An Ajacied Team for Today

By: Matt | April 23rd, 2008

By request, I have been asked to produce an Ajax starting eleven. Here are a few rules. As suggested, they have to have been Ajax youth. I am going to hedge a bit and say that they had to be at the club before they turned 19. So no KJH. Too bad. They have to be active as well. This rules out Bergkamp and the like. And they need to have at least a few more good years left. So no Seedorf, van der Sar, Kluivert or Davids. They may play for a few more, but no one is going to build a team around them. I should also note that I tried to be interesting and informative. Some names may surprise you.

The timing of this post is fascinating. I have been dabbling on this for a few weeks, but it is very relevant today. Martin van Geel has resigned, leaving Marco van Basten to be the “man with the plan.” As I have said before, I understand very little about what technical directors and chairmen and vice-presidents do. Nor do I care as long as everything seems to be working. And this list of players who could be playing for us now shows that part of the system is working. Ajax produces sick amounts of talent. Ajax also releases sick amounts of talent.

So here we go.

GK: Maarten Stekelenburg. As you can see from a previous post, I rate him very highly. He will only get better, too. Eat your heart out Tottenham.
CB: Khalid Boulahrouz. Yeah, I know Ajax can barely claim him. We chased him off the youth squad, he went to RKC and eventually ended up at Chelsea and Sevilla. A bit down on his luck, we should try to tempt him back.
CB: Andre Oijer. Yes, he was at Ajax until he was 20. He never appeared for the senior side, though. Could have used him this season.
RB: John Heitinga. While he showed some inconsistency in years past, since Stam left he has really stepped it up. A true Ajacied.
LB: Urby Emmanuelson. He will make things harder on the back line, but his on-the-ball skills will compensate.
DM: Nigel de Jong. He has not made a huge splash yet, but I bet Ajax would love to have him back when Davids retires in a few weeks.
CM: Wesley Sneijder. Do I really need to explain why?
CM: Jan Vertonghen. This guy is winning me over with his willingness to play anywhere for the squad. At his natural position he will be most helpful.
RW: Ryan Babel. Potential and promise for the most part, but he is starting to deliver for Liverpool. Probably better on the left, but he is needed here to keep van der Meyde on the bench.
LW: Raphael van der Vart. He will probably ask for a transfer, though. And he will have to play nicely with Wes. One of them would need to move to the wings to make room for the other. And I think VdV’s pace makes him better than Wes out here.
ST: Benni McCarthy. Active, Ajax-trained strikers are rare. McCarthy came through Ajax Cape Town. It’s a stretch, but he will score some more goals before he retires.

Def2: Tim de Cler. I was tempted to leave him out, seeing where he plays now. But he features for the national side a few times.
Def3: Thomas Vermaelen. At Ajax at 18 from Belgium, where he is starting to figure into the national side when healthy. Problem is he is rarely healthy.
Mid2: Hedwiges Maduro. This kid made a big mistake transferring to a sinking ship.
Mid3: Steven Pienaar. Technically not an Ajax product, but we’ll count his youth at Ajax Cape Town as time served. He was 19 when he made it to Amsterdam.
Att2: Andy van der Meyde. I would hope for better luck and form from this once-promising winger.
Att3: Daniel de Ridder. I think he has some talent, he just needs the right place to show it. I’d welcome him back.
ST2: Kanu. Came to Ajax at 17. Solid back up, and people forget how tall he is (6′ 5”)

Christian Chivu was 19 when he joined Ajax. Yes, I know the deadline is arbitrary, but I honestly set it to keep Chivu out. I did not care for the circumstances of his transfer, and what he did to Roma was even worse. Am I consistent? No, van der Vart gets a pass.
So younger strikers are difficult, defenders are also rare, a backup keeper is missing, but the talented midfield could cover over a multitude of deficiencies. But most importantly, all are players who could still be at the club with the exception of uber-talents Sneijder and VdV. The rest I believe we can afford, and their stars are not so bright they obviously outshine Ajax.

How well do you think this team would have done this season?