The Erik ten Hag era lives on at Ajax, posing a threat to Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp.
Liverpool host Ajax in the Champions League at Anfield on Tuesday night, and despite a period of turmoil since Erik ten Hag's departure, the Dutch champions will pose a real threat.
Ajax experienced more change than any other club in Europe over the summer, and yet they have remained on the same path.
During a turbulent period, the Dutch giants lost their manager, director of football, and many of their star players. Erik ten Hag left for Manchester United, bringing with him two of the club's most prized players. Marc Overmars resigned in February after admitting to sending inappropriate messages to female coworkers. Several players left Amsterdam during the summer transfer window.
But, somewhat surprisingly, Ajax arrive on Merseyside for their Champions League match against Liverpool on Tuesday evening in fantastic shape, in stark contrast to their opponents. Mirror Football looks at how they've maintained continuity since the Ten Hag era and the threats they'll pose to Jurgen Klopp's side.
Upheaval in transfer
There is an obvious place to start when looking at Ajax two weeks after the summer transfer window closed. The club's personnel has recently undergone significant change, with several first-team regulars leaving over the summer
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The extent of the gutting is shown by a simple list. Ajax lost Antony (£85.5 million to Manchester United), Lisandro Martinez (£55 million to Manchester United), Sebastien Haller (£26 million to Borussia Dortmund), Ryan Gravenberch (£16 million to Bayern Munich), Perr Schurrs (£9 million to Torino), Nicolas Tagliafico (£3.5 million to Lyon), Noussair Mazraoui (free to Bayern Munich), and Andre Onana (free, Inter Milan).
Ajax anticipated a difficult summer transfer window and wisely chose continuity over revolution. The club, led by former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar and former striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, wanted someone to pick up where Ten Hag left off after winning the Eredivisie last season.
Enter Alfred Schreuder, a team manager who had previously spent time as an assistant under Steve McClaren (FC Twente), Julian Naglesmann (Hoffenheim), Ronald Koeman (Barcelona), and Ten Hag (Ajax) and had just won the Belgian Jupiler Pro League as manager of Club Brugge.
Schreuder, a Ten Hag acolyte, has been keeping a close eye on his former mate's progress at United, so it comes as no surprise that the 2-1 win over Liverpool last month has been studied.
"I watched the United game and what they did," Schreuder said. "There are some things they did that are applicable to us. You have to be good with the ball against these kinds of teams. You have to have courage and courage. Courage is key. If you have that, then you have a chance."
Schreuder commonly used the word "courage" in his pre-match press conference. And Napoli's 4-1 win over Liverpool last week demonstrated how effective such an approach can be against Klopp's currently out-of-form side.
"We're also quite good. "We try to play our own game," explained Schreuder. "You have to have courage, and if we can do that tomorrow, we have a chance." It will be difficult if you don't have it, especially one on one."
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