‘It’s all about patience. A lot of patience.” |

Basic ingredients of Ajax success: high-performance youth development and targeted acquisitions, supplemented with veterans

‘It’s all about patience. A lot of patience.”

Remains Ajax football surprise? The Locals overbluften Real and Juventus, and play tonight at Tottenham Hotspur their heenwedstrijd in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

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Coach Erik ten Hag gives the last directives in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Can Ajax’s new stunt? “Anything is possible now”, assures Urbain Haesaert. action images via reuters

Basic ingredients of Ajax success: high-performance youth development and targeted acquisitions, supplemented with veterans

‘It’s all about patience. A lot of patience.”

Remains Ajax football surprise? The Locals overbluften Real and Juventus, and play tonight at Tottenham Hotspur their heenwedstrijd in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

AFC Ajax

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BIO

Urbain Haesaert

. 77 years

. Former trainer (o.m. Lokeren Waregem, Germinal)

. Coach of the year 1986

. Director Of Training, Germinal Beerschot (1998-2004)

. Hoofdscout Belgium Ajax A/U21 t/m U13 (2004-2010)

. Hoofdscout Anderlecht U21 t/m U8 (2010-2018)

. Hoofdscout Belgium Ajax (2018-)

Henk Mariman

. 48 years old

. Coach Of Lokeren

. Coach Of Germinal Beerschot (2000-2004)

. Head of programmes Germinal Beerschot (2004-2007)

. Head of youth Club Brugge (2007-2011)

. Sports Manager At Club (2011-2012)

. Author voetbalhandboeken

. Academy manager OH Leuven (since 17 april)

Football

Frank Van Laeken

BrusselVierentwintig years ago, won Ajax for the last of the Champions League, the fourth time in club history that the ‘cup with the big ears’ to the netherlands. Teenager Patrick Kluivert, just 19, made the only goal against Milan, in a team full of early twentysomethings. A year later, again reached the final against Juventus was lost after penalty shoot-out. Then they say that the talents in the aftermath of the Bosman judgment to the top clubs of Europe.

Ajax once again had to start from scratch to build. That went by fits and starts. Not every year yielded it promises through to the first team. The transferbeleid was not always successful. The philosophy of the club was occasionally denied, to Johan Cruyff there it went to interfere. Today, the emphasis is again on a high-performance youth, for a regular flow of young talent, targeted purchases of young players, supplemented with veterans with hunger.

TIPS for The Future

Technique, Insight, Personality and Speed, the attendant runs the all Sports park in The Future, where the youth academy of Ajax her home. The acronym TIPS is used by all sections of the club worn. The 4-3-3 system is holy: offensive, with wingers, based on pure baltoetsen, teamwork in which individuals can excel.

Urbain Haesaert Marc Herremans

Each year the best player of The Future will be elected. In between are names like Rafael van der Vaart, Wesley Sneijder, Daley Blind, Christian Eriksen (now at Tottenham), but also the current performers Donny van de Beek (best player of 2015) and Matthijs de ligt (2016). The youngsters will be trained by performers of the past. Edwin van der Sar and Marc Overmars, who on the field were in 1995, respectively general manager and director of football cases. Among the trainers we find names such as Michael Reiziger, Winston Bogarde and John Heitinga.

Urbain Haesaert worked at the beginning of this century as director of programmes at third tier of belgian football Germinal Beerschot a structure to work with Ajax. He saw Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld (both will soon be active against Ajax), Thomas Vermaelen, Tom De Mul, Radja Nainggolan and Mousa Dembélé budding. Since last summer he is hoofdscout Belgium for the Amsterdam club. He goes into our country looking for young talent from the U13. ‘Ajax is the model for are youth. A talentenfabriek, with a distinctive culture and a clear vision. Everyone wants to copy, but few clubs have so much patience.”

“This is the result of a tradition of art education that started with Johan Cruyff and in the course of the years has been further developed by, among others, Louis van Gaal, and now Erik ten Hag’, says Henk Mariman, the brand new academy manager of OH Leuven, who between 2000 and 2010, youth coach and head of Training at Germinal Beerschot. ‘The training is not an isolated part – what you often see with jeugdacademies, but is completely anchored in the clubvisie. Also the hinterland is very decisive. Ajax is located in one of the most densely populated areas of the Netherlands, they can players recruit with different backgrounds. That allows for a creative mix of talents. And then there is the Amsterdam mindset that is at all connected with the club and the way of playing. A very direct and dominant environment. You need as a young footballer really strong on your legs stand up to this culture of standing up.’

Non-finished products

“Do you want to in the Low countries are successful with your club, then it is a solid youth program a
of the foundations.
That is still too little.
The short-term home.”

Henk Mariman

“If Ajax goes in search of a player for position 2, but find no one who provides added value, it will always be for a private jeugdproduct choose”, says Urbain Haesaert. “At Ajax they let talents grow. Young players get opportunities and can make mistakes. There, they learn from. You have to be psychologically strong trainers need them to be able to adjust. Look around in Europe: there are fifty players in Amsterdam who have been trained. Everything revolves around patience. A lot of patience. We often forget that to non-finished products. In Belgium, parents are by brokers gold in the ears sounded, while a boy is still a great way to travel. If Yari Verschaeren one poor pass gives, is it the fault of the youth.’

Henk Mariman blg

Henk Mariman, agrees. “Faith in a youth system must also be as normal as anything less. The connection to the first team need to be sustainable. Ajax has always continued to invest in the training, also at times when there is tons of criticism. Do you want to in the Low countries are successful with your club, then it is a solid youth program is one of the foundations. That is still too little. The short-term prevails.’

‘The Ajax culture is top-down propagation”, Haesaert. ‘Members will be in the weekend spontaneously look at junior games, they know all the players by name. I have experienced that the financial director on Saturday full of praise was about a boy from the U14. That is unique in football.’

Miracle possible?

‘Ajax is the model for are youth. A talentenfabriek, with a distinctive culture and a clear vision’

Urbain Haesaert

Is a repeat of the stunt of 1995 attainable with a core in which the players average was 23.4 years of age? In comparison, Tottenham are sitting at to 26.3 years. Haesaert: “Anything is possible now. Against Bayern, Real and Juventus had a trainer At the Hag the opponent high close. Those are the top clubs not used to it.’

‘The guts and the dominance found in all sections of the club back in their way of play’, stressed Mariman. ‘They want the ball and they want the ball back as soon as possible. They want to determine what happens in a match happens. They dare to take risks and want creativity and initiative in each line. Each player is encouraged to take action and should be able are his direct opponent to switch, regardless of his position. There are few clubs in Europe where the style is so clear and the connection with the culture so ingrained in there.”

This coming weekend is Urbain Haesaert 78. To stop he does not think. “This is my job, my hobby, I feel so good, also because I’m in Amsterdam a lot of respect and appreciation feel for what I do. And I do it also because you are the guys with whom you have worked, looks to become top players. If I Jan and Toby are engaged, see, I get goose bumps.’

Semi-finals Champions League

Tuesday, 30 April

21.00 Tottenham – Ajax

Wednesday 1 may

21.00 FC Barcelona – Liverpool

Tuesday may 7

21.00 Liverpool – FC Barcelona

Wednesday, 8 may

21.00 Ajax – Tottenham