Players

Forward line
Dutch genius, Johan Cruyff (Cruijff), was Ajax's main offensive weapon. Regardless of his frail physique, Cruyff had tremendous speed on the ball and was not shy about finding the net. Cruyff's success with Ajax (and as a Dutch international) even earned him the prestigious Top Footballer of Europe Award three times (in 1971, 1973 and 1974.)

Midfield
Ajax's midfield line was the backbone of the team. It is important to note that the team played very loosly in term of positions. Ajax worked the ball around the entire pitch and all of their players were involved in the midfield to some extent. Keizer and G.Mühren were attacking wingers, running across large areas on the flanks. That did not restrict them from occasionally heading to goal. Centrally positioned Haan and Neeskens worked the ball from one sideline to the other. Even Cruyff and Blankenburg frequently dropped back in to help with the distribution of the ball.

Defense
Uncharacteristically for possession-oriented teams, Ajax had a talented group of defenders. Not only were they solid in closing down the opposition, but they also got involved in the offense. This gave Ajax even more options for maintaining possession, while depriving the opposition from initiating an attack. Yugoslavian international Velibor Vasovic is the best example of the versatile Ajax defense. Vasovic played using a wide array of skills, varying from tackling to passing and shooting.

Goalkeeper
During 1971, Ajax's goalkeeper, Heinz Stuy, set a shutout record by playing 1082 minutes without allowing a single goal.

Coaches
Coach Rinus Michels was a disciplinarian obsessed with physical conditioning. His presence at Ajax coincided with one of the greatest squads of soccer players ever assembled. Under Michel's stern eye, Ajax raised their game to an unprecedented level in history. Michels is considered as one of the founding fathers of what later became known as Total Football. It is important to emphasize that Michel was not the first to employ Total Football, but was first to reap a big trophy thanks to it. Interestingly enough, after Michels moves to Barcelona in 1972, most experts agree that Ajax became even stronger. Michels' coaching role was given over to the far less anal Romanian, Stefán Kovács. Kovács's assertive attitude helped him incorporate both discipline and creativity in Ajax's game.

History

Beginning
1968 - 1970
Early signs of the future Golden Era at Ajax were the collaboration between experienced figures such as Bennie Muller, Henk Groot and Theo van Duivenbode along with (at that time) unknown young talents like Cruyff and Keizer. Add the military coaching of Rinus Michels to the mix, and you have a recipe for either insanity or greatness. For some reason, this chemistry worked and in the 1968/1969 season, Ajax had a surprisingly successful run in the European Cup. With an early version of Total Football, they defeated Fenerbahce, Benfica and Spartak Trnava to find themselves at their very first European Final. On the 28th of May 1969, at Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid, virtually unknown Ajax faced the established Italian powerhouse AC Milan. With their unwavering Catenaccio, Milan easily outsmarted the Dutch. A hat-trick by Milan's Prati Pierino and a goal from Sormani shaped the final 4-1 in Milan's favor. The lone Dutch goal came from a penalty finished by Velibor Vasovic.
The following season (1969/1970), Ajax were surpassed by rivals Feyenoord who took Total Football one step further. Feyenoord did everything that Ajax had introduced, but polished it to a higher degree. They moved the ball faster, unpredictably and played more effectively, eventually winning the 1970 European Cup. Ajax paid for Feyenoord's success and the team had to settle for a decent run in the UEFA Cup. By 1970, two hot prospects were introduced to the Ajax squad: Ruud Krol and Gerry Mühren.

Prime
1970 - 1973
During the 1970/1971 season, Ajax managed to reach the European Cup Final once more. After a run against difficult teams like Nendori Tirana, Basel, defending champion Celtic and Athletico Madrid, the Dutch were about to face Greek surprise Panathinaikos. On the 2nd of June 1971, Panathinaikos, with Ferenc Puskas in the coaching seat, were swept away 2-0 by Ajax at the legendary Wembley Stadium. Regardless, the Greek side were overwhelmed by "The Greatest Accomplishment" in their footballing history (this was long before EURO 2004). Interestingly, few paid attention to the Greeks. All eyes were focused on Ajax as they thrilled a world-wide audience with their Total Football.
Next year, Ajax were back at the European Club Final, after easily topping more established competitors like Dynamo Dresden, Olympic Marseille, Arsenal and Benfica. Italian FC Internazionale had the misfortune of facing Ajax in Rotterdam for the European Cup. Even the cautious defense of Inter could not prevent Ajax's undisputed 2-0 triumph. The 1972 European Cup Final made it evident that Ajax were practically dictating, how football should be played. The match was the full-blow introduction of "Total Soccer" as a dominant new wave in football, triumphing over the traditional phlegmatic Catenaccio.
Ajax reitterated this message once more, in the following 1972/1973 season. Since 1972, Ajax were so far ahead of the competition that winning the Dutch league became a formality. In the European Cup, they effortlessly swept through CSKA Sofia, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. At the Final in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, Ajax faced an Italian side once again. FC Juventus could do little to stop the energetic Dutch. With an early goal from Johnny Rep, Ajax simply had to maintain possession until the end of the game. After 90-minutes of one-sided football, the European Cup was raised by Ajax players for the third consecutive time.

Decline
1973 - 1974
There are many speculations as to why Cruyff left Ajax. Some claim that it was because he was not given captaincy. Others insist that the club forced him to play through his injuries. The most likely reason is that he wanted to cash in on his fame. In 1973, he was sold over to Barcelona for the unprecedented 6 Million Guilders, where he was joined by his coach Michels. Meanwhile, George Knobel was appointed as head coach of Ajax. He tampered very little with the "Classic Ajax" lineup. Mulder took Johan Cruyff's spot on the pitch. Nevertheless, Cruyff's role in Ajax was much too important and the club's game suffered greatly from his departure. Ajax were knocked from the top of the Dutch league by Feyenoord and failed early in the European Cup against CSKA Sofia. By 1974, the principles of Total Football started spreading across many parts of Europe. Eventually, most clubs developed adequate (to the new standard) levels of fitness. This transformed the game of football shifting the emphasis on defined field positions to global ball movement.

Achievements

Labels: Ajax 1970

# posted by thana @ 02:06