Erik ten Hag was the right one, at least for Ajax. No one suited the club after him. The Dutch giant had changed four coaches during the previous two seasons, and since they did not succeed with any of them, they decided to end the long-standing tradition, all in the hope that the ‘carousel’ would stop.Ajax appointed Francesco Farioli, their first foreign coach in this century – Swedish strategist Morten Olsen worked until 1998 – as the new head of the coaching staff. They signed a three-season contract with the Italian born in Barga, near Firenze.Farioli arrives at the Johan Cruyff Stadium from Nice, after only one season spent at Cote d’Azur, that is, after just over three years of working independently as a first-team coach. His first club was Karagumruk, where he spent only nine months before taking over Alanyaspor. However, it was only with the results in Nice that he drew attention to himself.##NAJAVA_MECA_8124233##The French club was considered one of the more pleasant surprises in Europe in the first part of the season. For a long time, they were close behind Paris Saint-Germain in the fight for the title, but in the spring, they fell into a crisis and finished the championship in fifth place, advancing to the group stage of the Europa League. However, the weaker performances at the end of the competitive year did not change the impression of the Ajax leaders that Farioli is the solution to their problems.”Francesco is a coach who is passionate about his profession, who thinks through everything in detail and can convey his thoughts well to the team. We were very enthusiastic after the talks we had with him. But also because of the data we had already collected about him. For example, about his way of working and thinking about football. All in all, we are convinced that he fits in with Ajax,” said Ajax’s technical director Alex Kroes.Farioli’s Focus ✍️Interview coming soon in our Ajax Official App & on our YouTube channel.— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) May 23, 2024 The 35-year-old Italian expert did not hide his enthusiasm.”I am happy to be here in Amsterdam. Together with my team we will work hard. We want to go back to basics and connect them with what Ajax stands for. We also want to bring new energy with a positive way of thinking and working. I am aware of the fact that there is a lot of work ahead of us, but we have already started to prepare. We don’t want to waste time, we want to prepare for the start of the season and get Ajax back where it belongs,” Farioli said.As a reminder, Ajax finished the season in fifth place, and as a result, they will start the qualification for the group stage of the Europa League from the second round.
