OPINION: Who would Ajax pick if Maurice Steijn gets sacked?
Here are my two choices for a new Ajax manager if Maurice Steijn left the club.
Ajax Football Club is in turmoil at the moment, with issues on the pitch and off the pitch.
The club sits 16th in the Eredivisie League, one place above a relegation position, in the Dutch league. The historic club has also sacked its technical director Sven Mislintat and brought Louis van Gaal to steady the club for the rest of the season.
With the team’s recent performances in the domestic league, many may wonder who might take over the current manager position if Ajax’s current manager, Maurice Steijn left the club. Here are two managers who I think would suit the club.
Markus Schopp
Markus Schopp began his career managing Red Bull Salzburg’s youth side. The Austrian would eventually move to Sturm Graz to take up the role of interim coach.
Schopp has had a wide variety of experience working in the Austrian and English leagues, with teams such as Barnsley FC, and Austrian side TSV Hartberg.
The manager is a legend at Hartberg, taking the side from the second division into the Europa League qualifiers in the 2019-20 season. Schopp deployed a 4-1-4-1 or 4-2-3-1 in every game for Hartberg in that campaign.1 While at Barnsley he also played in a 4-3-3 system — similar to the club’s philosophy under managers such as Erik ten Hag.
One of Schopp’s main issues, while he coached at Barnsley, was using players out of position during matches. This could be one issue that may cause concerns for Ajax fans. His lengthy experience of coaching youth players in Austria would be a great fit for the club’s culture of developing young talent.
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Kjetil Knutsen
Knutsen began his career with TIL Hovding, originally as an interim coach and eventually head coach of the side.
He has managed a variety of different teams in Norway such as Åsane and currently is the head coach of Bodø/Glimt. Knutsen’s win percentage at Bodø/Glimt is about 58.37%, with the team currently placing first in the Norwegian league. Knutsen has had experience dealing with a relegation fight, managing to keep Bodø/Glimt in top-flight football in 2018 and winning the league in 2020 and 2021.
The manager has also had success in European competitions, beating managers such as Ange Postecoglou (5-1) on aggregate.2
His favourite formation is a 4-3-3, however, he demands one of his full-backs to move into the defence to create a 3-4-3.3 Defensively, they are a middle-to-high block pressing team who consistently obstructs the other team’s construction process in a 4-5-1, which turns into a 4-4-2 when one of the midfielders presses the centre-back with the ball.
Knutsen is my favourite choice to replace Steijn. The manager has dominated the Norwegian league and deserves to move to a bigger league. He is similar to Schopp as he enjoys using the 4-3-3 system. Which I think would suit Ajax’s current team better.
These are my two choices, however, I’m interested to hear your favourites too?
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Who is Markus Schopp? An in-depth look at the potential next Barnsley manager - https://www.bettingodds.com/news/who-is-markus-schopp-an-in-depth-look-at-the-potential-next-barnsley-manager
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Bodø/Glimt 2022/23: How Kjetil Knutsen’s side are still dominating the Eliteserien – scout report - https://totalfootballanalysis.com/team-analysis/bodo-glimt-2023-title-chasing-tactics-scout-report-tactical-analysis-tactics