Ajax was the surprise team of the 2018/19 season, reaching the UEFA Champion’s League semi-finals after knocking out the likes of Real Madrid and Juventus. What really impressed the observers though was their attacking and dominant football. Over the course of the season, the Dutch side has scored 192 goals in 69 games, 2.8 goals per game on average.
Ajax is obviously one of, if not the, strongest team in the Dutch league, therefore their domestic title was not too much of a surprise, although they last won it in 2014. In the UCL though, it is clear that they were not individually superior to most of the teams they have faced and beaten. In this article we will hence look at how Ten Hag and his staff built a coherent and efficient game model to get the best collectively of their squad.
Notes
Games observed for this article were:
UEFA Champion’s league
Bayern Munich – Ajax / 02.10.18 / 1:1
Ajax – Benfica / 23.10.18 / 1:0
Ajax – Bayern / 12.12.18 / 3:3
Ajax – Real Madrid / 13.02.19 / 1:2
Real Madrid – Ajax / 05.03.19 / 1:4
Ajax – Juventus / 10.04.19 / 1:1
Juventus – Ajax / 16.04.19 / 1:2
Tottenham – Ajax / 30.04.19 / 0:1
Ajax – Tottenham / 08.05.19 / 2:3
Eredivisie
AZ Alkmaar – Ajax / 17.03.19 / 1:0
Ajax – PSV Eindhoven / 31.03.19 / 3:1
Groningen – Ajax / 20.04.19 / 0:1
References
In my research about game models I have been highly inspired by the following readings:
Play like Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona – by Agustin Peraita ) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Play-Like-Pep-Guardiolas-Barcelona/dp/1910515639 )
Rene Maric’s article on Spielverlagerung.com – https://spielverlagerung.com/2016/03/07/how-to-create-a-game-model/
Squad and formation
I have chosen to only take into consideration players who have played at least 1,350 minutes in the season, the equivalent of 15 matches. That restricts the group to 13 players. These are the players I will refer to when mentioning the squad or the team.
Ten Hag had set up his team in a 4-2-3-1, the below being the line-up displayed the most often, and the one used in big games.
Game model and individual instructions
Before looking at specific aspects of the Ajax game, we will break down Ten Hag’s game model to understand his principles of play and how he implemented it in his team. A game model is built depending on many factors such as the players, the league you play in,… but the main one is probably the coach’s philosophy or idea of the game. Ten Hag wants to play a fast paced attacking football and dominate matches using a combination style of play and an aggressive defensive set up.
Based on that, each phase of the game can be broken down into principles and sub-principles of play.
Ten Hag is not obsessed by the possession. He wants his team to dominate games and build out from the back, but he also insists on playing forward as much as possible, either by passing or dribbling. He follows most of the positional play’s principles, although the execution is very different than Pep Guardiola for example. I mention Guardiola because Ten Hag managed Bayern Munich II while the Spaniard was in charge of the first team. He has therefore had the chance to observe Guardiola’s positional play, and he has adapted it to his philosophy.
One of Ten Hag’s Ajax specificity is the restricted width in the opposition’s half. While most teams aim to always keep at least one wide player on their weak side to stretch the opposition’s defense and allow switch of plays, Ajax actually deliberately restrict the width and overload one half of the pitch (Cf below picture). It requires very technical and quick thinking players because the space in which they play is very tight. In theory, it also seems easier to defend since it automatically allow the defending team to be compact. However, most teams nowadays opt for a zonal defense. It is then difficult to defend against players who frequently change zones. The team in possession will therefore often have a free player to pass the ball to penetrate through the lines. This positioning also allowed Ajax to execute their counter-pressing with success, thanks to the compactness around the ball.
The fullbacks have a very important role to play in this structure, moving into the channels when the ball is on the opposite wing to block a potential counter-attack (Cf below pictures).
Counter-pressing is an important principle of play in Ajax’ philosophy. As we just mentioned above, the way they played in possession made the defensive transition very effective, with a high density of players around the ball, and a short passes style of play allowing them to have quick access to the opposition’s player who just gained possession. However, the team is obviously not always able to immediately regain possession. The players behind the ball therefore need to make sure they are controlling the depth to avoid being caught by long balls or through balls in the central area, should the counter-press fail. To ensure this control, Ten Hag has a strong emphasis on maintaining support behind the ball at any time (a concept sometimes called rest-defense). On the below clip, we can see that Ajax always have at least 4 players behind the ball when they are positioned in the opposition’s half. When they lose the ball, they either regain it almost immediately, or they have cover to defend the long balls. De Jong was a key player in this phase, holding his position in front of the defense and moving sideways with the ball to prevent counter-attacks (we will focus on him later).
When their counter-pressing fails, Ajax aim to reshape quickly, helped in this by the cover they have when they are in possession. They aim to press the ball high though to either force a long ball or a back-pass. In the latter situation, the team is asked to step up to move higher on the pitch while the ball travels, keeping the pressure on. If the other team is able to keep possession and take positions in Ajax half, they intend to stay compact. They use a defensive system based on zonal marking with a man orientation, meaning that each player’s priority when defending is to mark the opponent in his zone. However, Ajax players would occasionally leave their zone and switch for a man marking when their opponent drops to receive the ball. The objective is to prevent the other team to have a free man to play between the lines. That requires a high level of understanding and awareness from the team though as when this happens, a teammate will need to cover the zone left free.
The clip below shows Tagliafico hounding Bernardeschi to prevent him from receiving the ball and turning behind Ajax midfield line, and forcing him back. We can also see Neres dropping to cover the left zone (Tagliafico’s zone) and De Jong dropping in the central area in cover.
In the attacking transitions, Ajax look at playing forward on their first pass every time it is possible. As mentioned before, Ten Hag is not obsessed by possession, so he is looking for a counter-attack when his team win the ball. On this clip in the game against Real Madrid, we can see the players’ instant reaction when they win the ball, especially Neres who makes an immediate run into the channel and deliver the assist to Ziyech. To initiate a counter-attack, it’s important that the wide players are either positioned in the channel between the centre-back and the fullback, or make their run in that space (like Neres in this clip). This is likely to be the zone where the other team is the most vulnerable because the fullback will often be in a very wide position when his team is in possession, so when they lose possession, there will be a space inside the pitch.
It’s also important in a counter-attack to have runners to provide quick support to the player on the ball in order to create an overload or at least match the opposition’s defenders. In the below clip, we can see Ziyech sprinting to support Tadic, with also Van de Beek and Neres making the run into the box. Ajax end up in a 4v4 situation in Real’s 18-yards.
This was a high level presentation of Ten Hag’s game model. In reality, each sub-principle would be split into sub-sub-principles. We will look at some in more details later in the article.
Although simplified, a game model presented like that to players would have little chances to be understood by every one. The main reason is that it remains highly conceptual and focused on the team as a whole, while players are more receptive to concrete and individual instructions.
We’re thus going to see how Ten Hag’s model can be passed on to the players with a few simple individual instructions.
We’re now going to look at some specific aspects of the Ajax game, and see how they link up to the game model.
Defensive transition and organisation
As seen in the game model, Ajax always aim to counter-press as soon they lose the ball, trying to meet the 6 seconds rule (or sometimes 5 depending on coaches) i.e. winning the ball back within this time frame. Of course, that doesn’t always work. Their defensive transition can therefore lead to 2 different results :
- They win the ball back and start over a new possession phase. This is obviously the outcome they are aiming for.
- They are not able to regain possession and now need to switch into their defensive organisation.
Ajax have opted for a man-oriented counter-pressing, which means that when they lose possession, the closest player to the ball applies pressure, and his teammates around him match up with an opponent to close any short passing options. In this part, we will focus on what happens when Ajax fail to regain possession.
There can be 3 situations to which Ajax will respond differently:
- The other team bypass the counter-press and is able to play forward
- The other team escape the counter-press by playing a side-pass
- The other team avoid the counter-press by playing a back-pass
The difference between the 3 situations is the level of threat the other team represents.
Defending against forward play
Forward play, or counter-attack, is obviously the highest threat Ajax has to deal with. When this happens, Ajax’ first objective is to slow down the progression of the player on the ball to allow the rest of the team to recover. Then, they will force the player towards one side, depending on where the ball was lost. If the possession was lost on a wing, they’d force the play on that same wing, because they will have cover and compactness behind the ball, while their weak side would be more open. Therefore they are trying to prevent a switch of play which would force the block to shift over while the other team has time to progress into space.
If possession was lost in the central area and the other team managed to progress through the centre, while a player is trying to slow down the progression, the players just around the ball must close down any short passing options, either by man marking or shadow covering. The rest of the team need to recover to block the central channel in priority.
Independently from where the ball was lost, Ajax try to always keep a back 3 with a centre-midfield screening in front of them (see clip above). It would usually be the 2 centre-backs and 1 of the fullback. The other fullback is typically in a higher position on the strong side to support the pressing. The centre-midfield is usually De Jong. The above clip is a good example of the shape Ajax adopts when their counter-pressing failed. Tagliafico is the first line of pressure. Him and De Jong are preventing Tottenham from playing short, De Jong shadow marking Alli. The long ball gives Mazraoui time to run back, while De Ligt and Blind are blocking the centre. Mazraoui’s clearance is missed, but gives them time to get into their shape. As mentioned previously, Ajax are using a zonal marking, but when a player drops to receive the ball, the player marking him needs to follow him. Here, Blind is hounding Lucas. De Jong’s role is then to drop in the space left free by the centre-back to cover him and maintain the shape. By then, Tagliafico had time to get back in his position, allowing De Jong to step up towards Lucas since Blind wasn’t able to win his 1v1. De Jong’s role is crucial. He needs to protect the defensive line, but also cover the defenders when they are out of position.
Defending against horizontal play
This is the next more threatening situation for Ajax, should they fail to regain possession with their counter-pressing. Although the other team is not progressing up the pitch, the angle of attack is changing, which might open passing lines to then play forward. Here again though, there are 2 different situations. A horizontal pass can be towards the centre of the pitch or the wing. Both are very different from a defending point of view.
If the pass is towards the centre, the threat is higher because the team might be able to play a penetrative pass or find space to dribble forward. Besides, the player in the centre of the pitch has more options and is therefore less predictable. In this situation, Ajax would hold their positions rather than pressing to avoid opening spaces. The aim is then to:
- Force wide play
- Block short options
- Prevent switch of play
If the possession is lost in an advanced position, Ajax can maintain a high line even without pressing, aiming to force a long ball or a short play which they could then press. If they lose possession in their half, it’s important to apply pressure on the player the ball though to prevent him for progressing. The idea is still to force a wide play, but the focus is more on the ball and rather than closing down options around, the team is better getting compact in the centre to block penetrative plays.
If the pass is made towards the wing, Ajax would then press to win the ball, closing down options and space around the player on the ball, forcing him to either make a mistake, play a long ball or a back-pass. Again, it’s important to also block a potential switch of play which could off balance the whole block. When the ball is played on the wing, Ajax don’t hesitate to overload the area, committing few players even though it means leaving other players unmarked.
The above clip shows both situations in a same play i.e. Ajax lose the ball, counter-pressing isn’t successful, Tottenham play a pass in the centre, then towards the wing.
- On the pass to the centre, Tadic curves his run to block the switch option
- Players behind match up Spurs
- Rose is left unmarked. It is either Veltman who is late to push up, or a trap set by Ajax. In both cases, Rose is facing his goal so he is in a good position to be pressed, what Veltman does
- Rose is forced to play back, Tadic is still blocking the switch option
- Sanchez plays a side-pass behind Vertonghen, it’s a pressing cue for Neres
- Tadic and Van de Beek close down all short options, forcing a back-pass
Defending against a back-pass
Ajax’ intention is to defend high, so every back-pass is a trigger to press and move the defensive line up. As per the previous situations mentioned, Ajax pressing organisation is always to match up the other team to block them building up from the back. On the back-passes though, it’s crucial that the defensive lines, at least the centre-backs, adopt the correct body shape i.e. side-on, to be ready to react to a long ball. Because the front line will be pressing, one of the most common reaction will be for the opponent to play long. The centre-backs therefore need to be able to drop quickly to avoid being caught in the depth.
The build-up phase
When discussing the build-up phase, it’s important to agree which area of the pitch we are talking about. Below is how the pitch can be split in 4 horizontal zones, from a team’s own goal (phase 1) to the opponent’s goal. Here we will focus on Ajax’ organisation when they are in possession in the 1st phase. That doesn’t mean we would ignore players off the ball in the other zones of course.
As mentioned earlier in the article, Ten Hag is prone to play forward as much as possible and avoid repetitive square passes. That said, he still wants his team to be in control in the build-up.
To be able to play forward, a team basically only needs one thing: have at least one player unmarked behind the first line of pressure to pass the ball to. To create this free man, the team needs to:
- Increase the space between the opposition’s lines (depth)
- Increase the space between the players within a same line (width)
- Create numerical superiority
The key player in the build-up is De Jong. He will either be the free man behind the line of pressure, or he will be the one creating numerical superiority to free up another player.
To create space between the lines, the front 3 players and Van de Beek are crucial. They will typically start in the highest position possible to pin the opposition’s defense (Cf. https://tacticandtechnique.com/pinning-the-defense-to-create-numerical-superiority/ ). Ajax will then often start off with a front 4 to pin 5 of the other team’s players at the back. Including the goalkeeper, that’s already 6 players unable to move up the pitch to cover the 2nd line of pressure. Ajax are then playing a 7v5 in the build-up phase.
The lines are thus stretched from the back. Ajax then need to drag the 1st line of pressure up the pitch to increase the distances even further. If we refer to the game model, this is the “attracting pressure” sub-principle in the possession phase. This is mostly the centre-backs’ role to do this. Unless there is an open passing option, the player on the ball should retain it until an opponent is pressing him, thus leaving his zone and potentially his marking. However, there are different situations Ajax will face here, and thus different organisations in which De Jong is key:
Playing out against a front 2
Against a pressing led by 2 players, Ajax will seek at 2 options: either playing through the pair, or around it. Splitting the 2 players and playing through is the ideal situation. De Jong would typically position himself behind the 2 players, trying to create a passing line through them. If successful, he can then initiate the transition to the possession phase. However, throughout the season his talent and role were recognized, and he often became the target of a tight marking in the build-up to prevent him from receiving the ball between the lines. The obvious solution is then for him to drop in the defensive line to form a back 3 with De Ligt and Blind.
- The other team might decide to strictly man mark him in this situation, switching to a front 3 pressing line. This cuts short passes options for Ajax, but it opens space behind De Jong for Schone and the fullbacks. On the below clip, De Jong drops, marked by Pjanic. Matuidi is then in a 1v2 situation against Schone and Mazraoui. Unfortunately, Onana’s pass is inaccurate.
- If the other team sticks to a zonal marking, De Jong is now the free man and Ajax have created a 4v2 overload (including the GK). De Jong can move into 2 positions here, either between the 2 centre-backs or on the left of the newly formed back 3. He would very rarely move to the right side though. In case Ajax lose the ball quickly, he would have more distance to cover to move back into his zone. When he drops in the centre of the back 3, it releases Blind and De Ligt who can move out wider and allow Ajax to play around the front 2 (picture 1 below). When he’s on the left of the back 3, Schone can move inside and position himself between the lines (picture 2 below). If De Jong has space in front of him though, he would run forward with the ball. He’s excellent at running into space with the ball and penetrate.
If the pressing from the front 2 is somehow passive, De Jong and Schone can also be in a double pivot shape, both giving passing options to the centre-backs who have time on the ball (picture below).
It might also happen that the 2 centre-forwards get slightly disorganized and open a gap between them. In this case, De Jong would also try to run with the ball to penetrate into the space. In the below clip, he identifies the gap between Ronaldo and Dybala. However, the Portuguese and Pjanic manage to dispossess him form the ball.
Another combination is to use the fullback to go around the pressure and then find De Jong or Schone between the lines, a combination typically called in-out-in because the ball goes from the centre to the wing, then back to the centre. In the clip below, Veltman drops to create a passing line around the front 2. While the ball is played out, Kean doesn’t realize that De Jong is diving in his back to receive the ball from another angle. In the meantime, Schone has created space for the Dutchman with his forward run.
Playing against a front 3
The patterns against a front 3 are quite similar. De Jong either drops in the defensive line or stay in a central position. Against a front 3 though, he would drop into the left CB position rather than the central one. The reason is that against a front 2, the space is in-between the 2 attackers, while against a front 3, the centre-forward will be pressing the central area, thus the space is around him, and we already explained why De Jong would mostly stay on the left side of the pitch.
A direct impact of De Jong dropping in defense is that Tagliafico can push up to create space between the lines.Besides, it is fairly easy for a well organised team to press against a back 4. Below is a schema of how a team can press against Ajax back 4 and block most options with only 5 players.
When De Jong drops though, it is a different picture:
De Jong’s positioning allow Ajax to have more players in advanced positions, making it easier for them to play forward quickly, which is what Ajax are looking for. From his position in the above simulation, De Jong can then pass or dribble, his technical skills making him a very good player in 1v1 situations. He can also be used as a lure to create space centrally for Schone. Blind in the centre of the back 3 is a high quality passer and can thus also find good forward passing lines.
Even when De Jong doesn’t drop in defense, Ajax would still maintain a back 3 to play out, with typically Mazraoui being the 3rd defender. Here again, it allows Tagliafico to quickly join the attacking line, which gives Neres, Tadic, Van de Beek and Ziyech the opportunity to change positions and create options for the defense should they opt for a direct play. Tadic and Ziyech are usually the players dropping between the lines to receive from the back.
In summary, Ajax put in practice these sub-principles of play when playing out from the back:
- Width and depth to increase space between and within the lines
- Attracting pressure to create space and free up players in advanced positions
- Overloads to maintain numerical superiority to control the build up
- Staggering to create as many passing lines as possible
- Play the free man to progress between the lines
- Forward play as soon as possible to get into the other team’s half
Penetrating the attacking third
Ajax’ attacks in the final third rely on 4 pillars:
- Positional rotations
- Use of the wings to open centrally
- Forward runs
- Combination plays
All 4 have the same purpose, opening gaps in the opposition’s defense to penetrate.
Positional rotations
This would essentially apply to the 4 attacking players, Neres, Tadic, Ziyech and Van de Beek. The other players had some clear positions to hold at all time, to ensure that the team didn’t get totally disorganized when they lost possession.
Positional rotations sometimes look like they are improvised moves by the players, and it is wrongly associated to complete freedom of movements. Quite the contrary, those movements are prepared and worked at training because they require a perfect synchronization to be efficient. We will see the main patterns Ajax had put in practice.
As we discussed previously, when they are in the build-up phase, Ajax start by forming a front line with 4 players to use the whole width of the pitch, to engage the full opposition’s back line, and force a spare player to sit in front of defense to avoid defending in 1v1 across the whole line.
Once space is created between the opposition’s midfield and defense, the front 4 can then start moving into space to receive between the lines, unless the rest of the team can progress further without support. When they are in the opposition’s final third, Ajax try to keep a narrow front 3 to be able to combine. However, the players in this front 3 and the positions they hold is very flexible. The main rotations are:
- Tadic drops: Van de Beek takes the centre-forward position, Neres and Ziyech tuck in
- Ziyech drops in a central midfield position: Van de Beek takes the right spot in the front 3
- Tadic moves to the left wing: Neres drops and either Ziyech of Van de Beek move into the central position
We could loosely split the 4 players in 2 groups: Ziyech and Tadic who initiate the movements, and Neres and Van de Beek who adjust their positions accordingly. Despite his starting position on the team sheet, Van de Beek ends up being more often in a striker position than a midfield in the possession phase, using the space created by Tadic. This is the benefit of having a false nine who is originally a winger as centre-forward.
Use of the wings to open centrally
Ajax very rarely cross the ball into the box. Both fullbacks don’t really overlap, and the wingers are actually inside forwards. Besides, they don’t have particularly tall players, or players who are notably good with headers apart from De Ligt. It therefore makes sense for them to limit the number of crosses to a minimum. When they have the opportunity to cross though, they aim for low crosses.
Wide play is an important part of their attacking game though, using the wings to attract the opposition with the aim of opening gaps in central areas. The below clip highlights how Ajax use the wide areas. 6 important moments of this phase of play have been annotated.
1- De Jong’s forward pass to Neres encourage Gnabry and Goretzka to step back and follow the pass, giving De Jong space to get the ball back
2- Blind makes a rather soft pass to De Jong who holds his position to encourage Lewandowski to press him
3- Blind could split Goretzka and Kimmich with a pass, but Mazraoui and Van de Beek are outnumbered, therefore they are unlikely to benefit from the situation. Blind then chooses to keep possession and switch the play to move Bayern’s block
4- De Jong is in the same situation as Blind before. The forward pass is possible, but the actual benefit of it is mitigated by the outnumbered situation. Ajax are very patient in those phase of play
5- They have created a 4v3 in their favor on the wing. With his forward pass to Mazaoui, De Ligt have moved both Alaba and Ribery, leaving Ziyech and Blind free
6- Ribery and Alaba have drifted too wide to block the central area, both De Jong and Ziyech are free between the lines
Forward runs
We just discussed how Ajax were using the width of the pitch to create space centrally. Another important element is the use of the depth. Van de Beek has been crucial in this aspect. His ability to identify space and run into it is very strong, often creating space for his teammates as well as being in good positions to create chances. Becomes he comes from a deeper position, his forward runs are a threat to the defense who needs to control the depth to defend against through balls.
Often though, Van de Beek’s runs are only a lure as he doesn’t intend to receive the ball. The objective is simply to pin the defenders, force them to step back and thus create space between them and the midfielders for either Neres, Tadic or Ziyech to drop and receive the ball.
This clip is an example of Van de Beek’s forward run to force the defense back. Trippier’s movement because of his run opens a gap for Tagliafico.
Combination plays
Finally, to manipulate the opposition, Ajax relied on combination plays:
Up-back-through
Wall passes and in-out-in
Third man run
Conclusion
Ajax offered a very entertaining football during the 2018/19 season. They showed a constant willingness to play forward, while remaining disciplined to anticipate turnovers. If they have been essentially praised for the attacking side of their game, their defensive organisation was probably more important, and the reason why they could attack so well. Finally, Ten Hag proved he had a very well thought game model in place. The main reason of its success is that in each phase of the game, he made sure his team was preparing the next phase, so they could transition quickly and smoothly from the attacking phase to the defensive one and vice versa. He was already successful when managing Utrecht, and he seems to be on good tracks to establish himself as a hot prospect in Europe. Having now lost players like De Ligt and De Jong though, he will face a new challenge in 2019/20.
