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Van Basten vying to restore Ajax sheen
Berend Scholten
UEFA
Tuesday 15 July 2008
Former Netherlands coach Marco
van Basten opened the latest chapter of his career on
Monday, leading his first training session at AFC Ajax
since his four-year spell with the Oranje ended with
a quarter-final loss to Russia at UEFA EURO 2008™.
PSV ascendancy
A club legend for his goalscoring exploits in the Dutch
capital over 20 years ago, the 43-year-old is aiming
to bring Ajax back out from the shadow cast by PSV Eindhoven
on the domestic and European scene in recent times.
PSV have won the Eredivisie title in each of the last
four seasons, leaving their fierce rivals with just
two crowns to celebrate in the last decade – their
last coming in 2004.
All change
Desperate to draw a line under the last four years,
Ajax have made a number of changes ahead of the upcoming
campaign. Uri Coronel is the new president, Danny Blind
the new technical director and the club also have new
sponsors. More than anything else, though, it is Van
Basten's return that has the club's fans licking their
lips. "The enthusiasm has been eye-catching,"
explained the 1988 UEFA European Championship winner.
"I feel really good being back with Ajax. It's
clear that the whole club is longing for the title,
so that is our goal."
Strike duo
Supporting Van Basten will be his former national team
assistants John van't Schip and Rob Witschge, while
club officials have also made significant investments
to help bring about a new dawn. Forwards Miralem Sulejmani
and Darío Cvitanich have been recruited for a
combined total of €23 million and Van Basten is
also on the hunt for a centre-back to replace Club Atlético
de Madrid signing Johnny Heitinga.
Turning point
"We're still looking for a kind of Jaap Stam, but
we're very happy with our two purchases," said
Van Basten. "Huge amounts have been spent to reinforce
the squad, which is a real turning point in the Ajax
spending policy. For me, the return of Danny Blind as
technical director is also a big reinforcement for the
club. He is a true Ajax man and knows what happens in
the world of football."
European success
With their ambition having been given fresh impetus,
Ajax are also longing for success on the European stage.
"We will also see how far we can get in the UEFA
Cup," explained Van Basten. "At Ajax, it is
all about performing. That means winning a lot, and
preferably with good and attractive football. That's
what we will work on. It feels good to be back here
and working with the players every day, and that's where
the challenge is for me."
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