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FINAL - Wednesday 24th May - Ajax 0-2 Man Utd


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15 minutes ago, Hugh Jass said:

That is true. A team from smaller, second-tier, development league winning a European trophy would be very cool, and I hope it happens.   

Being pedantic, I wouldn't include Ligue 1 as part of a big 5 though. I think there's a big 4, with Ligue 1 still a long way behind the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga and Serie A. No French club has ever won this tournament. Marseille's 1993 Champions League title and PSG's 1997 Cup Winners' Cup title are the only successes by French clubs in major European competitions. To put it another way, Sevilla won more major European trophies in just 3 years from 2014-2016, than all French clubs have won between them in history. 

In fact Bundesliga and Serie A teams have a terrible record in this tournament as well. No Bundesliga club has won it since Schalke in 1997. Since then their only finalists have been Dortmund in 2002 and Werder Bremen in 2009, and both of those clubs were Champions League dropouts in those seasons as well, after finishing in 3rd in easy groups (Dortmund behind Boavista and Werder Bremen behind Panathinaikos). The last time a Bundesliga club even reached a Europea League semi-final was Hamburg way back in 2010.

And no Serie A team has reached the final of this competition since Parma won it back in 1999. I remember Italian clubs used to be quite disrespectful towards this competition, with clubs like Sampdoria and Palermo playing weakened teams in it. The terrible UEFA Cup/Europa League record of Serie A clubs was the reason why they lost their 4th champions league place to the Bundesliga in 2011. 

Out of the top leagues, it is only La Liga which has consistently done well in this competition, with 6 different La Liga clubs reaching the semi-finals in the last 8 years, and even a club like Levante out-performing bigger and richer English, Italian and German teams. 

Ajax though have won everything there is too win in club football, I think the best thing that will happen it will show you that money doesn't always work.   Ajax have their whole club structed by Johan Cruyff about 10 years ago, he sacked all the people on the board and only installed football people.   Even the people who are involved in the money side of Ajax are ex footballers,  Marc Overmars and Edwin van der Sar.  Ajax is back to a real football again, no one sucking money out of the club, people who work for the club are football people from the top to the bottom, this is a brilliant work done by one man,  who left behind the club he loves on the right track again and winning this cup would be a perfect way for his honour. 

The game today is traditional Football against commercial elite marketing football bullshit.

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I still want Ajax to win despite the events at the MEN. Devastating what happened of course and I hope it doesn't detract from what should be a very good final, but for me Ajax with their young and talented squad I'd prefer to see win. 

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It's a shame that Man Utd have got a star studded side out there that's probably going to win this on poignant moments to do with individualism.  The reason I say that is because some of the football I just saw in that first half from Ajax is some of the best quality football I've seen all season in the Premier League, La Liga and Serie 'A' this season (those are the leagues I watch avidly).

Infact some of that football displayed by Ajax takes me back to the early 90s with the "receive. control, stop and burst"...  This Ajax coach isn't a flash in the pan.  Brilliant football with a side that probably wouldn't pay for Pogba's weekly wages.

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As lucky as the goal was it counts all the same.

Ajax have been nervy and their inexperience shows, some misplaced passes as they started the game and a lack of intensity in the final third. Traore is running the show for them, their centre mids and forward needs to get into the game more as United are shutting them out quite easily at the moment with the attacks coming just from the wingplay.

Younes does them early in the half and now Mata and Valencia double up on him easily.

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Can't believe De Ligt is only 17. Lad looks class. For a moment I thought he was a midfielder from the technical side of his game. Did the croqueta against Herrera and Fellaini. Nice and composed on the ball. 

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