Ajax and PSV Eindhoven; two giants of Dutch football looking to secure Champions League football. Both faced tough competition in what was a massive week for everyone involved. Ajax traveled to Ukraine to face Dynamo Kyiv and Mark van Bommel’s PSV welcomed BATE Borisov to the Phillips Stadion.
A Massive Week for Dutch Football
Heading into Tuesday’s tie with a 3-1 lead, Ajax’s main focus was not conceding. Fielding a strong team, featuring star man Hakim Ziyech, Ajax controlled the game from start to finish. Kyiv rarely threatened as Ajax secured Champions League football for the first time in four years.
PSV went into Wednesday’s game with a 3-2 lead on aggregate. After a scintillating first leg in Belarus, PSV made quick work of their opponents. Winning 3-0 on the night, Eindhoven’s win means the Netherlands will have two teams in this year’s Champions League group stage.
Champions League qualification is reportedly worth at least 40 million euros to both clubs.
For Ajax & PSV, the Champions League is Everything
Securing Champions League football is huge for both clubs. Financially, Dutch football is far from thriving. Clubs like Ajax and PSV can’t afford to keep star players like Ziyech, Matthijs de Ligt, and Hirving Lozano. Champions League football changes that. Ajax’s four-year absence has led to the team being forced to sell a lot of talent, including the likes of Dávinson Sánchez, Davy Klaassen and Arkadiusz Milik. In fact, Ajax has sold more than they’ve bought every season since 2015. PSV function the same way, they’ve made a profit in the transfer market every year since 2014.
These are two teams stacked with young talent, future stars of the game. However, European football is the difference between keeping and losing those future stars. To have one team qualify is usually a big deal, but two teams in the same year is massive for Dutch football.
The State of Dutch Football
The Eredivisie is the league many football fans have forgotten. Along with the Portuguese league, the Eredivisie is full of historic clubs. Unfortunately, history is all they have. Since 1955, Portugal and Holland have produced multiple European Champions, from the Ajax teams of the early 70’s all the way José Mourinho’s Porto team in 2004. However, due to the money in today’s game, these once great teams simply cannot compete on the biggest stage of all. In today’s world, they’re giants in their own land, winning title after title, dominating year after year.
This leads us to the Dutch national team. Failing to qualify for this year’s World Cup in Russia, Dutch football has hit a new low. The link between the Eredivisie and the National team is clear. As the overall quality drops, the national team will continue to struggle. The Eredivisie is a league for the young. With youth academies the focus of most of the clubs, the league almost becomes one big feeder league for the rest of Europe. Every season one rising star leaves the Eredivisie, with that player’s club being forced to sell.
Dutch football will continue to produce quality players, it’s in the league’s DNA. Although, if teams like Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord can’t qualify for the Champions League consistently, it’s difficult to see the league becoming anything more than it already is.
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