The game that defines a season
Ajax and FC Utrecht played out a goalless first leg in the Eredivisie play-offs final. The score was 0–0, and for long stretches the football matched the emptiness of that scoreline. Everything now hinges on the return leg. Lose, and Ajax miss European football for the first time in 35 years. The gravity of that cannot be overstated.
Óscar García's team selection told its own story. Sean Steur and Wout Weghorst were left out with physical issues. Youri Regeer and Kasper Dolberg started instead (5) (17). Aaron Bouwman kept his place at centre-back even with Itakura available again (15). These were not luxury rotations. They were hard calls made by a coach who knows his squad is running on fumes.
The first half was dire. Kenneth Perez did not hold back, calling the match ball "dramatic" and laying blame for the sluggish tempo squarely on the equipment (7). Fans were more furious about what they saw on set pieces: Mike van der Hoorn, Utrecht's aerial threat, being marked by Lucas Rosa on corners. "They never learn," supporters said (12). Referee Allard Lindhout did not escape either, drawing heavy criticism from players, fans, and journalists alike (13).
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Geelen tells it straight
Menno Geelen appeared before the cameras and delivered the most honest assessment any Ajax director has given all season. "Sorry for my language, but..." he began, before calling the entire campaign a "shit season" regardless of the play-off outcome (3) (10). A Conference League spot would be nothing more than a "band-aid."
He also thanked Volendam for hosting the final after the Johan Cruijff Arena was unavailable (14). And yet he struck a defiant note about the future: "Ajax will fight for prizes again next season" (19). That is the contradiction at the heart of this club right now. Brutal honesty about the present, blind faith in the future.
Míchel goes down, Farioli rises
The coaching search took another twist this week. Míchel, the Girona coach linked with the Ajax job, suffered relegation from La Liga after a 1–1 draw with Elche. Daley Blind and Donny van de Beek went down with him (6). A candidate whose stock has plummeted.
Meanwhile, Francesco Farioli is being celebrated at Porto and has spoken openly about dreaming of a return to Amsterdam one day. He admitted leaving Ajax with regret. A coach who departed unfinished business now watches from afar as the club he left spirals.
Mislintat falls again
Sven Mislintat has been sacked as technical director of Fortuna Düsseldorf following their relegation to the 3. Bundesliga (22). That is two relegations in two years for projects he has overseen. His Ajax tenure was a wrecking ball. The damage is still being repaired.
Looking ahead
The return leg in Utrecht is everything. Win and Ajax claim a Conference League spot, papering over cracks that everyone inside the club already acknowledges. Lose and the inquest will be brutal. García must solve the attacking inertia that made the first leg so forgettable. Utrecht will carry belief. Ajax must carry something they have lacked all season: conviction when it matters most.
