High-level sport is about many things, with raw talent, commitment and dedication often a winning formula. However, at the most elite end of things, there is often almost nothing to separate the very best in this regard. The best in almost any sport are blessed with abilities the rest of us can only dream about, and a work ethic that would give most of us nightmares.
Often, then, what differentiates the exceptional from the truly world-class is what happens in a player’s mind. In sports such as snooker, darts, golf and batting in cricket, the ability to block out the noise, maintain focus and deliver the goods under huge pressure is vital. This side of things is generally less important in faster-paced games and team environments but even then, in football, rugby, or other similar sports, handling pressure is often a massive factor in dictating which players and teams are successful.
Watching a player unravel can be painful, with Rory McIlroy’s travails at times a classic example of this. And in the Netherlands this season, we may have seen one of the biggest collapses in recent football history, certainly in a top European league. This has been painful, certainly, for fans of Ajax, but no doubt rather enjoyable for many fans of other Dutch football sides and even perhaps neutrals.
Image: Kevin Hoogheem via flickr.
Topping the Table and Going Clear
Ajax began the 2024/25 campaign rather slowly, dropping points in two of their first four league matches. However, from that point onwards, normal service resumed and the most successful team in Dutch football began to string some positive results together. The club have won 36 domestic league championships, not to mention 20 KNVB Cup wins and four victories in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League. They are also in a select group of clubs to have also won the Europa League and the now-defunct Cup Winners’ Cup.
By the halfway stage of this season, Ajax were beginning to look like a side more than capable of winning a 37th Eredivisie title. After that poor start to the campaign, they won five games on the spin and after 17 games of the 34-match season, they had risen to second in the table. They had lost the 15th match of the campaign, away at AZ Alkmaar (who went on to finish fifth), but that would be their only loss between the second match and the 31st of the 2024/25 campaign.
Eredivisie 2024/25 Table at the Halfway Point
| Pos. | Team | Played | W | D | L | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PSV | 17 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 45 |
| 2 | Ajax | 17 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 39 |
| 3 | Urecht | 17 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 36 |
| 4 | Feyenoord | 17 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 35 |
| 5 | AZ Alkmaar | 17 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 32 |
| 6 | FC Twente | 17 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 31 |
They were scoring freely and really sharing the goals around, with a really big contribution coming from midfield via the likes of Kenneth Taylor and Davy Klaasen. After their 2-1 loss against AZ they won 10 games in a row before Alkmaar again upset them, managing a 2-2 draw at the Ajax Arena.
Nonetheless, by that stage Ajax were top of the table and beginning to look unstoppable. That view only strengthened in the club’s next clash against their main title rivals, PSV Eindhoven. It was an even game but the men from Amsterdam came out on top 2-0 thanks to goals from Klaasen and Bertrand Traore. The Netherlands’ most famous club had completed the double over PSV, having won 3-2 at home in November.
Eredivise 2024/25 Table After Matchday 27
| Pos. | Team | Played | W | D | L | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ajax | 27 | 21 | 4 | 2 | 67 |
| 2 | PSV | 27 | 18 | 4 | 5 | 58 |
| 3 | Feyenoord | 27 | 15 | 8 | 4 | 53 |
| 4 | Urecht | 27 | 15 | 7 | 5 | 52 |
| 5 | AZ Alkmaar | 27 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 46 |
| 6 | FC Twente | 27 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 46 |
This win meant they entered April with a nine-point advantage over PSV. They also had the wind in their sails and were looking like a team that would walk away with the title. It was a must-win clash for the men from Eindhoven – or so it seemed – and on home soil they had succumbed to the pressure.
Ajax then went on to win their following two league games. They beat NAC Breda 3-1 at home, before a 2-1 win away at Willem II. With five games of the season to play, and having won 40 of the last 42 points available, they held a nine-point lead at the top of the table. Even if PSV managed to win their final five fixtures, Ajax would secure the title by taking just seven points from the remaining matches. For a team that had dropped just 14 points all season up to that point, surely it was game, set and match?
Unthinkable Collapse
The 20th of April was the day things began to go wrong for Francesco Farioli’s team when they rather inexplicably got thumped 4-0 by Utrecht. The game was away from home, and their opponents would go on to finish fourth in the table but there can be no getting away from the fact this was a big shock.
Utrecht, relative minnows of Dutch football, had held Ajax to a 2-2 draw in December and despite this shock defeat, Ajax remained massive favourites for the title. Rivals PSV faced very tough trips to Twente (who finished sixth) and big rivals Feyenoord, who went on to finish third. With three of their final five games away from home, including those two obviously testing trips, it seemed rather unlikely that PSV would win all five. And of course, even if they did, Ajax would still be able to afford to draw one and lose one of their last four and still claim glory.
A week on from their 4-0 loss Ajax hosted Sparta Rotterdam and could only manage a 1-1 draw. It would be premature to say the wheels were falling off but they were certainly creaking. Or maybe that was down to it being squeaky bum time? PSV had beaten Twente 3-1 and then 4-1 at home, reducing the gap to four points with three games to play.
Ajax then proceeded to lose 3-0 in front of their own disbelieving fans, against mid-table NEC. With PSV earning a massive win at Feyenoord, by three goals to two, the cat was well and truly among the pigeons. Ajax’s fate was still in their own hands but they had gone from near-certainties to, almost, outsiders.
Next they travelled to Groningen and it seemed they were finally going to get back to winning ways. They led 2-1 against 10 men as the game entered the 99th minute. And then Thijmen Blokziji scored for the hosts to make it 2-2. Ajax drew, PSV won, and the title, unbelievably, was now at the mercy of the Eindhoven outfit.
On the final day of the season Ajax knew that even if they managed to beat Twente, it would not be enough should their rivals get the better of Sparta Rotterdam. Sparta were firmly in lower-mid-table, with nothing to play for and PSV duly won 3-1. Ajax beat Twente 2-0 at home but it was too little, too late and PSV had gone from being nine points behind to, when it really mattered, being one point to the good.
Eredivise 2024/25 Final Standings
| Pos. | Team | Played | W | D | L | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PSV Eindhoven | 34 | 25 | 4 | 5 | 79 |
| 2 | Ajax | 34 | 26 | 6 | 4 | 78 |
| 3 | Feyenoord | 34 | 20 | 8 | 6 | 68 |
| 4 | FC Urecht | 34 | 18 | 10 | 6 | 64 |
| 5 | AZ Alkmaar | 34 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 57 |
| 6 | FC Twente | 34 | 15 | 9 | 10 | 54 |
This was the first time in almost 30 years that a side in one of Europe’s top seven leagues had thrown away a nine-point lead (or more) with just five games left. Boss Farioli was dismissed almost immediately but the pain will live with the fans for many years to come.