AMSTERDAM • There are few clubs with a history to match that of Ajax, and they are aiming to add a new chapter with their first treble since the days of Johan Cruyff.
The first leg, the Dutch Cup, was secured with a 4-0 Sunday stroll over Willem II.
Then there will be a battle for the Dutch league title that resumes this weekend. They are deadlocked with PSV Eindhoven on 80 points with two games left.
Before that, Ajax could be through to their first Champions League final since 1996.
They take a 1-0 lead into today's semi-final second leg against Tottenham, with young stars like Matthijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong and Donny van de Beek mesmerising Europe having defeated Real Madrid and Juventus.
Those players have dominated the headlines, but the work done by coach Erik ten Hag, 49, has been remarkable.
His career as a player was unremarkable by comparison, with the 2001 Dutch Cup the only major trophy he won on the field.
"He loved the game and he loved talking about the game," Scott Booth, who played in that Twente side, said of his captain.
Ten Hag the midfielder was close to Fred Rutten, his coach at Twente and, after ending his playing career at the age of 32, later became Rutten's assistant at PSV.
Before that, he had a spell as an assistant to Steve McClaren at Twente, helping the Englishman to win a first Dutch title in 2010.
These days, ten Hag's playing style draws comparisons to Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.
"When we lose the ball, we must win it back immediately," goalkeeper Andre Onana said.
"He is focused on that, he is always telling us that if we have control of the ball, we have the ability to push back any opponent."
In his first season as a coach in his own right, ten Hag won promotion with Go Ahead Eagles in 2013, but he left them for a job with Bayern Munich's reserve side.
His time in Bavaria coincided with Guardiola's first two years as Bayern coach.
"I still remember very well that when I quit the Eredivisie to go and coach in the German Regionalliga (fourth tier), lots of people in the Netherlands were sceptical," ten Hag told German daily Bild.
"I never regretted that decision. To work at a club as big as Bayern was like winning the lottery."
He lapped up the opportunity to watch Guardiola's training sessions up close before returning to the Eredivisie with Utrecht in 2015.
After two top-five finishes and a Dutch Cup final appearance, Ajax saw ten Hag as the ideal man to take over midway last season.
Ajax, the Europa League runners-up in 2017, were knocked out of both European competitions in the preliminary rounds last term, but ten Hag steered them to a second-place finish in the league.
The foundations were laid for this season's run.
"What he is managing to do with such young players is remarkable," former striker Pierre van Hooijdonk told TV station NOS.
"The likes of de Ligt, de Jong and van de Beek have only just come out of the academy and are already playing like veterans. Ten Hag deserves huge credit."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Sergio Aguero's penalty gave champions Manchester City a 1-0 win over West Ham United at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday to stay a point behind Premier League leaders Liverpool. The decisive moment came in the 59th minute when Felipe Anderson was ruled to have brought down Bernardo Silva and Aguero coolly slotted home from the spot.
Man City 1-0 West Ham: Sergio Aguero scores penalty to seal
Juventus achieved their objective, despite everything going wrong - Allegri Juventus finished top of their Champions League group despite slipping to a shock defeat to Young Boys.
Juventus achieved objective, despite everything going wrong
betandwins.com/2018/12/12/juventus-achieved-objective-despite-everything-going-wrong-allegri/
"We achieved our objective by winning the group, even on a night where everything seemed to go wrong," Allegri told Rai Sport. "We missed so many opportunities and gifted a penalty, so at the end of the day it was only right that we lost. "[Dybala's disallowed goal] was offside.
Champions League: Juventus achieved their objective, despite
Female staff member of Hougang United charged with CBT over $278,000 clubhouse funds. PHOTO: Hougang United. "The Football Association of Singapore is aware of this matter, and had raised
Female staff member of Hougang United charged with CBT over
Wolves deepen Cardiffs relegation plight with 2-0 win By Andrew Cawthorne Soccer Football - Premier League - Wolverhampton Wanderers v Cardiff City - Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, Britain - March 2, 2019 Cardiff Citys Sean Morrison shoots at goal Action Images via Reuters/Craig Brough March 2
Football: Wolves deepen Cardiff's relegation plight with 2-0 win
Jurgen Klopp has vowed that Liverpool will remain positive as they battle for the Premier League title despite a wobble that has enabled Manchester City to seize the initiative. Liverpool's destiny is no longer in their own hands after a goalless draw in Sunday's Merseyside derby allowed Pep Guardiola's City to regain top spot with a one
Liverpool staying positive despite blip, says Klopp
The Italian club are looking for a forward after new signing Alvaro Morata was injured in his first training session with the club. Balotelli? Football. old Lotterer is a three-time winner
Mario Balotelli refuses to talk about Liverpool career
Barca on a mission to right the wrongs BARCELONA • Clement Lenglet ought to be unscarred by Barcelona's Champions League failure last season, but disappointment reverberates around the club to the extent that he feels it too.
Mission news - NewsLocker
Making a name for himself, Fandi's second son Ikhsan wants to step out of dad's shadow, succeed in Norway stint Ikhsan Fandi netted five goals in 12 internationals, more than any other Singapore
Making a name for himself, Fandi's second son Ikhsan wants to
Football: Palace climb away from troube with 3-1 win at Burnley BURNLEY, England (REUTERS) - Crystal Palace moved further away from the Premier League relegation zone with a 3-1 win at fellow strugglers Burnley on Saturday (March 2) thanks to second half goals from Michy Batshuayi and Wilfried Zaha.
Palace climb away from troube with 3-1 win at Burnley - The
Iker Casillas responds after Porto heart attack scare. Casillas out of the woods. Former Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas has taken to social media after he suffered a heart attack at Porto's training facility. The Spanish goalkeeper is considered to be one of the best goalkeepers of the last decade or so.
Iker Casillas to retire from football after heart attack scare
Soccer Football - Serie A - Juventus v Torino - Allianz Stadium, Turin, Italy - May 3, 2019 Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring their first goal REUTERS/Massimo Pinca
Ronaldo scores late goal as Juventus foil Torino in - ESPN
Mourning Manchester United player Wes Brown is due to abandon a team tour of South Africa following the sudden death of his pregnant half-sister. The footballer was 'stunned' by news of the sudden
Jose Mourinho told Man United should sign 23-year-old as cover
Crystal Palace piled further pressure on Leicester City manager Claude Puel on Saturday with a comprehensive 4-1 Premier League win over his team, who have now gone seven games without a victory
Sport: Palace rout Leicester to step up pressure on Puel
Qatar's Asian Cup heroes rewarded with lavish gifts Young fans taking photos with Qatar forward and 2019 Asian Cup Most Valuable Player Almoez Ali at Doha International airport, as Qataris welcome
Qatar's Asian Cup heroes rewarded with lavish gifts | World
worldsportstale.com/soccer/qatars-asian-cup-heroes-rewarded-with-lavish-gifts/
02/09/2019 Comments Off on Qatar's Asian Cup heroes rewarded with lavish gifts •DOHA • These are heady times for the Qatar national football team. On the back of winning their first Asian Cup last Friday, Felix Sanchez's men have risen 38 places to 55th in the latest Fifa world rankings released yesterday.
Latest QATAR | The Straits Times
0 comments:
Post a Comment