Ajax coach points to press day Ajax vs PSV
1 min readNo, that must not happen anymore. 28 points behind PSV. Everyone in Amsterdam agrees on that. Jordi Cruijff has already conveyed that message to the new technical staff under the leadership of the new Spanish coach Michel.
Jordi Cruijff spoke out in March of this year, just after taking office as technical director of the Amsterdam club, about the enormous gap that both Jong Ajax and the first team had behind PSV. For convenience, and also to deliver a clear message, Cruijff added up the points that Jong Ajax and the first team were behind PSV. Well, there were a lot of them.
The new coach Míchel will do everything he can to ensure Ajax does not end up finishing 28 points behind PSV again. The Spanish coach of the Amsterdam club spoke extensively to the press during the club’s pre-season training camp in the so-called press day. The Ajax coach simply couldn’t get around pointing to PSV a few times, which, put simply, is managing to dominate the Eredivisie significantly.
"My vision aligns with Cruyff's. I have Johan very highly regarded", says Míchel in conversation with, among others, De Telegraaf. "If one player puts pressure on, then everyone has to help him with that. And defending, we do together as well. All the data shows that my players can play with high intensity. That's what I want to see. And it must not happen again that we finish 28 points behind PSV", he emphasizes.
Is it realistic for the Amsterdam team to stay ahead in the standings in the 2026-2027 season? "We fight for every price we can win", he points to the Eredivisie and the KNVB Cup tournament.
Comments9
That quote about the defensive line being brave is brave alright, but if they keep stepping up, we will get punished by pace. Maybe start tighter, then go aggressive later 👏
I like the intent, but the substitutions came a bit late imo. When the game is tight, you cant keep waiting for fresh legs, you need control of the tempo earlier.
Im not sold on the current setup if the striker drops that deep. You end up with zero presence in the box, and then nobody gets on the end of the crosses 💀
"PSV Inside" has been right about one thing: we still rely too much on individual runs. Against teams that drop deep, the creativity needs to come from patterns, not just Instinct.
🔥 Lets go, that front-foot pressing was the difference. The way they hunted the ball in the half-space had ajax fans shaking, tbh.
Got to love how the article mentions the switch to wider play. When the fullbacks get the overlap, it turns into instant overloads, and that is where we score. 2-0 energy 🔥⚽
"We need more aggression" i get it, but we also need a plan when the second ball drops. If Veerman is not receiving between the lines, then the whole midfield rhythm dies.
If PSV really wants the high press, then the midfield has to win the second balls. Right now it feels like opponents escape too easily between the lines 👀.
Idk, but PSV's build-up looked slow again when the press came early. Dumfries kept trying to force it wide, and it felt like the middle was always empty.