Rotating centre-backs and cut-back crosses: here’s why Ajax are the most fluid team in Europe – scout report

Ajax are undoubtedly the greatest selling club in world football. The Dutch giants constantly churn out potential world-class talents, sell them on for massive money to the top five leagues and then replace them with ease, either from the academy or from the club’s wonderful scouting network.

Last summer, having won the Eredivisie once more under the guidance of Erik ten Hag, Ajax underwent open heart surgery to the entire first team, losing 13 squad players as well as the manager and his assistant while recouping £200 million in transfer fees.

Key members such as Antony, Lisandro Martínez, Ryan Gravenberch and Sebastien Haller all parted ways, leaving big boots to fill within the starting lineup. Incoming head coach Alfred Schreuder had an immense job on his hands to plug the void left by the outgoing ten Hag too.

However, thus far, the former Club Brugge manager has handled the task admirably. Ajax are playing scintillating football and the new gaffer has replaced the summer exits through internal promotion or signings in the transfer window. Exciting talents such as Mohammed Kudus, Steven Bergwijn, Kenneth Taylor and Calvin Bassey fall under these two categories.

Sitting joint-top of the league so far, let’s take a look at the tactics deployed by the new head coach. This tactical analysis piece will be a team scout report of Ajax early into the 2022/23 campaign.

Preferred formation

Schreuder has proven to be a very astute appointment so far for Edwin van der Sar’s Ajax, but it seemed a little peculiar when first announced.

Granted, Schreuder was a former assistant coach at the club when ten Hag was in the dugout but the Dutchman’s previous history as a manager has been questionable at times.

Even last season, when Schreuder impressed in Belgium by winning the Belgian Pro League with Club Brugge despite Royal Union St. Gilloise leading the race for the vast majority of the season, the champions did so by switching between a 3-5-2, a 3-4-2-1 and a 3-4-1-2 formation.

Bear in mind that Schreuder took over mid-way through the season and Club Brugge had primarily deployed a 4-3-3 and a 4-2-3-1 until the Dutch coach was brought in but the eventual league winners found their rhythm within the 3-5-2 and other back three variations.

Many speculated whether or not Schreuder would take this structure from Brugge to Amsterdam with him and go for a complete overhaul of Ajax’s tactical set-up.