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1. Frank De Boer
Age: 43
Nationality: Dutch
Current club: Ajax Amsterdam
Major Honours/Accolades: Eredivisie (2010-11; 2011-12; 2012-13)
Expert Views:
Frank de Boer replaced Martin Jol in 2010 as Ajax head coach; it would prove to serve as the starting point of the so-called Velvet Revolution. Many former-Ajax players took executives roles at the club and the approach has been quite fruitful so far. This season, Frank de Boer has won the Eredivisie for the third consecutive time.
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In terms of tactics, de Boer completely changed Ajax’s playing style. Under Martin Jol, Ajax were depending on key players to win their matches. Football was played under the mantra: Give the ball to Luis Suarez, and we’ll see what happens.
As a big fan of Rinus Michels and later on Louis van Gaal’s “ totaal voetbal” approach, de Boer attempted to instill this. Although you could write a whole textbook about how “ totaal voetbal” should be played, the key points are: possession-based play, high pressure (as soon as the opponent gains possession), high defensive line and foremost the team should act as ONE unit, the opposite of Jol’s approach.
The former Louis van Gaal 4-3-3 formation was pulled out of the magic hat again. But Frank de Boer gave his own twist to it. “ We used to play with a real number 10 ( Litmanen and Bergkamp) but now we line up two attacking midfielders and one holding midfielder. But the philosophy is the same create triangles on the pitch, engineer a numerical advantage in midfield, and create danger from that. “
This is not the only change: orthodox wingers were swapped with wide forwards, and de Boer even experimented with a false-nine on occasions ( Eriksen).
One last thing is that he does not like the idea of adapting to his opponent. This has cost Ajax several defeats, especially in the Champions League. When confronted with this, de Boer responded with a sense of boastfulness: “ I’d rather go down fighting.
Read Top 10 Young Football Managers (Part One) here.
