The Godfather of Football

In the summer of 2000, two transfers attracted the attention of fans across Sweden.

One was that the main striker of the Swedish Super League Olgrit, the 19-year-old John Elmand, transferred to the Dutch Eredivisie giants Feyenoord for a high price of 2.9 million euros. The latter planned to use this Swedish center forward to fill the gap left by the Argentine center forward Cruz who transferred to Bologna and reorganize the trident.

Almost all of Sweden had high hopes for John Elmand's transfer. They were very sure that this player would become Sweden's leading striker in the next decade or so before this transfer happened, because he not only had a height of 1.88 meters, but also had dazzling footwork.

It can be said that Elmand is more famous in Sweden and even in Europe than Ibrahimovic.

This is not difficult to explain, because he has been participating in the professional league in Sweden since he was 16 years old, and has performed very well, winning the recognition and affirmation of everyone in the country. After Ibrahimovic played for Malmö, Malmö was quickly relegated to the Swiss First League, with limited influence.

Therefore, fans in Sweden are more skeptical about Ibrahimovic's transfer to Ajax for $3 million, breaking Elmander's transfer fee, because in their opinion, Elmander, the most promising player in Sweden, is only worth $2.9 million. Why is Ibrahimovic worth $3 million?

"This must be an irrational transfer made by Ajax to compete with Feyenoord, because they spent $3 million to introduce a dispensable bench player in order to save their breath!"

This was a comment made by an authoritative newspaper in Sweden during the summer transfer. They are optimistic about Elmander's future in Feyenoord because Kroos left and provided a position for the Swedish center forward. As for Ibrahimovic, it still needs to be observed.

But nearly halfway through the season, everyone found that Ibrahimovic had established a foothold in Ajax and scored 6 league goals, but Elmander was a substitute again and again in Feyenoord and has not been able to open his business so far. Moreover, Ibrahimovic has performed very well in the UEFA Cup. The fate of the two has completely changed.

In the 16th round of the Dutch Eredivisie, Ajax challenged Feyenoord away.

Because of Kalou's injury, Elmander was qualified to start once. The media and fans in Sweden also paid great attention to this game, which they called the Swedish derby in the Dutch arena, and believed that it would be a battle between Swedish players.

At the same time, many fans of Elmander in Sweden hoped that Feyenoord's striker could use this game to regain his form, gain a foothold, and suppress Ibrahimovic, who was becoming more and more popular.

But what was unexpected was that Ajax took the initiative to play offensive football at the beginning of the game.

Compared with the Dutch Cup final last season, when Ajax II was not strong enough to compete with Feyenoord, Ye Qiu now has enough confidence and chips, because his team's strength is much better than that of Ajax II last season, and there are very significant improvements in three lines, which gives him more confidence.

So after the opening, Ye Qiu boldly asked all the players to press forward, taking advantage of the fact that Feyenoord's ball path was not fast, actively adopting high-position defense, strengthening the pressure in the middle and front fields, and firmly suppressing Feyenoord in the half court.

After the tempering of the Dutch Cup last season and the tempering of the UEFA Cup this season, Ajax's strength has improved a lot compared to the beginning of the season. Every player has made very obvious progress, and when these improvements come together, it is a leap in the strength of the entire team.

Feyenoord wanted to break free from Ajax's suppression, but Ajax's midfield composed of Keita, Yaya Toure and Gilberto Silva firmly suppressed Feyenoord's midfield. The excellent coverage ability of the three players made Ajax's midfield almost everywhere.

In the 25th minute, Gilberto Silva intercepted the ball and passed it to Keita, who made a short pass to Robben's feet.

After receiving the ball, the Dutch left winger quickly turned around, suddenly accelerated, and used his speed to pass Feyenoord's right back Van Goebel and passed the ball to the left side of the goal.

Ibrahimovic used his body to press Dehaan, on the one hand, he endured the opponent's physical confrontation, and on the other hand, he rushed into Feyenoord's penalty area. He was tall and had long legs, and he stopped the ball first, and then he made an emergency stop.

Dehaan didn't have time to stop his momentum and was deceived and lost his position.

If it was normal, Ibrahimovic might have dribbled the ball with his left and right feet after the emergency stop, or shaken off Van Onderen who was chasing back, but this time Ibrahimovic didn't do that. Instead, after Dehaan lost his position, he poked the ball with his left foot.

The ball passed Dehaan and went into the goal guarded by Dudek from the lower left corner, 1:0!

"Wow! Wow! The ball goes in!!!"

"In the 25th minute, Swedish center forward Ibrahimovic broke the deadlock for Ajax. This was his seventh league goal of the season. It was a very exciting goal. Dudek was unable to make an effective save because his vision was completely blocked by Dehaan."

After scoring the goal, Ibrahimovic rushed to the sidelines with joy, waving his arms constantly, and rushed in front of the live TV camera on the sidelines, pointing his hands at his face, as if to let the score go. The live broadcast camera gives a close-up of himself to let all fans know him, Zlatan Ibrahimovic!

Only Ye Qiu understood in his heart that Ibrahimovic was provoking the fans in Sweden, telling them that in this Dutch derby between Swedish centers, there could only be one winner, and that was him, Ibrahimovic!

Although he scored a goal, Ibrahimovic's state and fighting spirit were not affected at all. On the contrary, Elmand, perhaps due to the long-term lack of competition, looked very rusty on the field and did not move enough. It's smooth and natural, and he has the same problem as Ibrahimovic at the beginning of the season, which is to stick to the ball too much.

Ibrahimovic still has this problem, but he has improved a lot. He was forced by Ye Qiu to pick out details and skills. Ibrahimovic's progress is still very obvious, but Elmand obviously does not have this kind of treatment. His skills are It's good, the ball feels good, it's sticky.

Several times, Feyenoord's ball advanced towards him and obviously slowed down, and his habit of sticking to the ball too much also gave Lucio a chance to play.

That is, in the 52nd minute of the second half, Lucio, when Elmand wanted to dribble past him, the Brazilian used his abnormal body to squeeze Elmand, and when there was a loophole in his dribbling, He stepped decisively, intercepted the ball, took two steps forward, and quickly launched a long pass.

The ball passed from Lucio's feet, crossed most of the court, and landed in front of Ibrahimovic at the edge of the penalty area.

Ibrahimovic leaned against Van Onderen with his body. Under this physical confrontation, the Dutch central defender had nothing to do with him. After stopping the ball with his chest, he saw Keita who was coming in from behind and immediately knocked the ball back.

After Keita stepped in, he got a kick from Ibrahimovic. He didn't stop the ball and hit the ball directly with a heavy shot.

"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!"

"A long shot from outside the penalty area from Seydou Keita once again penetrated Feyenoord's goal, 2:0!!!"

"Oh my god, Ajax's tactics in this game were very fierce and bold. Not only did they push the defense forward past half-court, they even played offensive football. Feyenoord's The defense simply could not prevent the fierce impact of this group of players from Ajax, and they fell again and again!”

You know, the current Ajax is not the second team of last season, let alone the newly reorganized team at the beginning of the season. It is allowed to be slaughtered and eaten by others. That is not Ye Qiu's character. He likes to take the initiative, likes to be aggressive, and likes to completely destroy his opponents, so he likes to attack!

In this game, Ajax's strategy is actually very simple. I know that you are not advancing fast enough, and I don't care what you do. In short, I just press you and hit you. If you don't make a mistake, I will hit you until you make a mistake!

Less than 10 minutes had passed since the last goal. Van der Meyde cooperated with Maicon on the right and made a 45-degree cross from the right. Ibrahimovic once again overwhelmed Van Onderen and scored Feyenoord's goal with a swing of his head. 3:0!

Every Ajax player looks extremely excited, because they all represent Ajax, and they all inherit the humiliation that Ajax suffered last season. Now, they are going to De Kuip Stadium, return to Feyenoord the shame that Feyenoord inflicted on Ajax at the Arena last season!

"In this game, we want to completely wash away the shame on the team, and we want to complete a battle of revenge!"

This was the tone that head coach Ye Qiu set for this game when facing reporters at the pre-match press conference, and the performance of him and his team did not disgrace Ajax at all. name, and fully fulfilled the promise made before the game.

Feyenoord performed very well in the Eredivisie this season, but that was based on the premise that they did not encounter traditional powers. They lost to PSV Eindhoven 0:1, which was a complete defeat. It made Ye Qiu see clearly that Feyenoord bullied the weak and feared the strong. Such a team would never succeed!

The only regret is that the attack in the previous hour was so fierce that the players' physical fitness could not keep up. In the 76th minute, Ajax was attacked by Feyenoord and scored a goal. ball.

3:1, Ajax took away a victory from Feyenoord's De Kuip Stadium that was not perfect, but was enough to satisfy and delight all Ajax fans.

After the game, Ajax Chairman Van Praag accepted an interview with the media and spoke highly of Ye Qiu's coaching and performance of the team this season. He believed that it was very wise for him to choose Ye Qiu at the beginning of the season. Decide.

"We are a young team, with the youngest lineup in the Eredivisie. We need to grow and improve. Therefore, no one should expect Ye Qiu and his team to achieve something in the first season. , We should all see how strong PSV and Feyenoord are, but in one-on-one matches, we don’t lose at all.”

"We were able to defeat strong teams like Roma, PSV and Feyenoord, which in itself proves the strength and potential of this team. I feel that Ye Qiu needs more time and trust to complete his A transformation and a dream for Ajax!”

Van Praag's evaluation of Ye Qiu was also recognized by Ajax fans. After all, the team's performance is steadily improving, and the fans' trust in the team and their affirmation of the head coach are gradually increasing. At this time, Van Praag supports Ye Qiu, which is what all Ajax fans are happy to see.

Because the team's performance is ideal, some directors who oppose Ye Qiu, including Korner, also chose to remain silent, but the military order issued by Ye Qiu was conveyed through the media.

"If I don't win the championship, I'll leave!"

This undoubtedly brings more suspense to Ajax, which is in a good momentum, because Feyenoord and Eindhoven have performed very well in the Eredivisie this season, and it is not easy for Ajax to catch up with them.

But whether it is Robben, Sneijder, Ibrahimovic, Heitinga, or Van der Vaart, who was forced to be a substitute recently, when they were interviewed by the media, they kept saying that all Ajax players would fully support the head coach.

"Since some people think that our boss needs a league championship to be eligible to stay in Ajax, then we are willing to help him win a league championship!"

The military order signed by Ye Qiu and the board of directors was leaked. This not only did not affect the morale of Ajax, but also aroused the fighting spirit of the players, making them more committed in training and competition.

On December 11, in the knockout round of the Dutch Cup 16, Ajax challenged Zwolle away.

Ye Qiu arranged a group of bench and rotation players such as Huntelaar, Van der Vaart, Hleb, Kolo Toure, De Jong and Maduro to start this game. As a result, with Van der Vaart's double goal, Huntelaar and Hleb's goals, Ajax defeated Zwolle 4:0 away and successfully advanced to the quarterfinals.

Ajax's opponent in the Dutch Cup quarterfinals is Groningen from the Eredivisie. The time is January 30 after the winter break. At that time, this game will be held at the Arena Stadium.

On December 17, in the 18th round of the Dutch Eredivisie, Ajax faced Twente at home.

Ajax, playing at home, took advantage of the home advantage and launched a fierce attack on Twente from the beginning.

First, in the 14th minute, Robben broke through on the left, passed two players in a row, and knocked the ball back to the front of the penalty area in the penalty area. Sneijder inserted a hard shot and penetrated Twente's goal, 1:0.

After that, Twente launched a round of counterattacks. Hesselink got a chance to head the ball and almost penetrated the goal guarded by Grimm, but Ajax quickly returned the favor.

Van der Meyde suddenly broke into the penalty area on the right, and Sneijder's lob pass came to him accurately. He didn't even need to stop the ball, but kicked it directly. The ball changed its original downward momentum and went straight to the upper right corner of the goal, 2:0!

But just 8 minutes later, Ibrahimovic got the ball at the front of the penalty area and passed it to Robben on the left. The latter went down the bottom, but was fouled. Ajax got a free kick opportunity. Sneijder took the free kick, Lucio headed the ball, and Kivu easily pushed the ball into the goal at the front point, 3:0!

The first half ended with a score of 3:0, but Ajax's offensive momentum did not decrease at all in the second half.

First, Keita used Ibrahimovic's back-knock and shot hard at the front of the penalty area, scoring another goal for Ajax. Then, Maicon passed the ball into the penalty area from the right. Ibrahimovic stopped the ball with his chest and turned to shoot, expanding the score for Ajax to 5:0!

After a long attack, Ajax was unstoppable, but soon after, the players' physical fitness had problems again. In the 81st minute, Hesselink took advantage of a set-piece opportunity. Lucio made a mistake and the Dutch center scored a goal for Twente to save face, and the score of 5:1 was maintained until the end of the game.

Although Ajax beat Twente 5:1 at home, PSV Eindhoven's performance was not much worse. Gretz's team beat Alkmaar 5:0 away and once again got 3 valuable points.

Feyenoord, which has been in poor form recently, was first eliminated from the UEFA Cup, and then was defeated by PSV Eindhoven and Ajax in the Eredivisie. It also got its third defeat of the season, which surprised the fans who were originally optimistic about Feyenoord, because the team gradually returned to normal after the crazy winning streak at the beginning of the season.

On the contrary, PSV Eindhoven has always been steadily scoring points. Now it has caught up with Feyenoord in points. The two teams are tied, and more importantly, they have only lost one game so far this season, which was the first round of the league. After that, they have maintained an impressive record of 17 unbeaten games.

Ajax's performance has fluctuated, but Ye Qiu's team has always been steadily catching up with the two teams. The current points gap between them and the two teams tied for the top of the list is about 8 points, which is still a bit large.

On the contrary, the teams behind them, such as Utrecht and Roda JC, are currently about 3 points behind Ajax.

As the Amsterdam Evening Post concluded at halftime, it is believed that Ajax has just been reorganized and has the youngest lineup in the Eredivisie. It has won the third place in the league. As long as it continues to maintain its current state and momentum, it will not be a problem to enter the Champions League qualification zone.

"Although Ye Qiu has made a promise that he will be fired if he does not win the league championship, I believe that more and more Ajax fans are changing their views on Ye Qiu and the team he leads, especially in the recent games. The team's offensive football is very pleasing to the eye, which also proves that Ye Qiu is not only good at training defense, but also very good at training offense!"

"And we also believe that the winter break will give Ye Qiu a chance to prepare again, and Ajax's sprint in the second half will satisfy more Ajax fans!"