Ajax are a simply delightful team to watch.
They ran rings around Spurs at points during the first leg of thier semi-final tie last Tuesday with their neat intricate passing –Â and it took a change of Tottenham’s formation for them to be stopped.
5
Ajax will be raided in the summer by richer clubs
One thing is almost certain, however, and that is their squad will be raided in the summer once the transfer window is open.
Midfield starlet Frenkie de Jong has already completed a £65million deal to Barcelona – and there could be much more to come, with Matthijs de Ligt, Andre Onana, Donny van de Beek, David Neres and Hakim Ziyech all heavily linked with a move away.
In light of the reports and the inevitable exodus of talent, talkSPORT.com takes a look at some of the previous teams that have been broken up too soon…
LATEST FOOTBALL NEWS
PSV Eindhoven 2005
This PSV side were the last side outside of the ‘Big Five’ leagues to make it to the semi-final of the Champions League prior to Ajax.
The team had a line-up including some legends of the game and heroes on their way to stardom, but it was eventually pulled apart from clubs around Europe.
5
PSV had a star=studded line-up which was later raided by the big boys
Managed by Guus Hiddink, PSV had current Watford stopper Heurelho Gomes between the sticks.
Alex, who was on loan from Chelsea at the time, was also a towering presence at the heart of defence.
Other notable squad members include ex-Man United star Park Ji-Sung, Mark van Bommel and Wilfried Bouma, who all packed their bags after their agonising defeat to AC Milan in the semi-final of Champions League.
Ajax 1996-99
Another incredible team which was picked apart by the big boys was Louis van Gaal’s Ajax side of the middle-to-late 90s.
Van Gaal guided his side to European glory following a victory over AC Milan in 1996 and Clarence Seedorf departed for Sampdoria following the triumph.
5
Ajax had a stunning team with the likes of Mark van Bommel and Edgar Davids in their ranks
The next year’s summer was when the team was really raided. Milan president Silvio Berlusconi swooped in for defender Michael Reizifer and midfielder Edgar Davids, with Nwankwo Kanu heading to Inter.
The year after that Marc Overmars and Patrick Kluivert went with Van Gaal to Barcelona and they were followed by the De Boer twins the following year.
Monaco 2017
This Monaco side was chock full of stars and defied the odds by beating Paris Saint-Germain to the Ligue 1 crown.
They almost went all the way in the Champions League too, beating the likes of Pep Guardiola’s Man City before being they were defeated by Juventus in the semi-final.
The list of stars in their team was endless, with global superstar Kylian Mbappe and Bernardo Silva both up top in the forward three.
5
Monaco players line-up ahead of their Champions League semi-final with Juventus in 2017
Benjamin Mendy was a powerhouse on the left side of defence and Chelsea flop Tieumoue Bakayoko was the solid anchor in front of the back line.
PSG and City then went in for three of those stars, with Silv, Mendy and Mbappe heading in their direction for a combined £135million.
Bakayoko was sold to Chelsea for £35million and as we know, things didn’t pan out well for the Frenchman in west London.
Porto 2004
This was the team where Jose Mourinho made his name as one of the rising stars of management.
Porto’s side was littered with talent from across the Primeira Liga and he then desecrated the team by bringing several of them to Chelsea.
He won the Champions League with Porto with defenders Ricardo Carvalho and Paulo Ferreira, who later went to the Blues.
5
Mourinho guided this Porto to team to Champions League glory in 2004
Deco was a target for Chelsea but he opted to go to Barcelona, while Pedro Mendes joined Spurs.
The following season, Porto fell apart and slipped two second in the league, ridding of two managers in the process.
No team outside of the ‘Big Five’ leagues has won the prestigious tournament since.
Cox - The Mixer_djvu.txt
audio All Audio latest This Just In Grateful Dead Netlabels Old Time Radio 78 RPMs and Cylinder Recordings. Live Music Archive. Top
Preston vs Leeds: How to listen. Full commentary from Deepdale will be live on talkSPORT 2, with our coverage getting underway at 6pm. To tune in to the Championship action just click here for the live stream or click the radio player below.
Preston vs Leeds: TV channel, live stream, kick-off time and
This is the thug who was arrested after Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish was assaulted during the Second City derby at St Andrew's. The assailant has now been identified as father-of-one Paul
Jack Grealish punched by fan during Aston Villa's clash with
Man Utd star Romelu Lukaku told he can leave by club; Inter and Juventus eyeing transfer Daily Star 07:29 30-May-19 Manchester United tranfers news live Daniel James transfer latest and Romelu Lukaku 'agrees…
England Women 0-1 New Zealand Women: Lionesses suffer shock
Manchester United legend Eric Cantona explains the hurt Liverpool FC and Man City have caused him. Man Utd face Liverpool in the Premier League at the weekend and Eric Cantona has been talking
David Beckham conceded it was unlikely Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi would sign, but refused to rule out trying. More; Player of the weekend: 'Up there with Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi' - Gerard Deulofeu heroics send Watford into talkSPORT - 08 Apr 2019 When Gerard Deulofeu came on at Wembley on Sunday, Watford were already losing 2-0
LIVE FA Cup Final News | One News Page
Simon Jordan has warned Eden Hazard against joining Real Madrid this summer. The Chelsea superstar has flirted with the possibility of joining the Spanish giants and his form at Chelsea is only fuelling speculation.
Liverpool news: Real Madrid will only try to sign Sadio Mane
Saturday, 13 April 2019 West Ham United have confirmed they will finally install a claret pitch surround at the London Stadium this week. The Hammers, at their rented arena, have previously had a green covering over the athletics track which permanently resides at the ground as a legacy from the 2012 Olympics in the English capital.
West Ham: London Stadium to get claret pitch surround
Real Madrid are planning an overhaul of their squad this summer with boss Zinedine Zidane looking to bridge the gap to their rivals.Zidane, according to Spanish outlet AS, has 'sat down with his
Tottenham transfer target Ryan Sessegnon set to lead relegated Fulham's exodus. Fulham valued teen ace Ryan Sessegnon at £50m last summer but Tottenham are unlikely to have to pay that a year on
Man Utd and Tottenham target Ryan Sessegnon chooses next club
Premier League wonderkids who could play on the final day, including Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham starlets Unai Emery's men are in the Europa League final so could now turn to
Premier League wonderkids who could play on the final day
Do away goals count in the Champions League? How does the rule work after extra-time? In this situation, away goals come into play, having been brought into the European Cup way back in 1967
Do away goals count after extra-time? Europa League away goal
No comments:
Post a Comment