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Cruyff hails 'breakthrough' at Ajax
Dec 31, 2012 2:40:00 PM
The Dutch footballing icon believes that the development at the Eredivisie giants has been excellent, and he thinks that talented future Netherlands stars will come through
Johan Cruyff has hailed Ajax's continuing improvement, and believes that the club have made a breakthrough in recent years.
The Dutch giants beat Premier League winners Manchester City in the Champions League group stage, and finished third behind Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid to make it into the last 32 of the Europa League.
Cruyff, a former star at the Amsterdam club, thinks that future Netherlands internationals are waiting in the wings and believes that the process of putting former stars in charge is working wonders.
"I'm glad that we have a breakthrough at Ajax," the ex-Barcelona boss told De Telegraaf. "The former players are leading the club now, just by thinking simply and collaborating well. With the help from specialists we can get the best results.
"I get a lot of good praise from Netherlands and other countries. Everybody thinks that the development at Ajax is fantastic.
"Of course, mistakes will be made. But it's more important that there's change coming through, a change mentally.
"The better you educate players [football-wise], the better players get. If the quality of the players and coaches grows, it's better for Dutch football overall.
"Every year there is talent coming through, but the question is: What opportunity do you give them? Who are their examples, and how do we make them fit in the Dutch team?"
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