GettyJohan Cruijff at Ajax
NOS Voetbal•vandaag, 09:34
Luuk Blijboom
editor NOS Sport
Luuk Blijboom
editor NOS Sport
Records? They are there to be broken, says Arie Haan, without even a hint of sentiment, false or otherwise. “There simply isn’t one that will last a hundred years.”
The players take note with a healthy dose of Amsterdam bluff that the ‘Golden Ajax’ of the 1971/’72 vintage may have to share the record of 93 points (converted to today’s count) with PSV this season.
So no. Haan is not concerned about it for a moment. Never been, by the way. “It’s that others are starting to talk to me about it these days. Otherwise it would have completely passed me by.”
The points record
This season, PSV can equal the record number of points with which Ajax became champions in the 1971/’72 season. Converted to the current points count, Ajax reached 93 points after 30 wins, three draws and one defeat. Goal difference: 104 goals for, 20 against (+84).
PSV plays against Fortuna on Sunday and ends the championship year in the final weekend against RKC. If the Eindhoven team win both matches, Peter Bosz’s team will also have a points total of 93. Based on the goal difference, PSV has now surpassed Rinus Michels’ Ajax. It has 107 goals for and 19 against (+88).
Ajax still holds the record for the number of goals in one season. Partly thanks to 33 goals from Johan Cruijff, 25 from Sjaak Swart and 23 from Klaas Nuninga, the Amsterdam team scored 122 goals in the ’66/’67 season.
The 76-year-old Haan is simply not the man to dwell on the past. “What we achieved with Ajax was wonderful. But it is over.”
‘Leave ugly’
With thirty wins and three draws, Rinus Michels’ team had a dream year more than half a century ago. Blemish on the season: the 3-2 defeat against Go Ahead Eagles, partly thanks to two hits with the head of Ruud Geels.
“PSV is now also having a great season. Because playing good football and getting points is certainly not easy. But don’t forget one thing. In 1972, in addition to the national title and the KNVB Cup, we also won the European Cup I, the World Cup and the Super cup.”
ANP1972: Ajax players Johan Neeskens, Ruud Krol and Arie having fun
“Let’s face it: PSV has of course suffered badly in the Champions League this season. They are kicking themselves in Eindhoven now that they see that Dortmund are in the final. This means that PSV is not yet that far in its development like us at the time. Otherwise they would have won against those Germans.”
Nevertheless, Haan sees a similarity between the Ajax of his years and the contemporary PSV. “They play nice football in Eindhoven and score a lot of goals. In that respect, the two teams can be compared.”
The big difference: “In our time, it was almost non-existent that players were bought away. We played with the same eleven players for three or four years. There were few changes in the team. You had two reserves who could come in and not five, like today day.”
1972: Ajax champion with 93 points: ‘Truly world class’
“It was a completely different time. Football was completely different. Just think of the offside trap and the use of the VAR. Every comparison is flawed.”
Booming laugh
“Whether we were better than the PSV of today?” From Spain, Ruud Krol (75) repeats the question over the telephone, followed by a booming laugh. “Do you even have to ask that?! Hahaha, stop it! Of course!”
“PSV has done well this year,” says the former left wing defender. “But the Ajax of ’71/’72 was much better.”
Or no, let him put it that way. “The Ajax of that time was the very best team the world has ever known.”
ANP1971: Ruud Krol is attacked on the field by the French boy group Les Poppys
“We could play any game system. Attacking, defending, pressing, keeping the ball with us. We mastered everything.”
It is not without reason that the Ajax of that time still appeals to the imagination today, he says. “Everywhere I go, whether in Europe or Africa, people keep talking about the Ajax of that time. This also applies to the Dutch national team of 1974. Those two teams made an indelible impression and still come up in conversations. “
Philosophy
Unlike Haan, Krol does not see many similarities between the then Ajax and the current PSV. “We had Johan Cruijff in the team. And of course you cannot compare him with Luuk de Jong.”
“We also played a completely different type of football. We had our own philosophy. We were very strong defensively and always played forward. It was not like now, where everything is played wide. From the goalkeeper to the right back, from the right back back to the goalkeeper and then again to the central defender and the left back.”
ANP1972: Ajax players listen on the radio to the draw for the semi-final of the European Cup 1 for national champions
“Playing wide? That was a cardinal sin. That way you gave the opponent the opportunity to organize the defense. With us, the first ball had to go forward. That’s how we were raised under Michels. Later we preached that again when we, as trainers, started the battle.”
Swart
Whenever the 93 points that PSV has in prospect are discussed, cynicism lurks around the corner in Amsterdam. “Let them be happy there in Eindhoven with this record,” laughs 85-year-old Sjaak Swart.
“PSV is the strongest team this season”, Swart cannot deny with the best will in the world. “You just don’t want to know how they are praised in the media.”
In 100 years’ time, PSV’s national title will no longer be talked about in the Netherlands.
Black Chess
“I like Peter Bosz, don’t get me wrong. He’s a really good guy,” says the former right winger. “But please let’s not make too much noise about this club’s championship.”
Door wide open
“Believe me, we never used to play against teams like Heerenveen. They take it easy against PSV and open the door wide at the back. When you meet such opponents, you cannot say that you are that good.”
“Believe me. In 100 years, this PSV national title will no longer be talked about in the Netherlands…”
2024-05-11 07:34:22
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