Super Wingstorm

After seven rounds of the Eredivisie, Eindhoven and Feyenoord were tied at the top of the table with nineteen points, holding first and second place respectively.

Utrecht followed close behind, four points adrift. Next were Alkmaar with twelve points and Vitesse with eleven.

Further down the table were six teams with ten points each: Vaalwijk, Nijmegen, Roda JC, Heerenveen, William II, and Breda.

Ajax had only managed to secure nine points, landing them squarely in twelfth place.

Two consecutive losses in the Champions League group stage and only nine points after seven Eredivisie matches—it was an undeniably dismal record.

The media in the Netherlands was in an uproar, and even Ajax’s own fans were furious. They believed Ronald Koeman had lost his ambition for the new season; otherwise, the team wouldn’t be playing so poorly.

But Van Gaal clearly saw things differently.

"The team’s sluggish performance is partly due to internal issues, of course. We lost five core starters in a row, and it’s difficult for new players to become competitive immediately. It’s only natural for the team’s competitiveness to weaken."

Here, Van Gaal’s tone shifted. "But at the same time, you have to admit the schedule has been particularly unfavorable for Ajax."

"Let’s not even talk about the Eredivisie. Heerenveen has always been a thorn in Ajax’s side. Losing 2-3 away to Feyenoord isn’t unacceptable either. As for the away game against us, Alkmaar..."

Van Gaal didn’t finish his sentence, but everyone knew that Alkmaar was no weak team.

Under the coaching of Co Adriaanse, Alkmaar had become a formidable force in the Eredivisie. After Van Gaal took over, he made some adjustments to the team, which naturally caused some instability. That was why they had suffered a brutal 0-5 defeat to Eindhoven.

Of course, another very important reason was that Eindhoven was just too strong.

"Among these matches, the only points they truly shouldn’t have dropped were in the second half against The Hague. But they were somewhat affected by the National Team games around that time. While disappointing, it wasn’t entirely unacceptable."

As Van Gaal laid out his analysis, the situation became clearer.

Ajax definitely had problems in the new season, but they weren’t nearly as severe as the league table suggested.

"The two consecutive losses in the UEFA Champions League can only be blamed on the draw. Although Ajax are the defending champions, they were placed in Pot 3 and drew Juventus and Bayern Munich. What could they do? And they had to face these two giants in the first two matches. Losing 0-1 at home to Juventus is normal. Losing 0-4 away to Bayern Munich, however, suggests a bit of a collapse."

Listening to Van Gaal’s detailed explanation, Ronald Koeman nodded repeatedly. "The main issue was that the players were under too much pressure. Ma Kai scored again and again, and we were too eager to attack, which made our already weak defensive line even more fragile."

"I watched that match too. Ma Kai was in truly excellent form—a hat trick plus an assist. But most importantly, the problem of defending against a tall center-forward was completely exposed."

Roy Makaay stood at 1.88 meters, a typical Dutch-style tall center-forward with exceptional goal-scoring ability.

Ajax had always favored center-backs with strong ball-playing skills. This season, both Heitinga and Vermaelen fit that mold. Vlaar, on the other hand, was still a bit raw, and he failed to contain Ma Kai in that match.

"That’s the price of youth," Van Gaal said with a soft sigh.

Ronald Koeman also felt helpless. No matter the reason for the team’s performance, as the head coach, he bore an inescapable responsibility. The criticism from the media and fans was to be expected.

"I really regret letting Yang Yang go back for the AFC U-19 Championship," Ronald Koeman sighed. "A tournament like that has no training value for him. If I had just insisted a little more at the time and had the club communicate with the Chinese Football Association, we definitely could have kept him here."

After a pause, Ronald Koeman shook his head with renewed regret. "But at the time, I felt the team had started well and we should be able to manage. I just never expected..."

There are some players whose importance you don’t feel when they’re around. Only when they’re gone do you realize you truly can’t do without them.

Van Gaal nodded slightly. "On any team, the importance of some players is obvious. Other players are more low-key, diligent and hardworking, and seem replaceable. But when you actually lose them, you discover they were the most irreplaceable one of all."

Yang Yang’s stats in the first three rounds weren’t bad, but the team was stumbling along at the time, so his impact wasn’t fully recognized. Now, with Yang Yang gone, everyone suddenly realized just how big the gap was.

With Yang Yang, Ajax secured seven points in the first three rounds, on par with Eindhoven and Feyenoord.

But without Yang Yang, Ajax managed only two points in the subsequent four rounds. Meanwhile, Eindhoven and Feyenoord went on a four-game winning streak, which included a high-stakes clash where Feyenoord defeated Ajax at home.

Van Gaal sighed softly. "Take it slow. The most important thing now is to relieve the pressure. The two-week National Team break is a lifesaver for you. It’s a chance to catch your breath and regroup."

After two weeks, Yang Yang should be back with the team as well.

It was interesting to note that all four dark horse teams that reached the Champions League semifinals last season were not performing well this season.

The best of the bunch was Monaco, who sat third in the Ligue 1, just two points behind the top-ranked Lille and Lyon.

This had a lot to do with the fact that Deschamps’ squad had remained relatively intact.

Porto in the Portuguese Super League was also in third place, but they were four points behind Benfica. For a team that had always considered the league title to be in the bag, this was a rather disappointing result, especially since the competitive pressure in the Portuguese Super League was lower than in the Eredivisie.

In La Liga, Deportivo La Coruña wasn’t doing much better than Ajax. After six matches, Super Laco was only in eleventh place with just eight points. Their record was comparable to Ajax’s situation in the Eredivisie.

Furthermore, unlike Ajax which had lost five core starters, Super Laco hadn’t lost any key players over the summer. In fact, they had brought in several new ones, and Iruetta’s coaching was beginning to face some scrutiny.

In last season’s UEFA Champions League, Ajax had garnered the most attention, and they also suffered the most severe player losses. So far this season, their results were the worst of the group. It felt a bit like the nail that sticks out gets hammered down.

"The most important thing now is to stabilize the team’s lineup and structure as quickly as possible and re-establish its backbone," Van Gaal suggested.

How could Ronald Koeman not know this? A team’s core isn’t just appointed by the head coach. It depends on a player’s skill and on-field performance, as well as their popularity and status in the locker room.

It was like being the team captain. If no one listened to you, the captain’s armband made you nothing more than a figurehead.

Ajax was currently in an awkward transitional phase between old and new. Ibrahimovic and Van der Vaart had left, but a new core for the team had yet to be established.

Heitinga was the cornerstone of the defense, but he was too rash and reckless, lacking stability. De Jong was fierce, no doubt, but not the material for a core player. Sneijder was a good fit; his skills were superb, his individual ability was unquestionable, and he was a product of Ajax’s own youth academy. A player like him was born with the makings of a team leader.

Unfortunately, Sneijder’s personality was too low-key and quiet. He also wasn’t the type to be extremely diligent, filled with hunger and ambition. A player like that wouldn’t cause trouble by demanding a transfer, but it would be very difficult for him to lead the entire team.

Pinaar’s style of play was too soft. Wesley Sonck’s performance was inconsistent. Maxwell was a possibility, but he was a classic nice guy who was never seen offending anyone. And like Sneijder, he wasn’t brave enough.

Ronald Koeman had considered many options before finally giving the captain’s armband to Galasek, who often couldn’t even get on the field.

All things considered, with the team being a mix of veterans and youngsters, Galasek seemed the most suitable choice. However, the veteran was gradually losing out in the competition with De Jong, and his playing time was only going to decrease.

The coaching staff had also considered Yang Yang. After all, he had performed exceptionally well in the first three rounds and the European Super Cup. And although he was usually quiet, he was diligent and hardworking—the type of player who doesn’t say much but inspires others with his actions.

But firstly, Yang Yang was not a direct product of the Ajax youth academy. Secondly, he had only been with the club for a year and in the first team for half a year. His performance was undeniable, but the problem was, he wouldn’t even turn eighteen until the end of October. With that age and that resume, could he command the locker room?

How could Van Gaal not understand Ronald Koeman’s current predicament? But as the head coach of Ajax, he had to bear this difficulty and resolve it.

Any team without a soul and a leader would find it very difficult to recover from a crisis.

This was true for a single match, and it was true for an entire season.

When the news of Ajax’s miserable 0-0 away draw against Alkmaar reached China, National Team head coach Arie Haan had also returned to Beijing and arrived at the Football Association headquarters.

Downstairs, facing the reporters who had long been waiting, Arie Haan made no effort to hide the conflict between himself and the Chinese coaching staff.

"I know many people think I should respect the opinions of the Chinese coaching staff, but the problem is, if our opinions differ, who should be listened to?"

"I am the head coach of the National Team. If I’m supposed to listen to them, then why didn’t the Football Association hire them as the head coach in the first place?"

Arie Haan also stated that these were merely professional and philosophical disagreements, not as malicious or conspiratorial as rumored by the outside world. The coaching staff still communicated with each other, and he criticized some media outlets for exaggerating the facts.

"Before a key match in the Asian Cup, your so-called ’authoritative’ media fabricated a fake news story about seven national players violating rules to go out for a meal, resulting in collective diarrhea. This stirred up the fans’ emotions and seriously affected the team’s internal unity and preparations. I simply can’t believe anything you report anymore. You say he said it, but I don’t believe it unless I hear it with my own ears."

Regarding the upcoming match against Kuwait, Arie Haan stated that the team was determined to win.

"We must secure at least a draw in this away game to guarantee our advancement ahead of schedule. That is why I have come here today."

At this point, Arie Haan became extremely serious and said, emphasizing every word, "We need Yang Yang!"