Super Wingstorm

As September began, winter set in over the Netherlands.

The past few days had been particularly overcast and drizzly, adding a palpable chill to the air.

After a 4-2 away loss to Breda, a grim atmosphere settled over everything from De Toekomst to the Amsterdam Arena. Everyone felt the pressure of the losing streak.

Losing 1-0 away to AC Milan was perhaps excusable, but losing 4-2 to Breda and surrendering the top spot in the league to their archrivals, Eindhoven, was unacceptable.

In the parking lot, first-team assistant coach Luther Carroll got out of his car and instinctively tightened his black coat. It was a little cold.

Heading straight for the first team’s training building, Carroll gently tapped his right thigh with the folder in his right hand, lost in thought.

Yesterday, after the second team’s match, assistant coach John van Schip had come to him specifically to submit a request. It was also the wish of head coach Van Basten, but Luther Carroll felt he couldn’t make the decision on his own.

He needed to discuss it with the nominal head of youth development—who was also the first team’s head coach, Ronald Koeman—and the even higher-ranking technical director, Van Gaal, before he could give a final answer.

He had arrived quite early and hadn’t run into anyone on his way in. But just as he reached the second floor, he heard an argument coming from the head coach’s office around the corner.

"I’m telling you, Ronald, our biggest problem right now is the complete lack of discipline in our attack. We’ve totally lost our aggression up front. Everyone—Ibrahimovic, Van der Vaart, all of them—needs to take responsibility for the four goals we conceded. And that includes you, of course."

Van Gaal’s furious voice boomed from inside the office.

"Louis, I respect you, but are you just trying to point fingers and assign blame?" Ronald Koeman demanded angrily.

"Is that how you see me?" Van Gaal retorted. "How disappointing."

After a brief pause, Van Gaal’s voice rang out again. "I told you long ago, you can’t be too lenient with these players. The most important thing for a team is discipline. Everyone must submit to the team. We need our forwards to put more pressure on the opponent, to be a threat, not just stroll around the pitch."

"Have you ever considered that if Ibrahimovic actively participated in pressing up front, there would be much less pressure on our midfield and defense? Our possession play from the back would be smoother. We could push our entire formation higher up the pitch, win the ball more in the opponent’s half, and launch counter-attacks on the spot."

"You should understand that with a center-forward like Ibrahimovic up top, that style of play would be a nightmare for any opponent."

Silence filled the office, followed by the sound of Ronald Koeman’s cold chuckle.

"Right, Louis, you’re right about everything. But have you considered whether the players are willing to do it? You were part of the conversation with Ibrahimovic yourself. Did he agree to it?"

"Then we’ll find someone who will," Van Gaal retorted bluntly.

"And what if the replacement can’t do it either? Do we replace the whole team? Or why not just replace me, the head coach? You know the technical director has that power," Ronald Koeman challenged grimly.

This time, Van Gaal said nothing more, but outside the door, Luther Carroll could easily imagine the man’s towering rage.

Conversations with this same tense atmosphere had become frequent between Van Gaal and Ronald Koeman recently. Luther Carroll had witnessed them several times, but the team’s situation remained unchanged, showing no signs of improvement.

As a coach who had come up through the Ajax system, Luther Carroll remained neutral on the matter.

To be fair, Van Gaal’s ideas and thinking were correct and aligned with Ajax’s traditional style. However, Ronald Koeman was the one actually executing the plan. He couldn’t be as ruthless with the players as Van Gaal; he had more factors to consider.

As a head coach who had been a successful professional player, Ronald Koeman was more like one of the leaders in the dressing room. This made it difficult for him to treat his players in the cold, disloyal manner Van Gaal advocated.

Both men knew exactly what the team’s problem was, yet they had been unable to find an effective solution.

"Forget it, Ronald. This atmosphere isn’t productive for further discussion. Let’s drop it for now. But I hope you understand that we must turn this situation around as soon as possible. We need to use this next week to sort out the team’s attack. We cannot lose again."

"I know what to do," Ronald Koeman replied curtly.

Hearing this, Luther Carroll knew his moment had come and slowly walked to the door.

When the two powerful figures inside saw him, their expressions instantly changed, greatly dissipating the tense atmosphere in the office. Ronald Koeman even took the initiative to usher Luther Carroll inside.

The assistant coach immediately reported the request he had received. "The second-team coaching staff would like to place Yang Yang on the special development list, to receive one-on-one training from John van Schip."

Van Gaal frowned as he looked at the document Luther Carroll handed him, feeling quite surprised.

Not long ago, at a senior management meeting, this very assistant coach had proposed putting Yang Yang on the special development list. At the time, Van Gaal had considered various factors and ultimately rejected it. He hadn’t expected the second-team coaching staff to bring it up again so soon.

’This kid has been really eye-catching since joining the team, both in training and in matches.’

Van Gaal was secretly pleased, but his face remained a neutral mask.

Ronald Koeman took the file from Van Gaal. When he opened it and saw it was about Yang Yang, a scene he had witnessed several times immediately came to mind: after their own sessions, first-team players Ibrahimovic and Maxwell would often go over to the second-team training ground to practice with Yang Yang and Vermaelen.

Apparently, the four youngsters were neighbors and were quite close.

Looking again at the report from the second-team staff, it noted that Yang Yang and Vermaelen had excellent chemistry, especially on corner kicks.

Similarly, Maxwell and Ibrahimovic were also a duo on the first team with exceptional chemistry. Back when Van der Meede was on the team, the Brazilian left-back was indispensable to Ajax’s attack from both wings.

Placing Yang Yang on the special development list meant Ajax would be investing more resources in him. In addition to a dedicated coach for specialized training, it involved a whole suite of support measures, such as a physical conditioning program.

That was why it required the approval of Van Gaal and Koman.

However, to them, this was a minor issue. Usually, if the second team proposed it and the technical department approved it, getting their sign-off was just a formality. They naturally wouldn’t stand in the way.

"Luther, have the scouts keep a close eye on the second team’s matches for a while. I want a brief report on my desk after every game," Ronald Koeman instructed suddenly, on a whim.

"Anyone to focus on in particular?"

"This Yang Yang, plus Babel and Demuer. In the midfield, that Kroen. And on the back line, Vermaelen and Lindegren. Keep a close watch on all of them."

"Understood," Luther Carroll nodded.

The Ajax first team’s current problems stemmed from the same old issues. In fact, to some extent, resolving the conflict between Ibrahimovic and Van der Vaart meant returning to last season’s strategic approach.

The right wing needed to be reactivated.

Koman was currently committed to a strategy of attacking through the center, mainly because he lacked effective wingers.

Daniel Driedger was very fast and had previously performed well for the second team, but he wasn’t good at dribbling past opponents. Speed alone wasn’t enough, so Koman had barely paid him any attention this season, keeping him on the bench.

Victor Skora was a right winger Ajax had acquired from Vitesse a year ago. He had been Van der Meede’s backup, but was promoted to the starting lineup this season. His biggest problem was his inconsistency; his performance fluctuated wildly, and his technique and feel for the ball were his weak points.

Both players had their issues. Constrained by the team’s current situation, Ronald Koeman had temporarily placed his trust in Scola, frequently starting him or bringing him off the bench. Scola had his moments, but on the whole, neither he nor Driedger were players the team could truly rely on.

This was the unfortunate reality for a club like Ajax.

After all the hard work of developing Van der Meede, a Serie A giant came and whisked him away for just over ten million euros. It was a huge loss for Ajax, and the team’s performance suffered greatly as a result.

Finding a player to quickly fill the void left by Van der Meede was easier said than done.

"If I recall correctly, that Vermaelen is left-footed, isn’t he?" Ronald Koeman asked suddenly.

Luther Carroll thought for a moment before nodding. "He is."

"Good. Keep a closer eye on him, then."

Dutch managers have always been particular about details. They often prefer a center-back pairing of one left-footed and one right-footed player.

Currently on the first team, Escude was left-footed, though his right foot was also exceptionally agile. Heitinga and Pasanen, however, were both right-footed. That’s why Ronald Koeman was paying close attention to Vermaelen.

Van Gaal remained silent at the side, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t listening intently.

Even before coming to Ajax, he had anticipated the potential for conflict with Ronald Koeman. To put it bluntly, their positions and coaching philosophies were different, which would inevitably lead to friction.

If the team were sailing smoothly and the board wasn’t applying pressure, he would have been willing to let things slide. But now, with the team facing obvious, serious problems, he felt it was necessary to give the young manager a wake-up call.

Being able to get along well with the players was a good thing, but not if it led to being overly lenient.

’As for Yang Yang... I’ve been so swamped lately I haven’t had time to pay him any mind. I didn’t expect the kid to be doing so well on the second team.’

’The fact that Van Basten and the second-team staff are proposing to put him on the special development list is proof enough of the progress he’s made. It shows he’s already established a firm foothold in the Ajax Youth Academy.’

’If there’s a shake-up on the first team, he might even get his chance to move up.’

’Of course, that’s only if Yang himself has what it takes.’