25 Feb 2010: Juventus FC - Ajax

[SPL]

I have no problem with Everton but Vertonghen last year said Middlesbrough and Everton had shown interest but he was not interested as they were not bigger enough . I quote them also because of Heits and even Pienaar.

[Over Pasanens Head]

We seem to lose sight of the fact that this is still a very young team (I think 8 of the starters are 23 years and younger)

What was the average age of the 1995 side that won the CL?

Good question. Here is what I found out from this website: http://www.zanziball.it/en/28/5ea.html

I don't remember what the exact starting lineup was for the CL final match up. Blind and Silooy were the only players over 30. Kanu and Kluivert were both 19. Davids and Overmars, each 22. Everyone else 24 & 25. Of course this was in the pre-Bosman era, but still a very young team indeed. Many were from the Ajax youth system as well (Litamen was not and I think Overmars started out somewhere else as well). [added in edit] the website is missing Frank Rijkaard who whose last match was the Milan CL final. He was also over 30 (33).

Another edit Here is a better roster with birthdates and games played: http://www.ronaldzwiers.0catch.com/Ajax/1995.htm It still is a very young team!!!

Exactly - it isn't the age of the team that is the problem - it is the quality of the players - which of the current group would have got near to playing in the 1995 team. Might be 1 and he will be off in the summer

[Philippe]

There is absolutely nothing to build on here, we have been going downhill since Bosman, and it seems like nobody has any clue how to stop the decline.

It's "only" a matter of money. As long as we'll have the Bosman non-regulation system, there is no hope to reach the top (last 8 in the CL) again.

Speaking of decline, it would be interesting to compare those two games with the 97 CL semi-finals. We lost the first leg, at home, with the same 1-2 score. In those days, the CL final was at stake. Juventus drugstore was about to get famous. We lost the return game with 1-4.

IMO juventus’ decline is worse than ours.