Míchel’s Ajax Hits Cruising Speed as Contender
Ajax are starting to look like a Míchel team. Not just on the ball, but in their entire posture. That is the verdict from Catalan sports daily Mundo Deportivo, which has been tracking the Amsterdam club’s sudden surge with growing admiration.
“Míchel’s Ajax have reached their cruising speed.”
Strong words for a coach only a few months into the job, but the recent evidence is hard to ignore.
A Team Playing Like It’s Been Together for Years
What strikes the Spanish observers most is the cohesion. Mundo Deportivo notes that this Ajax side move and combine as if they have been together for years, even though Míchel is still in the early stages of his project.
Patterns are sharper. Pressing looks coordinated. The ball circulates with purpose, not just for possession’s sake. From Spain’s vantage point, Ajax have gone from a team in transition to a group suddenly playing with the assurance of a contender.
The 5-1 demolition of Willem II on Tuesday has become the latest exhibit.
Willem II Thrashed as Ajax Turn the Screw
Ajax did not just beat Willem II. They overwhelmed them.
- Seventy per cent possession.
- Thirty-three shots.
- A 2-0 lead banked by half-time, yet no easing off after the interval.
The scoreboard could have been even more brutal.
For Mundo Deportivo, that match crystallised the shift under Míchel: a side that dominates the ball, suffocates opponents, and keeps hunting goals even with the result already in hand. The intensity did not dip, the structure did not fray. Ajax stayed on the front foot until the final whistle.
Goals Flowing, Confidence Rising
The Willem II rout fits into a broader pattern that has caught Spanish eyes. Across their last four league matches, Ajax have been relentless in front of goal.
- They hit four past Telstar.
- They managed one against PSV.
- Then five against Fortuna Sittard and another five against Willem II.
Four games. Fourteen goals.
The only blemish in that run is the 1-3 defeat to PSV, yet Mundo Deportivo insists the scoreline did not reflect Ajax’s performance. The paper argues Míchel’s team merited more from that encounter, both in terms of chances created and the way they imposed themselves for long spells.
Strip out that loss and the numbers are emphatic: three wins, nine points, and a goal machine starting to whir ominously into life.
Baas Stands Tall at the Back
Amid all the attacking noise, one defender is also drawing praise. Mundo Deportivo singles out Youri Baas for his work at the heart of the Ajax back line.
In a side suddenly scoring at will, Baas’s composure and consistency provide balance. His performances help explain why Ajax can commit so many players forward without completely losing their defensive shape.
It is the kind of platform title challengers need.
From Project to Contender?
For now, the headlines in Spain frame Ajax as a team on the rise, a project accelerating faster than expected under Míchel. The football looks fluid, the numbers back it up, and the performances are starting to match the club’s ambitions.
If this really is their “cruising speed,” the obvious question lingers over the rest of the league: who is ready to stop them?
