead of trying to break them up he decides to play the patient game. Fine. But once we got into the knock out stages, we couldn’t shed that style. And we thought “hmm…this wins games…”. But in essence, the KNVB should determine what the Dutch style is and instruct the national coach to execute that vision. I do believe the players respect and like Van Marwijk. He’s clearly done a lot of good things. To me, the problem is not the coach, but the Dutch football development. Van Marwijk can only do so much. He has to work with the talent available. If there’s no defensive players with build-up capabilities, what is Bert supposed to do? I would try and find such a player in the youth ranks or from left field or I would use a midfielder on that spot. But Bert did it differently. Fair enough. But Bert will move on one day and we need to protect and manage our Dutch football heritage. That’s not up to Bert van Marwijk. It’s the KNVB and the clubs.”

Why Ajax Are No Longer Dutch Masters




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For football fans of a certain age, the name Ajax resonates with history, bringing back memories of the early 70s when the famous club from Amsterdam won the European Cup three years in a row, displaying a brand of “total football” that also inspired the Dutch national team in its dazzling run to two World Cup finals.
Guided by the prodigious talents of the legendary Johan Cruyff and ably supported by the likes of Ruud Krol, Johan Neeskens and Arie Haan, Ajax established themselves as one of the foremost clubs in European football with the distinctive white shirts with the vertical red band down the front becoming the epitome of “cool”. It wasn’t just the fact that they won so much, but the striking manner of their victories, as they exhibited a unique blend of individual creativity and progressive tactics.
Although Ajax have never quite regained those dizzy heights, Louis van Gaal’s young side, featuring the precocious skills of Clarence Seedorf, Edgar Davids, Patrick Kluivert, Marc Overmars and the de Boer twins, did reach the European Cup final two years in succession in the mid-90s, winning the trophy in 1995 by beating Milan 1-0 with a late goal from Kluivert.
In fact, Ajax are the most successful Dutch football club of all time, not just in the various domestic competitions, but also in Europe. They have won the Eredivisie (the national league) a record 29 times and the Dutch cup 18 times, while they are one of only three clubs (Barcelona and Juventus are the others) to have won all three European trophies: the European Cup (now the Champions League) on four occasions, and the UEFA Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup once each. In short, this is a team with impeccable pedigree.

"The one and only"​

However, that was then, this is now and Ajax’s star has been on the wane for many years. The cold, hard facts are that they have only won the Eredivisie twice in the last 12 years, the most recent occasion being way back in the 2003/04 season, while PSV Eindhoven have won the league seven times in the same period. Before this year, the last time that Ajax qualified for the Champions League group stage was 2005/06, when they reached the last 16. Their best performance in Europe in the last decade came when they reached the quarter finals in 2002/03.
This decline has not just hurt the club’s professional pride, but has also damaged them financially, as they have been running a Champions League budget without actually managing to qualify for the competition. Like all Dutch clubs, Ajax suffer from very low television money and a high wage bill, so their operating strategy is based on two uncertain factors: (a) playing in the lucrative Champions League; and (b) making money from player sales.
That is why it was so important that the club qualified for this year’s Champions League, which they managed to achieve with hard-fought victories over PAOK Salonika and Dynamo Kiev, an impressive feat, given that their preparations were disrupted by the late return of key players who participated in the latter stage of the World Cup in South Africa.

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That said, Ajax’s financial performance is even more dependent on the extent to which they are able to make profitable transfers, which tra***ionally has been a significant revenue stream. In the six years up to 2008, the club generated a net surplus of €76 million in the transfer market, but there has been a dramatic change recently, so that the last two years’ activities have resulted in a net spend of €6 million. They have actually reduced their spending, but the striking difference is that Ajax have stopped selling their best players, retaining them in the hope that this will give the team a better chance of honours.
From a financial perspective, this is a gamble, as there is no guarantee of success, but it may partly be in response to strong criticism in the Amsterdam press after prolific striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar was sold to Real Madrid in the January 2009 transfer window, when the club was lambasted as being little more than a “trading company”.
In a way, the change in policy is understandable, if you consider the team that Ajax could field from players that they have sold in the last few years, including Wesley Sneijder, Rafael van der Vaart, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ryan Babel, Nigel de Jong, Thomas Vermaelen, Steven Pienaar, Christian Chivu and Maxwell. That’s an amazing list of talent, but necessity is the mother of invention and, as we shall see later, these sales were essential for the club’s financial well-being.
On the other hand, Ajax’s forays into the transfer market for new players have not always worked out so well. In truth, they have bought some spectacular flops, such as Dennis Rommedahl, Kenneth Perez, Albert Luque and Kennedy, so much so that an internal management report published in 2008 said that the club had not bought a single player in the previous five years that had improved the team.

"The running man"​

While the club may not be particularly good at buying players, it does have a worldwide reputation for developing them. As an example, 19 of the players who participated in the 2010 World Cup spent time at the club’s training complex De Toekomst, while the “special one” himself, Jose Mourinho, ascribed Wesley Sneijder’s qualities to the fact that he was coached in Amsterdam, “Ajax players have excellent technical skills, thanks to the club’s youth programme.”
Ajax’s golden years were based on a highly successful youth policy, which has been a crucial part of the club’s wider strategy, namely developing young players, progressing them through the club structure into the first team, and then transferring them for large fees that help sustain the club’s finances. This production line has produced countless internationals over the years, but the key point is that as one great player was sold, another one would step up to replace him, so when the sublime Marco van Basten was sold to Milan in 1987, Dennis Bergkamp was ready to fill his boots – and importantly the team kept winning.

"We've got Dennis Bergkamp"​

However, it’s fair to say that Ajax’s youth system is not shining quite as brightly as it did before, partly due to the influence of the 1995 Bosman ruling, which allowed professional players in the European Union to move freely to another club at the end of their contract and removed the restrictions on the numbers of foreigners that a team could field. This judgment hit Ajax especially hard with the majority of the team that was victorious in the 1995 European Cup leaving for small fees or no money at all, e.g. Kluivert, Davids, Reiziger and Bogarde went to Milan for the grand total of €2 million.
The main problem with Bosman for a club like Ajax is that it makes them doubt the wisdom of investing in youth, as young players can simply leave the club for nothing at the end of their contract. The alternative is to offer the player a longer contract on higher wages, so that if another team comes in for him, it has to pay a reasonable transfer fee, but the quid pro quo of this approach is that it increases the club’s cost base. Even this does not always work, as some players will refuse to extend their contract, accepting a lower salary for a couple of years in order to go to a bigger club for free at the end of their current deal.
In response to the damage caused by Bosman, Ajax decided to go public in 1998 (they are still the only Dutch club listed on a stock exchange), which raised €113 million. However, in a strange way, this only made matters worse, as this sudden influx of funds tempted the club to try to buy instant success via ready-made players from elsewhere, instead of following their tried-and-trusted in-house development strategy, and most of the funds have now been frittered away.

"Houston, we have a problem"​

Possibly the worst example of this came during Marco van Basten’s unhappy managerial reign in 2008, when “San Marco” spent an enormous amount of money for no discernible success. Although idolised by Ajax fans for his performances as a player, his brief stay as manager was an altogether different story. Even though he had never before been in charge of recruitment, the board foolishly decided to give him carte blanche in the transfer market and he proceeded to make a series of disastrous buys that served only to eat into the club’s limited financial reserves.
He almost doubled the previous Dutch transfer record when he splashed out €16 million on Serbian striker Miralem Sulejmani, who is the very definition of the term “one season wonder”. Indeed, Ajax tried to loan him to West Ham this summer, but the move collapsed when he failed to secure a work permit. Other big money purchases that failed to set the pulse racing included Argentinian forward Dario Cvitanic, who cost €7 million, but was loaned to Mexican side Pachuca just over a year later; and midfielder Ismail Aissati, who was bought for €4 million, but has also been loaned out (to Vitesse).
In fact, few of van Basten’s hapless acquisitions ended up playing many times for Ajax. All they did was help to wreck the club’s balance sheet. Let’s take another look at the Sulejmani transfer, which cost about 25% of the club’s annual turnover. To put that into context, it would be like Manchester United spending £70 million on a new player. As Sir Alex would no doubt say, that doesn’t exactly represent good value.

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The importance of player trading to Ajax is immediately apparent when you look at the club’s profit and loss account over the years. In essence, the club has only been profitable when it has sold its most important assets, namely its best players. The last time the club made a profit (€8 million) was in 2008, when the figures were boosted by €48 million profit on player sales (mainly Sneijder, Babel and Heitinga). Similarly, a small profit of €3 million in 2005 was reported on the back of €16 million profit from player sales (mainly Ibrahimovic and van der Vaart).
What is of concern is that large profits on player trading no longer appear to be enough to cover the operating shortfall, so €29m from player sales in 2009 could not prevent a €3 million loss that year. This is because in the last five years revenue growth has virtually stalled, while costs have grown by nearly a third, most of which occurred in 2008 with a €20 million (26%) jump.
This means that there is a significant deficit at the operating level of €33 million. Even if we exclude the non-cash player amortisation, as some analysts do, the club still made an operating loss of €13 million. In fact, the last time that the club reported a cash operating profit was in 2006.
Equally worrying is that the 2010 post-tax loss of €23 million represents a steep increase over the previous year’s loss of €3 million, and would have been even worse without a €4 million tax cre***. This once again highlights the value of player sales, as there were hardly any made last year. In relative terms, a €23 million loss on revenue of €69 million is hideous. To demonstrate how scary that is, if we were to apply the same proportion to Real Madrid, that would imply a loss of €114 million for Los Merengues.

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Ajax’s biggest challenge comes from their low revenue. In the 15 years since Deloittes started their annual Money League, based on football clubs’ revenue, Ajax have only featured once and that was many years ago. In fairness, the Money League is only likely to see any representatives from outside the Big Five European leagues (England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France) in exceptional circumstances, as there is such a notable difference in revenue, e.g. Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United generate over five times as much revenue as Ajax. That may be a spurious comparison, but what really emphasises Ajax’s problem is the comparison with the Premier League, when you have to go down to teams like Stoke City to find a comparable level of income.
Nevertheless, Ajax’s revenue of €69 million is still the highest in the Netherlands - €17 million more than PSV Eindhoven’s €52 million. The problem, of course, is that revenue growth is restricted by the relatively small Dutch market (population 16 million), which is a drop in the ocean compared to their larger neighbours, e.g. Germany (population 82 million).

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Despite these limitations, Ajax targeted revenue growth of “5 to 6% per annum” in their 2006 annual report. Clearly, this has not been achieved. In fact, the 2010 revenue is actually €5 million lower than 2006, mainly due to the lack of Champions League revenue. This can be seen in the above graph, which also visibly demonstrates yet again how the results are influenced by profit on player sales, especially in 2008.
Looking at Ajax’s revenue mix, what really hits you in the face is the extremely low television revenue of €7 million, which is feeble compared to the major leagues. If we compare that with the clubs that earn most from broadcasting income in those leagues, we can see that it’s less than 5% of Real Madrid’s TV revenue, but it’s also miles behind the others. Although many top clubs are over-reliant on TV revenue, I’m sure that this is a problem that Ajax would like to have, as only 10% of their revenue is sourced from broadcasting. While other countries’ TV revenue has powered ahead, the Dutch league has been left behind. You might almost say that “video killed the Eredivisie star.”

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Of course, part of this shortfall is due to Europe, as Ajax only received €1.7 million from the Europa League, while the others all earned at least €20 million from the Champions League. People don’t often appreciate the huge disparity between the two European competitions from a financial viewpoint, but it’s very clear here. As Ajax have only qualified for the Champions League twice in the last six years (back in 2004/05 and 2005/06), they have received a relative pittance from their European adventures: just €22 million in all that time. That compares to the €16 million and €26 million that the last two Dutch Champions League representatives (AZ Alkmaar and PSV Eindhoven) received in a single season.
One reason why Champions League revenue is so important is the pitiful amount of money received from the domestic TV deal, which works out at around €5 million for Ajax. Although the Eredivisie has the seventh highest TV rights deal in Europe at €300 million for the three years 2008/09 to 2010/11, this is a long way behind the largest leagues, as media values are low in such a small country. At €100 million a season, it compares very unfavourably to others: England €1.2 billion, Italy €900 million, France €700 million, Germany €400 million, Spain €500 million and Turkey €250 million. Again to put this into context, Portsmouth finished rock bottom of last season’s Premier League, but still received around €35 million, which is seven times higher than Ajax, the runners-up in the Dutch league - and the Premier League TV money will increase this season.
At least Ajax can still count on great support with average attendances of over 48,000, including 42,000 season tickets, which means that Ajax have the 13th highest crowds in Europe, according to a recent survey by the German newspaper Bild. That produced gate receipts last season of €30 million, comprising season tickets €10 million, corporate boxes and seats €9 million, domestic gate receipts €6 million and Europa League gate receipts €4 million. This is not at the same levels as clubs like Manchester United and Arsenal (both well over €100 million), but it is higher than nine clubs in the Money League top 20, which is very impressive. In fact, it represents 44% of the club’s total revenue, which is only behind one club, Arsenal.

"The spectacular Amsterdam ArenA"​

Of course, this reliance on gate receipts is a double-edged sword, as there is a risk that a continued lack of success would lead to lower crowds. Having said that, attendances have actually increased by 2,000 in the last five years, so the Ajax fans have demonstrated strong loyalty, though it would be foolish to take this for granted, as crowds have declined at both Milan and Celtic, two teams whose magnificent history is also not reflected in current day performance.
Ajax are lucky enough to play in a modern stadium, the Amsterdam ArenA, whose 52,000 capacity is much higher than the homely old De Meer ground that could only accommodate 29,500 spectators, though some would argue that this move to the outskirts of the town in 1996 has led to a loss of the club’s identity. In ad***ion, the new pitch has been awful and not conducive to attractive football, due to the retractable roof not letting in enough sunlight. It had to be changed every few weeks (much like Wembley), though the problems have been much less since an artificial lighting system was installed in 2009.
Ajax only rent the ArenA, paying just under €10 million a year for the privilege, though they do own 13% of the company (worth €5 million, having impaired the valuation by €4 million in 2006). On the other hand, they only had to provide €20 million of the funds to build the stadium, which they raised by selling the De Meer land to the city for housing development, leaving the vast majority of the money to come from the state, the local council, sponsors and individual shareholders.
Commercial revenue is at a record high at €32 million, made up of €25 million sponsorship and €7 million merchandising, which represents 46% of the club’s total revenue, a proportion only surpassed by German clubs, which are masters of the marketing game.

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In 2008, Ajax signed a seven-year shirt sponsorship deal with AEGON, an insurance company, that is worth up to €12 million a season (guaranteed €10 million plus €2 million based on performance), which represents a significant increase on the €7 million previously paid by ABN AMRO. This stands up very well compared to the top sponsorship deals in the big leagues: only €8 million less than Real Madrid, the same as Milan and more than Lyon (and Champions League winners Inter, whose deal with Pirelli is worth only €9 million).
Merchandising revenue has also never been higher, though a survey by leading German sports market research company, PR Marketing, suggested that Ajax (“a big club in a small league”) could only sell 100,000 shirts a season. That might not seem too bad, until you consider that the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid have annual sales of 1.2-1.5 million.
Clearly, commercial income is an area where Ajax would hope to grow revenue, but this will largely depend on future sporting success. Even though the club’s brand is still strong globally, it mainly owes its reputation to its past. As marketing expert Frank van den Wall Bake explained, “international cre*** for the Ajax brand has just about run out, so it is important for the club to do well at international level in the next couple of years.”

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Despite the lack of revenue growth, Ajax have adopted a “balls out” approach to their costs, especially wages which have grown by over 50% in the last five years to €49 million. This includes €33 million for players, €8 million for coaching and medical staff and €4 million for bonus payments. Wages increased by an amazing €6 million in the last 12 months alone, due to investment in the squad, contract increases and changes in the coaching staff. Headcount has also risen for the last 2 years from 197 to 237, largely through more youth players and support staff on the commercial and admin side.
This has brought the wages to turnover ratio to 70%, up from only 49% just four years ago, which is much higher than the 60% guideline issued by the KNVB (Dutch football association). Although in absolute terms, the wage bill is not that high, it’s evidently not sustainable without Champions League football. Individual salaries are not excessive by the standards of other leagues (Maarten Stekelenburg is the top earner at Ajax with €1.75 million a year), but the total wage bill is still too much for the club’s revenue to comfortably bear. This is a common problem in Dutch football, as admitted by Frank Rutten, chief executive of the Eredivisie, “Clubs are pushing each other to madness over salaries. It’s idiocy.”
Little wonder that Ajax have promised in their latest annual report to take a critical look at their costs, including “reducing the number of players under contract”. There is little doubt that there is some dead wood to clear from the payroll, but it has proved difficult to do this, as other clubs would not meet their high wages, though a few have left this summer (including Rommedahl, Kennedy, Pantelic and Gabri), so next year’s salaries should be lower.

"Vertonghen - going the same way as Vermaelen?"​

The trend in player amortisation, namely the annual cost of writing down the cost of buying new players, also reflects the modified approach to the transfer market. In the three years between 2005 and 2007, it fell from €16 million to €13 million. However, in 2008 it leapt to €23 million and has now settled at around €20 million. This is still considerably lower than those sides that have spent really big in the transfer market, such as Manchester City €83 million, Barcelona €71 million, Real Madrid €64 million and Chelsea €57 million, but again it’s too high for a club with Ajax’s limited resources.
Normally, when a club reports losses year after year and does not have a wealthy benefactor to bale it out, debt levels increase and earlier this year few were surprised when there were widespread reports that the club was facing major liqui***y problems. However, this was denied by Ajax finance director Jeroen Slop, who backed up his confidence by stating that the club did not need to sell players and “could afford to reject a €15 million offer for Luis Suarez.”
The accounts would seem to bear him out, as the club did not in fact have to extend borrowing facilities with the bank. Moreover, total liabilities have reduced from €64 million to €57 million, though cash balances have also fallen from €19 million to €8 million. Indeed, the liabilities figure is a little misleading, as most of this is just incurred in the normal course of doing business: accruals & deferred income €26 million, other cre***ors €8 million, provisions €8 million, trade cre***ors €7 million and tax & social security €3 million. The only bank debt that I can identify comes to under €5 million.

"El Hamdaoui flying to the Champions League"​

However, that does not mean that the balance sheet is particularly robust, as the losses have instead been charged to reserves, which are now down to €39 million from the highs of €110 million in 1999. Clearly, this cannot go on for ever, so if the club does not start making profits, it will have to raise funds somewhere: going back to the market for new capital, taking on debt or bringing a new investor onboard.
Of course, it’s not only Ajax that is struggling financially in Holland. Everywhere you look, clubs are in trouble. Founder member of the Dutch league, HFC Haarlem went bankrupt last season and BV Veendam narrowly avoided the same fate. The winners of the 2009 Eredivisie, AZ Alkmaar, have been run by administrators ever since the owner’s bank was declared bankrupt, while PSV Eindhoven’s 2010 loss is almost as high as that reported by Ajax after a couple of seasons out of the Champions League. Feyenoord are also in a terrible state, not just because they were recently thrashed 10-0 by PSV, but more significantly they are one of the 13 professional clubs that have been classified as being “in serious financial difficulty” by the KNVB.
It is clear that Dutch football as a whole is enduring a structural crisis with the Eredivisie reporting a combined loss for its clubs of €31 million in 2008/09 and warning that the deficit will be even higher in 2009/10. As Henk Kesler, the KNVB president, commented with commendable understatement, “The association is aware that the situation is not exactly rosy.”

"The Night of the Hunter"​

The KNVB has belatedly tried to put its house in order and in April a working party published a report with 20 recommendations, the most important of which is a pledge by clubs that they have enough cash to reach the end of the season. For the first time, the KNVB has also implemented a licencing system that punishes financial irregularities with a points deduction. Furthermore, clubs under supervision like Feyenoord have three years to get their finances in order or face losing their licence.
In order to improve matters, UEFA President Michel Platini suggested a merger between the Dutch and Belgian leagues, but most fans have given this idea a frosty reception. In any case, although such a move would increase the market size and presumably lead to more money from the sale of TV rights, it is unlikely that this would boost revenue enough to challenge the larger leagues, so this may well be a non-starter.
Ajax had already undergone their own internal soul searching in 2008, when they published the Coronel Report (named after chairman Uri Coronel), which reviewed the many years of mismanagement since the club’s flotation. Grandly entitled, “Ajax – the road to victory”, the report was extremely critical, concluding that the club’s management structure was seriously flawed, leading to lack of clarity and perennial power struggles between the coach and technical director.
The report also suggested that the appointment as coach of former Ajax players with little experience was doomed to failure, citing the examples of Jan Wouters and Danny Blind, though that did not prevent the club from repeating the mistake when they recruited van Basten.

"Stekelenburg - a safe pair of hands"​

Another example of lack of managerial focus came with the decision to invest substantial funds into a series of foreign affiliates in countries like South Africa, Belgium and the USA. These have not exactly been a great success (Ajax America filed for bankruptcy), so these activities have now been scaled back, leaving only a 51% investment in Ajax Cape Town.
So what does the future hold for Ajax?
We have seen how vital qualification to the Champions League is to the club’s finances. Indeed, last year’s annual report forecast that participation in the 2010/11 tournament would improve profit by “at least €10 million”, but it could be even higher if they somehow manage to progress past the group stage. As coach Martin Jol enthused, “This is so important for Ajax and for Dutch football” – though, to be fair, he may not have been thinking about the balance sheet.
The problem is that they need to achieve this year after year, but they are no longer the dominant force in Dutch football, as the Eredivisie has become very competitive with the rise of “provincial” teams, as shown by three different winners in the last three seasons (Twente Enschede, AZ Alkmaar and PSV). In other words, qualification cannot be taken as read, even though the Netherlands do have two places available (one of which has to go through two qualifying rounds).

"Martin Jol - time to get serious"​

If Ajax do not consistently reach the Champions League, then the only other option is to sell players. The club has hinted at this in the annual report, “transfers may lead to a positive net result in 2010/11,” but this will become a virtual certainty if Ajax are eliminated at the group stage. This handily concludes just before the January transfer window, when players like Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez, goalkeeper Marten Stekelenburg and defenders Jan Vertonghen and Gregory van der Wiel will inevitably once again be the subject of intense speculation.
The problem is that it is unlikely that players will command significant transfer fees in the future, owing to the double whammy of the economic recession and the impact of the UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations. The first means that clubs do not have much money to spend, while the second requires clubs to balance their books, meaning that costly purchases (with the associated player amortisation) are to be avoided. Only this week we saw an example of this with Barcelona agreeing a deal for PSV’s Ibrahim Afellay for a low fee of around €3 million, when his price had been quoted as high as €10 million.
No, the only real solution for Ajax is to get back to their roots and once again focus on youth development. This has always been a cornerstone of the Ajax ethos, but they have dropped the ball in recent years. As the latest annual report stated, “The academy is good, but could be better.” This strategy requires investment and the club has set aside a budget of €5 million with the objective of having half of the first team squad developed at Ajax.

"Christian Eriksen - the future boy"​

If this policy works, it will obviously reduce the number of players that have to be bought from outside the club, so it can make sense both from a technical and financial perspective. However, other Dutch clubs have also embraced this approach, so Ajax will have to raise their game in order to attract the best youngsters.
There is a new air of realism around Ajax’s ambitions these days. Five years ago, the club’s annual report proclaimed, “the ultimate ambition of Ajax is to win the Champions League”, but this now seems hopelessly optimistic considering their low budget and the financial gap to the major football leagues, which they have described as “unbridgeable”. That is why last summer Martin Jol considered moving away from a club that has won the European Cup four times to Fulham, a mid-table English club with a far less illustrious history.
The sad truth is that money talks, so Ajax will need to manage their limited resources better than the leading clubs in Europe to have any chance of success. They might have all the Dutch courage in the world, but will this be enough?

The race to host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022
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On Thursday in Zurich, football's world governing body Fifa will announce the countries it has chosen to host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022.
There are four bids on the table for the 2018 World Cup, with England hopeful of beating Spain/Portugal, Netherlands/Belgium and Russia for the right to host the competition for the first time since 1966.
Five bidders are vying for the 2022 tournament: Japan, Australia, United States of America, South Korea and Qatar.
Here is our guide to the contenders for both e***ions, starting with the four bids for 2018:


ENGLAND
Main stadium: Wembley, 90,000 (London)
Last World Cup hosted: 1966
Bid leader: Former FA chairman Geoff Thompson
Bid motto: England United, The World Invited
Famous face: David Beckham


Pros: The infrastructure is largely in place and there is an impressive network of stadiums. England also has historic appeal, with Fifa president Sepp Blatter calling it the "motherland" of football. England's bid team also believes it can drive up the commercial revenues of the event, aided by the international appeal of the Premier League.
Cons: The bid has been hampered by a spat with Russia, negative press from the British media and infighting at the Football Association. Former bid leader Lord Triesman also quit in May after he was secretly recorded making allegations about rival bids.
Say what? "If you ask the players where they wanted to play the World Cup in 2018, they would want to play it in this country" - Former England footballer Gary Lineker
Bid chief executive Andy Anson: "Just like Fifa, we believe in the power of football to open up new territories. A tournament in England will deliver a global legacy that will produce greater football and social benefits for more people than ever before."



SPAIN & PORTUGAL
Main stadium: Portugal - Estadio da Luz, 65,000 (Benfica); Spain - Santiago Bernabeu, 80,533 (Madrid)
Last World Cup hosted: Spain - 1982
Bid leaders: Spanish FA president Angel Maria Villar and Portuguese Football Federation president Gilberto Madail
Bid motto: We Play As A Team, United By Enthusiasm
Famous face: Luis Figo


Pros: Spain's Euro 2008 and World Cup 2010-winning team, plus famous stadiums like the Camp Nou, the Bernabeu and the Estadio da Luz. Spanish FA president Angel Maria Villar has great contacts among Fifa voters and the bid is supported by the South American Conmebol bloc.
Cons: Allegations in a British newspaper of voting collusion with Qatar, though vigorously denied and dismissed by Fifa. Also, Fifa president Sepp Blatter is not generally keen on dual bids, while Portugal hosted the European Championship as recently as 2004.
Say what? "We have the infrastructure, food, hotels, tourism, climate. All this makes us a strong candidate to host the 2018 finals" - Former Portugal international Luis Figo
Bid chiefs Villar and Madail: "We have the backing of millions of fans of this wonderful sporting spectacle. We have presented a single bid with a single centre, which is Madrid. It's as if the whole of Iberia was one country."



NETHERLANDS & BELGIUM
Main stadium: Belgium - Brussels Stadium, 80,000 (Brussels); Netherlands - Feyenoord Stadium (de Kuip), 47,491 (Rotterdam)
Last World Cup hosted: n/a
Bid leader: Dutch FA president Michael van Praag
Bid motto: Together For Great Goals
Famous faces: Johan Cruyff and Ruud Gullit


Pros: Successfully hosted the European Championship in 2000. Backed by star power in the shape of Gullit and Cruyff. Promoting itself as the most environmentally friendly bid, with short journeys for spectators.
Cons: Fifa's dislike for co-hosts. Could be muscled out of the running by larger European rivals. Both countries have dense road networks, with traffic jams common.
Say what? "It will be the greenest World Cup ever with an environment protection plan the world has never seen before. We will try to give two million bikes to all the fans, so they can go everywhere" - Former Dutch footballer Ruud Gullit
Bid leader Van Praag: "Belgium and Dutch have well-behaved fans, facilities, security and political stability that make the two countries the best host for the job. The competition is stiff but we believe we can get the support we need."



RUSSIA
Main stadium: Luzhniki Stadium, 78,360, (Moscow)
Last World Cup hosted: n/a
Bid leader: Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko
Bid motto: Ready To Inspire
Famous face: Alexei Smertin


Pros: The fact that Russia has never hosted the event could work in its favour. The bid has full government backing, a vast budget and has been described as "remarkable" by Blatter. Would open the country up to hundreds of thousands of foreigners.
Cons: Security could be a concern. So could the enormous distances between venues, resulting in plenty of air travel. Russia did not qualify for South Africa 2010, missing out on the chance to showcase their team and lobby Fifa officials.
Say what? "Playing at World Cups was the pinnacle of my career. To help to bring one to Russia would be an even greater personal achievement" - Former USSR goalkeeper Rinat Dasaev
Bid leader Mutko: "Soccer is the world's most popular sport, therefore it must leave a long-lasting legacy for a World Cup host. I think from that point of view Russia has a big edge over its rivals."



And the five contenders for the 2022 World Cup:


JAPAN
Main stadium: International Stadium, 72,000 (Yokohama)
Last World Cup hosted: 2002
Bid leader: Japan Football Association president Motoaki Inukai
Bid motto: 208 Smiles! (Inspired by the fact that Fifa has 208 member countries)
Famous face: Hidetoshi Nakata


Pros: The bid has plenty of cash and co-hosted a friendly and trouble-free World Cup in 2002, with the stadiums still in top con***ion. Strong line in innovation, illustrated by the use of an origami pop-out in their pitch to Fifa.
Cons: The fact that they were co-hosts as recently as 2002. Dropped bid for 2018 after Blatter strongly hinted it would go to a European country. Lack of government support.
Say what? "The 2002 World Cup was a fantastic tournament. The level of organisation and the passion of the fans were quite exceptional. A World Cup hosted by Japan in 2022 would be something... truly special" - Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni
Bid leader Inukai: "I was hoping Fifa would rate our proposal more than they did. We had much higher expectations."



AUSTRALIA
Main stadium: Melbourne Cricket ground, 100,108 (Melbourne)
Last World Cup hosted: n/a
Bid leader: Australian Football Federation chairman Frank Lowy
Bid motto: Come Play!
Famous face: Nicole Kidman


Pros: A sport-mad nation with a proven history of staging successful sports events. Could have the appeal of spreading the game to new pastures. Star backing in the form of Formula 1 driver Mark Webber, swimmer Ian Thorpe and Hollywood stars Kidman and Hugh Jackman.
Cons: Most of Australia's biggest stadiums are used by other sports, like Aussie Rules and rugby league, whose seasons overlap with World Cup. Those sports are also more popular than football in Australia. Games would be at wrong time for lucrative European TV markets.
Say what? "The race to bring the World Cup to Australia is on. Like Formula 1 driving, you need belief, passion and Aussie grit to be successful" -Formula 1 driver Mark Webber
Bid leader Lowy: "I know we have the best bid. I know we have convinced many of the Fifa executive committee that we have the best bid. But will we have the critical 13 votes needed to win it? In my heart, I really believe so."



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Main stadium: Rose Bowl, 91,000, (Pasadena)
Last World Cup hosted: 1994
Bid leaders: US Soccer president Sunil Gulati
Bid motto: The Game Is In US
Famous face: Spike Lee


Pros: Infrastructure in place from the 1994 World Cup. Soccer continues to grow in popularity in the country. The bid is supported by President Barack Obama and will offer Fifa big financial rewards. Has backing of Mexico and the Concacaf region.
Cons: Football is growing but still well down the pecking order of national sports.
Say what? "In my travels around the world - from the dirt fields of Lusaka, Zambia, to playgrounds in schools across America - I've seen the power soccer has to transform lives. I'm proud to represent the US in our bid to bring the World Cup back to American soil, allowing us to inspire action and cooperation on an even greater scale" - Honorary bid chairman Bill Clinton
Bid leader Gulati: "We've got all of the infrastructure in place - and it's extraordinary infrastructure. In elections, you never know where you are until the very last minute, until the vote is taken. There's not accurate polling, per se. So we'll continue to work until the last minute."

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Milan 0 –2 Ajax: Quite a managerial debut for new manager Frank de Boer ​

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New Ajax manager Frank de Boer succeeded in installing hope in the heart of the Ajax fans in this match against, it must be said, an uninspired Milan side where no less than seven regular players were rested. Milan either preferred to sit back of were forced back by Ajax (presumably the first) as Ajax combined along the flank and create a significantly higher amount of goal attempts. In the second half Ajax succeeded in converting chances into goals to win a game that might be categorized as a dead rubber in terms of the Champions League competition. But, in terms of installing new found self-confidence and providing hope for their fans, Ajax did a very good job tonight.

Change of manager
Quite a match to make your debut as the new Ajax manager. Frank de Boer was propelled at high speed into the manager seat at the club he loves and took over from Martin Jol only two days ago. In his pre-match press conference he spoke of bringing back the joy of playing football among the players and he stated himself to be an adept of the outside winger 4-3-3 system, quite in the way that Ajax used to play in their most recent successful era, the mid-nineties.

Change of system

The starting line-ups​

His approach to this game meant several alterations to the formation that we’ve discussed over the past Jol reign. A central role, both literally and figuratively speaking, belongs to the attacking central midfield position. Previously the domain of club legend Jari Litmanen, now young starlet Eriksen is given both the responsibility to carry the weight of team and the opportunity to shine in a role that he sees best fitting to his own playing style. Upfront El Hamdaoui is dropped in favour of Siem de Jong, who is drafted into the striker role from midfield. Expect him to play more of a linking role, often with his back to goal, looking to lay off for Eriksen, Sulejmani and Suarez.

Milan’s 4-3-1-2 system
After an overambitious phase at the start of the season, where Allegri tried to fit three of Ibrahimovic, Robinho, Pato and Rnaldinho into his team and ended up with a ‘broken team’ and an overrun midfield, Milan has settled for two upfront now. And this brought a successful domestic run, leading the club to win all but two of their last eleven Serie A matches.
The front two of Ibrahimovic and Robinho have scored 12 goals among them in this successful recent run of eleven games and behind them Clarence Seedorf lives his umpth youth in a linking role in central midfield. Width tends to be the weak point of diamond formations such as the 4-3-1-2, as illustrated in the only Serie A match that Milan lost after September, at home against Juventus.

The first half
Ajax did indeed start the match with an approach quite different from the Jol era, only a few days gone. The wing players took a very wide position, as illustrated in the average positions diagram below. Striker de Jong figured as a linking man rather than looking to finish moves off and the full-backs, especially Gregory van der Wiel on the right, ventured forward quite regularly.
Another important change installed by Frank de Boer was the switch of Luis Suarez from right to left. This meant a return to the left wing where he regularly played during his high scoring 2009/10 season and a break with the Jol trend to move Suarez to the right after right winger Rommedahl was sold.

Ajax' average position diagram after 30 minutes of the game. Note the wide positions of wingers Suarez (16) and Sulejmani (7).​

This did result in a dominant spell for Ajax during the first part of this first half. A series of chances, mainly from distance was created where de Jong regularly supplied Eriksen, Sulejmani and Suarez. Eriksen succeeded in finding space between Milan’s lines. On top of that, Ajax played a high pressing game and succeeded in making some dangerous interceptions on Milan’s half. Of note was also that Ajax succeeded in achieving a pass completion percentage high in the eighties in their entire backline and midfield. This underlined that, in line with Ajax’ mid-nineties ideas, keeping hold of the ball was a goal in itself.
In the final part of the first half Milan took a more offensive stance and this brought more balance to the game. Ajax defended by keeping their holding midfielders de Zeeuw and Enoh close to the narrow back four and managed to limit Milan to only two attempts on goal in the entire first half.

The second half
A curious incident marked the start of the first half, a quick through ball found the run of Sulejmani behind Milan’s lines and at first sight of the referee he was fouled by Milan keeper Amelia, but on second thought and assisted by his staff, referee Bo Larsen identified the dive, and rightfully so.
Ten minutes into the second half Ajax succeeded in expressing their dominance on the score board. Ironically it was a blocked shot by striker De Jong, whose main task had been *****pply the other strikers, that fell to De Zeeuw who placed the ball in the corner of the goal.
Ajax even added to that first goal with a beautiful shot by central defender Alderweireld from outside the area. His involvement high up the Milan half illustrated Ajax advanced pressing game.
By that time, Ibrahimovic had just entered the pitch for Ambrosini, indicating that Milan switched to a three upfront system in search for a goal. His presence created more danger and a series of small Milan chances, as if to underline the fact that Ajax had been playing a tuned down Milan team so far.

Every right to smile: new Ajax manager Frank de Boer​

In the end
Not many manager will have made their debut with an away victory in the Champions League and Frank de Boer takes full cre*** for this win as well as for the display that went along with it. His change in playing style along with a few positional and personal changes, like moving Suarez to the left, resulted in hope in the hearts of Ajax fans. At last they got to see a glimpse of the capacities of their team tonight, albeit against a weakened and uninspired Milan side.