Juggling UWCL and domestic league is tough, just ask Ajax،
Ajax surprised and delighted many with their attacking football to emerge from a difficult UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL) group stage involving Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Roma, before being beaten 3-0 by Chelsea in their first ever quarter-final. . But were things already on the wall for the Dutch title holders?
Six points behind Twente at the top of the Vrouwen Eredivisie table with five games remaining, it has been a difficult season domestically and although they have a chance of reaching the KNVB Cup final, facing Feyenoord in the semi-finals. final on April 16, things haven't happened yet. seemed perfect for the three-time Eredivisie champions. So what went wrong?
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Champions League campaign fails
It was always going to be a difficult task for Ajax against Emma Hayes' Chelsea, especially as their starting XI was missing key players, namely 33-year-old midfielder Sherida Spitse – one of the most experienced Eredivisie players – and young striker Ashleigh Weerden. However, young people like Lily Yohannes (16 years old) and Romée Leuchter (23 years old), who had impressed so much during the group stage, had difficulty establishing themselves.
Even at the Johan Cruyff Arena, where Ajax's three victories in the group stage took place, and in front of a noisy crowd (the largest of the day with 35,997 spectators), the gap with the European elite seemed enormous and, at least for the moment, insurmountable. And maybe the warning signs were already there.
PSG's attack was still going strong when they visited the Netherlands and lost 2-0, while Bayern (1-0) and Roma (2-1) were going through their own respective tough times. Even though Ajax deserved these victories, it seems that the timing worked in their favor. Facing a Chelsea team that had recently found a solution to their own attacking problems – by promoting Sjoeke Nüsken to striker – and without their favored rearguard, Ajax last week looked like a team of one of the weakest championships in Europe.
Nüsken's two goals, following Lauren James' opener, likely put the tie beyond doubt ahead of Wednesday's second leg.
Of the four finalists, no team impressed as much in the group stage as Ajax, so the 3-0 defeat to Chelsea was a big disappointment. The four lesser-known teams lost in the first leg (Benfica against Lyon, Brann against Barcelona, Häcken against PSG – all by a score of 2-1), but the other three at least managed to find some joy again which saw them progress to the round of 16.
But Ajax's focus on the UWCL has also disrupted its domestic campaign.
Off the pace in the Eredivisie
Just four days after their home victory against PSG at the start of the group stage, Ajax lost 1-0 at home to Twente. Other lost points would come three days after the return trip to Paris (3-1 defeat) during the reception of Fortuna Sittard and the 1-1 draw.
Ajax's Chasity Grant told ESPN after the Roma game that it was difficult for the young team to adapt to the added load of the intensity of midweek matches, players and staff must all learn. Indeed, unlike some of their European counterparts, Ajax do not have the depth to field a strong team against their domestic rivals if they field their best XI in the UWCL.
It's been a learning curve for Ajax in that regard, but the Eredivisie is simply not on par with the English Women's Super League, the Spanish Liga F, the French Women's Division 1 or even the Frauen- German Bundesliga. This is a league intended to develop, nurture and educate local talent – the crucial first stepping stone on the path to a professional career for women in the Netherlands – but not a league created to a team competes in Europe.
Indeed, just as we saw with the men's team — which recently passed on Frenkie de Jong, Matthijs de Ligt and Donny van de Beek — the Eredivisie is preparing Ajax's players for what's next and , once they are ready, those who are good enough leave for a more competitive league.
That's why the majority of the Netherlands women's national team is made up of players who ply their trade elsewhere in Europe: whether it's Vivianne Miedema and Victoria Pelova at Arsenal, or Esmee Brugts at Barcelona , or Daniëlle van de Donk in Lyon. For players approaching their peak years, the Eredivisie isn't exactly a draw and for someone like Leuchter (who has averaged a goal per game over the past three seasons), it isn't much of a draw. It probably won't be long before we move on.
Whenever Leuchter leaves, Ajax will likely look to promote another talent from their academy, keeping the pipeline greased to the senior team and ensuring the Ajax style and ethos is still present on the pitch . But the departures in Amsterdam will not only concern the field since the current manager Suzanne Bakker will leave at the end of the season, after the club decided not to renew her contract.
So perhaps, with all that in mind, it's no surprise that Ajax's young talents crumbled against Chelsea. Perhaps for players who do not have the opportunity to play with professional teams every week, as not all clubs in the Vrouwen Eredivisie are full-time and whose international experience is largely at level young people, the pressure and the weight of expectations were a little too much. great. At least Ajax know they are almost certain to finish at least in second place this season and return to the UWCL.
There is no pressure on Ajax for the second leg with the tie almost over. If they could score a goal and bring back some of the magic we saw in the group stage, it would go a long way in reminding everyone of the history they have already made this season.
