Ajax & PSV: What It all Means

So as you can see from my comments below, I may have had my first PSV encounter. It should come as no surprise, what with PSV being the representative of the Eredivisie that has been most successful in the CL and UEFA Cup in the last few years. PSV have also been in the best form domestically, winning the title the last three years and four out of five (only interrupted by Ajax once in 03-04). They are in prime position to make it four in a row, leaving Ajax festering in second place and facing the (ridiculous, absurd, obscene, ludicrous) playoffs to make their CL spot. While I would truly love to win the title this weekend, and I will mightily disappointed at this drought for Ajax, I cannot say that I a PSV win would ruin my season. And I’ll tell you why…

First, you have to look at our train wreck of a season. Sneijder moved late, wrecking any chance at a quality replacement. The club was banking on him and Babel, with Suarez and KJH to boot, leading us to the title. And we were certainly the heavy favorites with that squad, even after Babel left. With Sneijder, we were going to win the league. End. Add in the fact that our stalwart CB and team captain, the legendary Jaap Stam, retired a few weeks after the window closed, Thomas Vermaelen continued to miss weeks at a time, and Urby forgot how to defend properly, then you can see why Samual Kuffour sounded helpful back in January. With Heerenveen, FC Twente, and NAC Breda continuing to improve, and Feyenoord revitalized we really have no business wrapping up at least a runner-up position. Were we walking away with the Beker this season, I would gladly accept second-place considering the mess we have been in all year. As I said before, Adrie Koster deserves a medal. I guess continued employment would be helpful to.

Second, I dislike PSV but I do not count them as Ajax’s biggest rival. The fans seem to respond more to Feyenoord, and the tradition is there for an extended period of intense rivalry. It is nice to beat PSV, and finishing ahead of them in the table would be nice, but even the backroom staff at the two clubs enjoy at least quasi-friendly relations. The shuttling of Kenneth Perez from Ajax to PSV and back again over a span of mere months this season is an example. Would Ajax have done that with Feyenoord? Not a chance. There was even talk of Ajax moving for Ismael Aissati after Sneijder left. The fans stayed calm, but if a proposed move for Jonathan de Guzman ever leaked, there would be demonstrations outside the Arena. If Feyenoord were finishing this season atop the table, it would take more than van Basten to calm me down.

What does concern me is the Lyon-like stranglehold PSV seems to have over the Eredivisie. It had better end, and I expect some savvy moves this summer in the transfer market to make it happen for Ajax next year.

So I am not terribly riled up at the prospect of PSV winning again, but I must remind my readers that they have not clinched anything yet. I am going in to the final day anxious and hopeful that we can turn it around on those light bulbs in Eindhoven. I will be cheering for Vitesse, but I will not be a broken fan should PSV DROP ANYMORE CHEAP POINTS!

Category: Team News

Tags: Feyenoord, PSV, Team News

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