Ten Hag's Ajax, a mirror of what Xavi's new Barça should be
Ajax Amsterdam, as it already happened in the 2018/2019 season, is once again the great revelation of the Champions League. Erik ten Hag's men are dominating group C at will and for now they are undefeated. This past Wednesday, the 'ajacied' beat Borussia Dortmund 1-3 in a controversial match to get 12 of 12 points. The Dutch are already a team in the round of 16 and it is normal for them to end up as first in the group.
The triumph of this team is the triumph of good football and the philosophy implemented by Johan Cruyff in the Dutch team and in FC Barcelona many years ago. Ten Hag keeps the 'cruyffismo' alive, just as Pep Guardiola tries to do at Manchester City. It should not be forgotten that the coach of the Dutch team was a disciple of the Catalan at Bayern Munich, so he has always been very clear about the path he wanted to take.
We must also remember that Xavi Hernández, who seems to be the next Barça manager, also watched Pep work for several years at the Camp Nou and learned everything he could from him. The Al-Sadd from Egarense is pure Cruyffism and he has always made it clear that his team will play to attack, to have the ball and to play the best football possible. The man from Terrassa wants to keep alive the philosophy he learned at La Masia and also with Guardiola, and he is going to 'die' with those ideas.
It is for all this that the Barça that the former midfielder begins to create if he ends up arriving, should look in the mirror of Ajax. Without Leo Messi, Luis Suárez, Andrés Iniesta or Neymar Jr, Barcelona has been orphaned by world 'cracks'. Ronald Koeman always used the excuse of the squad's lack of quality, experience and resources to justify the bad game, the defeats and the dramatic situation of the club. However, the Dutch side make it clear this season that you don't need world stars to play well, compete and even win.
Ajax triumphs because its model is above names
Ten Hag has spent years working with the philosophy of possession and attacking football above all else, and now, as in 2019, that is paying off. The veteran Dusan Tadic, the 'killer' Haller, the promising Antony, the seasoned Lisandro Martínez or Gravenverch, one of Holada's great jewels, are taking the 'ajacied' to the top in Europe and this course they are going to try to put the Dutch among the best.
Are Tadic, Antony, Lisandro, Gravenverch really better than Ansu Fati, Memphis Depay, Ronald Araújo and Frenkie de Jong? And what happens with Pedri, Sergio Busquets, Nico González, Ousmane Dembélé or Gavi? Ajax has shown that it is not necessary to have big names to play well because the model is above all else. That is what Koeman did not understand and it is why the Catalans have done so badly this time.
Although Barcelona is missing some megastar after Messi's departure, it has very promising youngsters, high-level veterans and above all it has a great variety of footballers who know and can play the good football that Barcelona fans are asking for. Xavi knows this and that is why he is Barça's great hope for this season and also for those to come. Barça has to recover its hallmarks and the man from Egar will arrive to make that possible.
