Ajax Through in UEFA Cup

We did enough last week with a terrific win at HSV to stroll on through to the knockout rounds come spring after the Hamburgers avenged their loss to us with a win against Slavia. We can finish no worse than third in the group now. I would expect this advancement satisfies the minimum requirement we could have hoped for, but what does it mean for the club? And what should we expect now?

First, while this is not the Champions League, it is nice to see some European success for our young side. The failures of the last few years were far worse than anything that could happen to us now. Crashing out of the CL against lesser clubs was awful, and it certainly damaged our reputation for confidence/arrogance when the lights were brightest. Ten Cate’s sides looked tentative and often clueless in these losses, and only a supporter blinded by devotion could claim that we deserved to advance. Worse yet, the youngsters on those sides got their introduction to European football in a less-than-helpful environment. One could have expected them to panic everytime continental competition came to town. But the new Ajacieds now know success, and hopefully they will build on it in coming years.

Because I am constantly asking myself how important European football is for Ajax. The money is always terrific, and much of our budget probably depends on it. But to be a club where great players want to play, it is beginning to seem that one simply must perform in the CL. We may always be a way-station to Madrid and ManU, but those players looking to get noticed need incentive to come to Amsterdam rather than a French or German training ground. Would we have Sulejmani or Suarez if there was no stated intention to compete in the CL? Would we have kept KJH (longer) if we were advancing from a CL group instead of a UEFA Cup group?

And then, one must ask about the benefit should we win this UEFA Cup. Looking at Sevilla and Zenit, I am not convinced it would be the best thing from an organizational perspective. Both sides learned from the experience, but their best players have gone on already, before taking a shot at the CL. Would a UEFA Cup win cost us Suarez next summer? I am not sure it would be worth it, because we need three and four year plans right now to regain dominance in the eredivisie and become a CL contender again. Rebuilding next summer would rob us of any momentum MvB might gain this spring. Would that be worth it to lift a Cup?

The supporter in me says “Of course it would, you blockhead.” I am looking at possible ties with Tottenham, Udinese, Galatasaray, Standard, or CSKA Moscow and salivating over the prospects of besting them. Taking them down over two legs would do more than restore our tattered image. It would be a hell of a lot of fun to watch.

Category: Team News

Tags: Team News

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