The Godfather of Football

Anyone who sees Van Praag now can easily feel the transformation from this Dutch old man, or use an idiom to describe his current mood, that is, he is proud of the spring breeze.

Sometimes he himself felt very lucky. After taking over Ajax, he did not immediately bring changes to the team. Instead, it continued to be turbulent for a period of time and passed through several head coaches, including Miguel Miguel. Club legends like Shiers, but at the most critical moment in the end, Van Gaal saved the turbulent Ajax.

A few years later, the Ajax dynasty that Van Gaal finally built was overturned, and the red-and-white arrow-shirted army once again faced turmoil. This time it was even more serious than before, and the situation was even worse. From Olsen to Waters to Westhof, at the last and most critical moment, Ajax and Van Praag escaped again.

Last time it was Van Gaal, this time it was Ye Qiu.

Sitting in front of him was this handsome young man who was a little too young to be ridiculous.

The young man is full of energy. He just finished all the games this season and finally won the double championship. However, he did not slow down because of this. Instead, he non-stop requested an internal high-level meeting to discuss the summer team preparations. training camp, and the team’s transfer strategy.

Everyone can see that the two most important things for Ajax this summer are to retain players as much as possible.

The turmoil of the past few years has made Ajax become a player supermarket in the eyes of many European giants. In the past two seasons, Ajax has performed so amazingly that it will naturally attract many teams to pay attention to Ajax. Coveted by Sri Lankan players.

Arsenal, Juventus, and Barcelona are all interested in Ajax's top center Ibrahimovic; Wenger and Ferguson are also interested in Ajax's main midfielder Gilberto Schier. Watts; Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, and Real Madrid all want to get the main central defender Lucio.

There are also Seydou Keita, Robben, Van der Vaart, Sneijder...

It can be said that almost every player in Ajax's entire first team has suitors. This has become an open secret that everyone knows, but Ajax has always been very tight-lipped on this issue. , resolutely unwilling to let go of even one player easily, because these players are crucial to Ajax.

For these wealthy teams, there is no such thing as not-for-sale in this world. The so-called not-for-sale is because the price you offer is too low to impress the seller, and the so-called loyalty is hardly worth a double price. Even contracts with multiple times of salary are already an indisputable fact.

Ye Qiu was very dissatisfied with the wealthy team's behavior of seducing his players, and could even be said to be angry, because each of these players was personally selected and cultivated by him, just like Ibrahimovic, who spent his time in The Swedish center has a lot of energy, and he has put a lot of effort into it, both in football and in life.

There is also Gilberto Silva. This Brazilian defensive midfielder has improved by leaps and bounds during his two years at Ajax. Without him in the midfield and backcourt, Ajax’s defense would not be strong and neither would the team. It is impossible to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League if we win the UEFA Cup.

Seydou Keita, this player should have been playing for the newly promoted Ligue 1 team in Ye Qiu's previous life, and his performance was not outstanding. However, in the two years since he came to Ajax, he has quickly integrated into the team. The overall tactics, whether offensive or defensive, are all performed with ease. He is now the UEFA Cup champion and the Champions League semi-finals. His achievements and strength are simply incomparable to those of the same period in his previous life.

However, that group of wealthy people waving large amounts of money now want to spend a little money to poach them from Ye Qiu's subordinates. Anyone would be angry about this kind of thing, right?

"If I had hundreds of millions in my hand now, I would buy all the big stars like these bastards into the Arena Arena. They wouldn't even have to play the game. They would just sit in the front row of the stands and act like fans in every game. The people watching the scene put up a banner and wrote--Fuck you rich family!"

Ye Qiu's angry words made Van Praag, Leo Benhak and Bobby Harms in the conference room burst into laughter.

What is now in front of Ye Qiu is a stack of fax paper, which contains inquiries, offers and transfer intentions from different teams. This group of bastard teams from the four major leagues are all staring at Ajax. players.

It's no wonder that Ye Qiu is angry and angry, because if one thing is not handled properly, the entire framework he finally built may collapse overnight, and by then, Ajax will have to start all over again.

Van Praag's face was also serious. The situation Ye Qiu is facing now is even more severe than when Van Gaal was there, because at that time the Bosman Act had not yet come, Ajax was a giant in Europe, and the player mobility was also low. It's as big as it is now, but now is the information age, players are highly mobile, and coupled with the damn Bosman Act, teams like Ajax are very passive.

Sometimes, even if Van Praag and the Ajax management all support Ye Qiu, there is no way to stop him.

Some people may say, stupid, just block anyone who wants to transfer and let him sit on the bench until he dies, just to scare the monkeys.

Let’s not talk about the losses and costs of doing so, and let’s not talk about the minimal effect of doing so. Let’s just say that leaving such a landmine and hidden danger in the locker room or within the club, the turmoil caused by it is enough to make Ye Autumn headaches will turn gray, and the team will be in the whirlpool of media hype for a long time.

Sometimes being a head coach is like being the leader of a company. You have to know how to control the people under you, and you have to know how to make choices and balance. You have to be tough when you need to be tough, but you have to be soft when you need to be soft. You have to know how to adapt. Being too strong will only make your subordinates change their hearts in the end.

How did Ferguson, who is so strong, end up?

"Reject all these offers. After all, they are in a hurry to buy, not us!" Ye Qiu casually pushed the stack of fax papers in front of him back to Leo Benhakker, who is now in charge of this area, but all decisions still have to be made by Ye Qiu.

"I agree!" Leo Beenhakker nodded, "We are not in a hurry now. Even if we have to lose some players in the end, we have to make them pay the biggest price, but I think the team still needs some emergency preparations."

Ye Qiu smiled, somewhat helpless, "Don't worry, I have already put the scout system into operation."

Ajax's scouts are all over the world. Ye Qiu asked them to operate. By then, no matter which position Ajax lost, they would be able to get a list of players in the same position from all over the world in the shortest time, and then Ye Qiu would personally select the players.

This way, the Ajax first team lineup can be guaranteed to the greatest extent.

Although Ye Qiu is young, he is still very reassuring, so Van Praag and Leo Beenhakker didn't say much, letting Ye Qiu operate the team's transfer and related matters.

"The team's financial surplus this summer is ideal." Van Praag smiled and gave a summary of the club's finances. Last year, they won the UEFA Cup and the Dutch Cup. This year, they won the Eredivisie and the Dutch Cup. They also reached the semi-finals of the Champions League. The direct income from the Champions League alone exceeded 20 million euros, not to mention some potential income.

With such a huge income, Ajax's salary expenditure is not high, so the financial surplus is certain.

Moreover, Ajax's finances improved significantly last season, part of which came from Eliza's operation. I believe that this season, with a series of new sponsorship contracts and the start of commercial operations, Ajax's financial income will become more and more ideal.

Of course, after all, it is a team in the Eredivisie, and it still cannot be compared with the top teams in the four major leagues.

"What the team needs most now is a midfield metronome, and the rest depends on transfers."

Ye Qiu's request is not high, he only wants one player, but it is not low either.

The so-called metronome is not the core of the organization. The former is mainly aimed at rhythm, and the latter is mainly for passing threatening balls.

In Ye Qiu's opinion, Ajax's three midfielders should be adjusted, and a metronome should be added to partner with Sneijder. Sneijder has no player in the team who can replace him in terms of attack and defense conversion and passing threatening balls, and he has a strong ability to attack from behind, which can open up the situation at critical moments.

As for the player who is delayed, it must be a defensive player like Gilberto Silva.

Perhaps someone will say, isn't the thickness of the midfield weakened? What about defense?

In fact, when a team's overall defensive system is formed, the individual defensive strength of the player is not very important, because he can integrate into the entire defensive system and use the power of the system to make up for the individual's shortcomings.

Moreover, Ye Qiu once said that in European professional football, no one can easily beat another player, even a strong character like Ronaldo is not sure to kill a defensive player every time.

This can be seen from the defense of Barcelona Dream Team III. Every player picked out is either short and thin, or thin, but their defense is not a big problem. This is not just because they have enough ball control, because if you only have ball control, the opponent will attack and your entire formation will be messed up.

A large part of Barcelona Dream Team III's defense relies on running to form a local number advantage, and then use the number advantage to double-team and press, while in one-on-one situations, it relies more on positioning and delaying to achieve the defensive purpose.

No team can play a game with one rhythm. The biggest problem of Ajax this season is that the rhythm cannot be controlled. It can be fast, but it can't slow down when it should be slow. Sometimes it slows down and can't speed up again. So it's not just Ye Qiu, everyone knows that Ajax's midfield lacks a metronome.

Metronome players often have to have strong analytical skills and an excellent overall view. They must know when to be fast and when to be slow, and they must analyze the game situation anytime and anywhere. When they are slowly controlling the ball, they can launch the fastest attack in the shortest time as soon as they find the opponent's loopholes.

Looking at the current football world, there are many players with metronome attributes, such as Pirlo of AC Milan, Zidane of Real Madrid, Veron of Manchester United... For rookies, there are Xavi Alonso of Real Sociedad, Xavi of Barcelona, ​​and Riquelme of Boca Juniors...

But unfortunately, these players are basically unlikely to join Ajax. Even Riquelme of Boca Juniors would not be interested in the Dutch Eredivisie team. His goal has always been the giants of the four major leagues.

Ye Qiu also looked down on this slow and classical master, and considering the current situation of Ajax, the several players he listed for the team are more practical and more likely to come to Ajax.

Lazio's De La Pena, Barcelona's Gerard, Porto's Deco, and Real Madrid's loan to River Plate's Cambiasso.

These four players are the four players that Ye Qiu listed for the Ajax management. The price of each player will definitely not be low, but they can play a huge role in improving Ajax's midfield.

There is no need to doubt De La Pena's strength. The tragedy of Little Foye in Lazio and Marseille is more like acclimatization, but there is no need to doubt his own strength. The only thing to worry about is whether he can adapt to the Eredivisie.

De La Pena is now eager to leave Lazio, but Barcelona is obviously not going to recycle this player, otherwise Ferrer would have kept him a year ago, but he is still very attractive in La Liga, and Ajax is likely to face competition from other La Liga teams.

Gerard showed the talent and strength of a top midfielder in Valencia, but after sitting on the bench for several years in Barcelona, ​​Ye Qiu is not worried about the strength, but the self-confidence of the players, because such players are often easily worn away by the bench, and finally become another case of injury.

Gerard has the same problem as De La Pena, whether he can adapt to the Eredivisie, so he ranks last among the four players.

Deco is a midfielder that Ye Qiu admires very much, but he belongs to Porto. It is estimated that if you want to get him, the price must be able to impress the vampire chairman of Porto, so he is placed at the back of Ajax's signing targets, after all, considering the cost-effectiveness.

As for Cambiasso, he performed very well in River Plate last season, and Real Madrid also had the idea of ​​re-entrusting him with important tasks, but Real Madrid currently has a lot of midfield talents, and Cambiasso is difficult to find a position, but this Argentine player known as Redondo II is not short of olive branches from the four major league teams.

In conclusion, the four candidates have their own advantages and disadvantages. The possibility of transfer exists, but they all need difficult negotiations, because it is not easy for Ajax, a Dutch Eredivisie team, to attract this group of players.

Of course, Ye Qiu's only bargaining chip is the halo of last season's UEFA Cup champion and this season's Champions League semi-finals. This can prove that Ajax is ambitious and strong, and it is definitely not a flash in the pan.

"These four players are either in wealthy clubs, or there is no shortage of buyers, or the price may be very expensive, which is really a headache!" Leo Benhakker sighed with some embarrassment after listening to Ye Qiu's goal.

There are not many players with metronome attributes, and it is not easy to find them. In addition, Ajax itself is a Dutch Eredivisie team, so it is difficult to attract players from mainstream European football powers to join, because they prefer to play in their home country. After all, the four major leagues are the core of world football, and the Dutch Eredivisie is already second-rate.

"It's expensive, let's talk to Lazio, Real Madrid and Barcelona first, and then talk to Porto about Deco." Van Praag made the decision directly, wanting to meet Ye Qiu's requirements.

"No hurry, let's wait and see!" Ye Qiu stabilized Leo Benhakker.

To be honest, he was also somewhat worried about introducing Deco. After all, if he wanted Porto to let the vampire release him, with Deco's outstanding performance this season, it would probably take more than 10 million euros to negotiate. But if Deco came to Ajax at a high price, would it break the team's salary structure? Would it bring some psychological problems to other players?

Originally, the club scout recommended a South African player Stephen Pienaar from Ajax Cape Town, but this player has good skills and can play as a front midfielder, not the metronome type that Ye Qiu wants.

In short, this matter is annoying!

Leo Beenhakker also knew that Ye Qiu was under a lot of pressure. The midfield problem had been hyped by the media for more than half a year, but Ye Qiu, the head coach, had never been able to find an effective solution. Even in the second half of the season, the team was eliminated from the Champions League. Many people pointed the crux of the problem directly to the team's midfield.

The team performed well this season, but in the new season, more and more teams will definitely arrange tactics for this problem. By then, if Ajax still cannot solve this problem, the results will definitely be affected. By then, Ye Qiu's pressure will become greater and greater.

This is a challenge and problem that many head coaches of teams will face, and Ye Qiu must overcome it.

"Don't worry, leave this matter to me. You can take a good vacation tomorrow. I will keep in touch with you every day. You can take a good rest for a while, or go to watch the World Cup!" Leo Beenhakker suggested with a smile.

He has also been a head coach, and of course he knows how much pressure a head coach has to bear, so he now knows very clearly that what Ye Qiu needs is rest and recharge before setting off.

"Thank you!" Ye Qiu smiled and thanked.

The entire system of modern football is too complicated, so complicated that it is impossible for the head coach to complete all the work alone, so this requires division of labor and cooperation. Therefore, any club that wants to succeed not only needs a group of outstanding players and an outstanding head coach, but also a group of management that can reasonably divide the work and work together.

After Ajax went through the turmoil in the past few years, after Ye Qiu took office in the past two years, the management has done a good job in division of labor and cooperation, especially after the team's recent performance improved, they are more united and tacit, and the team's excellent competitive strength has become Ye Qiu's chips for full confidence in the future.

It's just a midfield problem, very annoying!