The beauty of the team lies in the teamwork, cohesion, work ethic, philosophy and incredible talent and intelligence on display. This was not a team built of superstars or players that had been bought. It’s a team comprised mainly of home grown talent, a brilliant mix of Youth and experience. The Dutch teams have always been famous for their intelligent and fluid style of play, where players can occupy multiple positions and keep a high line with lots of possession in the opponents half thereby creating immense pressure that eventually led to goals.
The goal was in the custody of Dutch great Edwin Van Der Sar, a man who would become a legend for Holland and Manchester United among other teams. He is often overlooked due to the happenings in front of him, but his contribution can not be understated and was one of the prime reasons Ajax had such an unbreachable defense.
The back line consisted of three defenders in Van Gaal’s preferred 3-5-2 formation. Danny Blind played sweeper for this team and captained them admirably. He was one of the most intelligent players of the team and held the team together. Michael Reiziger and Frank De Boer were alongside him, during a potent back three. De Boer and Reiziger usually man marked opposing strikers leaving Blind free to roam around and clean up the deep balls and runs.
The midfield was stacked with some of the finest footballers to ever grace the football fields of Ajax. Edgar Davids, Ronald De Boer, Clarence Seedorf and Franck Rijkaard formed a fine blend of experience and youth and controlled most games with their ability to keep the ball and make offense from defense almost seemlesly. Rijkaard was the hard working defensive midfielder who did all the dirty work while protecting the back three and also starting offense. Davids was his usual influential self, making moves and scoring goals and creating chances for the forward line to reap benefits from. Sweeper wasn’t a regular starter but would become one of the giants of UEFA Champions League football by winning titles with three different teams, the only player to do so.
The wings were manned by Marc Overmars and Findi George, two lightning quick players who wrecked havoc down the flanks for every team throughtout the season. The goals, assists and runs were all secondary to the entertainment they provided, along with keeping their opponents on the ties always as they had the ability to make the opposition pay in the blink of an eye.
The attack comprised of Jari Litmanen and a young Patrick Kluivert with Nwanko Kanu on the bench. Litmanen was the little magician who pulled all the strings on offense, creating magic out of nothing and molding Kluivert and Kanu along with acting as the link between the midfield, wings and the strike force. Litmanen would also frequently fall back and help out in midfield when the defense and mid field was scattered to prevent opposing wingers from getting deep positions. Kluivert was just honing his skills and would end up as their leading league scorer while Litmanen ended as their overall leading scorer. For all of Kluivert’s talent and finishing, it was Jari Litmanen who was the more feared out of the duo, scoring in important matches and displaying skill and trickery beyond compare.
But for all the individual talent and skill, this was a team solely based on team performance where everyone performed an equal role and took an equal reponsibilty. Louis Van Gaal instilled the culture of the team first attitude while also playing fabulous flowing football that left spectators mesmerized. It’s a fitting end to one of the best teams in history that they ended up going unbeaten. Ajax would be dismantled next season because of the Bosman ruling, leaving the Dutchteam without its superstars or money. The story that followed is not a happy one but for one brief year, this was a team that dazzled and amazed their way to the European Cup and Dutch Eredivise and leave a lasting Impression for future teams to build on.
All players from this team went on to be the regarded as stalwarts in their respective positions headed by the superb Van Gaal, whose reputation precedes him.