Fifth place in the Eredivisie, 61 goals conceded, and only 56 points won across 34 matches. Not the statistics which are usually associated with Ajax, but the 2023/24 campaign was their worst in recent memory.
The last time the Amsterdam side finished lower than fourth was during 1999/2000. At the end of October, Ajax occupied 17th place in the table, their worst start to a season since 1964/65.
They may have eventually scraped into the Europa League qualifiers, despite going through three coaches in the process, but for one of Europe’s most historic clubs, this standard was way below the expectations required.
Change was needed, that’s a certainty. In May 2024, Ajax appointed Francesco Farioli as their new head coach. The 35-year-old became the first Italian to manage the club, while being the club’s first foreign head coach since Morten Olsen in 1998.
A gamble? Yes. Fast forward six months and it appears this gamble could pay off rather handsomely.
Farioli represented a step in a new direction
The former Philosophy student approaches the game in a different way to most coaches. Still in his mid-30s, he has already gained plenty of experience, with Ajax his fourth managerial post.
The Italian guided Alanyaspor to a fifth place finish in the Turkish SüperLig two years ago, before embarking on a solitary campaign at the helm of OGC Nice. He secured a stunning 3-2 victory over PSG at the Parc des Princes, leading them to a fifth place finish in the process.
Combining his vision and philosophical insights, Farioli’s style of play is undoubtedly unique and one that has galvanised Ajax.
Problematic areas are being worked on
The Italian’s main priority was to fix a leaky defence that had conceded 61 times – the most of any Ajax team since 1958/59. Nice conceded just 29 times last season in Ligue 1, the lowest in the division, suggesting that Farioli would make a huge difference defensively.
In Josip Šutalo and Jorrel Hato, the club have two wonderful defenders who will likely move on to bigger things, but at the moment, they are shining for the club. Add in loan signing Daniele Rugani and the club have conceded just 11 goals in 11 matches, the joint-fourth best record in the top flight.
At the opposite end of the pitch, the club have scored 25 goals in the Eredivisie, again the third best total in the league. This is four more than at the same stage last season, indicating progress under Farioli.
Ajax rank in the top three for big chances created (41), touches in the opposition box (409), shots on target per match (6.3) and goals per match (2.3) in the Eredivisie this term, hence the reason why they have found things easier in the final third.
Of course, improving both defensive and attacking areas was key for improvement this season, yet Farioli was always going to be judged on the results rather than the statistics.
So far, Ajax are performing rather well.
Ajax are trending upwards
The club made it through three rounds of qualifying to secure their place in the group stages of the Europa League, while winning one of their opening two league games ahead of the first international break in September.
Since then, however, Farioli’s men have won ten of their 13 games, including three in the Europa League. This run has ignited their campaign, with the wins against Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven just three days apart giving the indication that the Italian might just be the man to return former glories to Ajax.
In April, Feyenoord had won the De Klassieker 6-0 in what was their most famous win over their rivals in years. Six months later, Farioli masterminded an impressive 2-0 away victory courtesy of goals from Kenneth Taylor (22) and Hato (18).
Three days later against Peter Bosz’s PSV side, who won the title last term by seven points, scoring 111 goals in the process, Ajax came out 3-2 winners.
It was the first time they had defeated PSV since January 2022, dominating their opponents in the final third. Not only did they create three big chances to PSV’s one, but Ajax also managed 21 shots, nine more than Bosz’s men.
They may have sacrificed the lions share of possession, but Farioli’s attacking philosophy worked wonders at the Amsterdam Arena that evening.
Winning just one of those two matches would have been seen as a sign of progress under the former Nice boss, but two? His imprint on the team is clearly shining through after just a few months in charge.
There is plenty of football to be played, but if Farioli can build on these victories between now and Christmas, Ajax may well find themselves in a title race.
Appointing the 35-year-old was a big risk, especially following a shambolic 2023/24 campaign.
Now? The move may well go down as one of the shrewdest decisions made by a European club during the summer.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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