Maybe Jordi Cruijff doesn't need to bring back Ajax's football at all

Van Hanegem criticises Ajax's performance against AZ despite the 1-0 win, questioning whether new manager Cruijff needs to restore the club's traditional style.

Willem van Hanegem offered a critical assessment of Ajax's narrow 1-0 victory over AZ, arguing that the club's long drought without a title has lowered expectations among supporters. The former player and columnist noted that Ajax dominated neither the match nor the second half, with AZ controlling possession for large stretches, yet the home crowd celebrated the win regardless.

Van Hanegem questioned whether new former Ajax manager Jordi Cruijff needs to restore the club's traditional attacking football at all, given that fans appeared satisfied with the result regardless of performance. He expressed concern about a broader shift in Dutch football culture, where supporters of a club of Ajax's stature have come to accept defensive, unbalanced displays as normal.

The victory moved Ajax to within a point of leaders Feyenoord, but Van Hanegem used it to highlight the overall weakness of the Eredivisie title race this season. He noted that even Feyenoord, despite playing attractive football for a period, had recently dropped points to Fortuna Sittard, suggesting the standard across the league remains inconsistent.