FOOTBALL FORMATIONS

AFC Ajax's finest XI (1971 - 1973)


Of course, that Ajax team of ’95 was not ‘the’ Ajax team. For all its famous names and youthful exuberance it did not encapsulate and entertain as an Ajax team should. In some ways, that team suffered because of Ajax’s past teams – one particular team that played with a philosophy so enamoured and eulogised today.

This Ajax team contained personalities that under the most hostile and nerve-shattering positions found themselves juggling the ball in front of 110,000 people in the Santiago Bernabéu (Gerrie Mühren). The audacity of such behaviour may have been seen as arrogance if it wasn’t so startling and impressive , the Bernabéu crowd got to their feet to clap such impressive individualism. It was this type of behaviour on the field that led to such adulation and enchantment around a group of eleven men.

Ajax in the early 70’s continually dominated their opposition, leading to their fans becoming irritated if they had not won with more style or panache. When Ajax became the first team after Real Madrid to win the European Cup three times on the trot against Juventus in 1973, their fans went home disgruntled and miserable as they did not show the audacity shown in previous games.

This team partially resulted in the disappointment the Dutch felt after losing the 1974 World Cup final – for the Dutch team that lost the Final, six of them were playing or recently left the newly powerful Ajax side.

This Ajax team had previously beaten German powerhouses Bayern Munich, who, when they weren’t fighting with ‘every Germans’ second team’ Borussia Monchengladbach for titles were producing the core of the West German National side. When the Netherlands lost that final in ‘74, after toying around with the West Germany side after an early goal from Ajax midfielder Johan Neeskeens, the country entered a period of unimaginable confusion and bewilderment as they could not believe that their team did not pick up the trophy.

In 1973, Ajax faced Bayern Munich in the 1st leg of the Quarter Finals of the European Cup. The impact of this result would not only multiply the expectation on the Dutch National Team for the forthcoming World Cup, but in five years time, at Johann Cruyff’s ‘farewell’ game, Bayern Munich would play in a not-so-friendly friendly, destroying Ajax 8-0, in an act of unmitigated revenge.

It’s true. This ‘total football’ lark people extol over is attractive and yes, they did actually swap positions. What can we make of this then? Firstly, it’s extremely difficult to formulate patterns and trends during a game, reducing the possibility for attacking plan diagrams and screenshots lauding their attacking aptitude.

However, for all one has read about it, it is strange when you see the Ajax centre-back, Horst Blankenburg, taking the ball past the half-way line and proceeding to float around behind the Munich midfield like he was a #10 playmaker. At one point during the first-half, Heinz Schilcher, the other centre-back, takes the ball short from the goalkeeper Heinz Stuy, moves beyond the half-way line where suddenly an on-rushing Johan Cruyff steals the ball off him, taking it back forty yards back to start the move again. Schilcher is then seen hanging around on the right-wing. If it wasn’t so astoundingly brilliant, I’d be the first one to call them bonkers.

Remarkably, the team kept their shape, even with centre-backs ending up on the wings. It’s this discipline and willingness to work for the team that makes this philosophy impossible to replicate for 99.9% of teams. Not only this, it also requires defenders to be as technically competent as midfielders and attackers.

The switching of positions happened down each wings and through the middle, and the forward players dropped back to cover the forward movements of the defenders. When Blankenburg came forward, either Haan or Mühren looked to cover his position. This probably helped Haan, who in the 1974 World Cup Finals, after never playing centre-back, was moved by Rinus Michels to play there after Barry Hulshoff was injured.

The pressing game deployed by Ajax is extreme to the largest degree. In the first fifteen minutes, Bayern Munich were camped in their defensive third, struggling to keep hold of the ball. There were times where Sepp Maier and Paul Breitner are just passing amongst themselves, unable to get rid of the ball – resulting in ‘composure personified’ Franz Beckenbauer having to drop back to take the ball off their nervous and sweaty-toed feet.
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