Former Ajax talent Pascal Heije sees with dismay what the youth academy of the Amsterdam team now looks like. The former midfielder is hurt by how the youth academy has deteriorated and he knows where the problem lies.
Heije sees how the mentality in the youth academy at Ajax has changed since he went through it. “We always wanted to be the best,” he says in conversation with ELF Football. “Opponents were afraid when they had to play against an Ajax youth team. And now look. I get tears in my eyes when I see the results every week. I hardly see a winning mentality anymore in the mindset of the players.”
Article continues below video
According to Heije, the problem lies in the fact that Head of Development Casimir Westerveld has too much power. “The same playing style is used up to and including the Under 18s, 1-3-4-3. Why with three defenders at the back is a mystery to me. Soon they will have to make the step to Jong Ajax or the first team at the end of the process. Then suddenly they get into trouble. They end up in a different system. Why does someone, who has never been assessed on his experiences to run a training course, decide this?”
“It is being preached to the outside world that the real Ajax DNA must return,” Heije continues. “The statement is a nonsense. The youth is the foundation of every club. But look at the names within the youth academy. Ronald de Boer, John Bosman, Richard Witschge, Sonny Silooy, Marco van Galen and Jan Wouters, these are real Ajax players. These men have been with the club for many years and know what is required. But beyond that? There are now mostly yes-men walking around within the trainers’ guild at De Toekomst. Trainers who do not dare to give their opinion. Let alone criticism, because they are afraid of losing their job. They are even happier to wear an Ajax tracksuit than their players and find it so important that they agree to someone else. Afraid of losing their place. Their main goal is to retire without worries. When they act, they do not focus on their players, but on themselves.”
Heije was nominated by Alex Kroes to work as a youth coach at Ajax, but to no avail. “I received a text back from Casimir that there was no place for me as a trainer this season. The choice fell on an external trainer, because they supposedly wanted to expand the scope. Another person from outside. Another person without Ajax DNA. Even though I have never spoken to Westerveld. Never could explain my vision, tell my story. He didn’t even want to listen.” According to the former footballer, the term ‘Ajax DNA’ no longer means what it once stood for. “You can now throw that concept in the trash. The club needs a figurehead as head of training. In my time that was Co Adriaanse. Put someone like Wim Jonk there, someone like Marciano Vink. They know the club inside and out. They command respect. When they say something, everyone listens. Bring back former Ajax players. As long as that doesn’t happen, everything will continue as it is and I fear that Ajax’s youth academy will only deteriorate further. That hurts me,” he concludes.
➡️ You may also find this article interesting
-
