Ajax's rebuild is being talked about as more than a simple reset. Marcel van der Kraan says the club lost people who understood its DNA, and that loss helped create the drift now sitting behind the results. The banners at the Johan Cruyff Arena still celebrate 36 league titles, European Cup successes and Intercontinental Cup victories, but the gap between that history and the present is obvious.

Van der Kraan's view on Ajax's drift

Marcel van der Kraan told rte.ie: "Two of the big giants, both former players, with the DNA of Ajax and knowing how it works falling away led to other people becoming in charge. That, when you want to keep the culture of a club together, has cost them a lot."

That is a strong diagnosis, and it fits the wider picture. Ajax reached the 2019 Champions League semi-finals after knocking out Real Madrid and Juventus. Since then, the club have had ten different coaches in the dugout between 2022 and 2026, and the instability has been hard to ignore.

The current numbers are not pretty either. Ajax are 32nd in the 2025 UEFA Champions League table with 6 points from 8 matches. They have only 2 wins in those 8 games, with a -13 goal difference and 8 goals scored against 21 conceded. That is not the profile of a side comfortably in control of its direction.

The rebuild still has early signs only

There have been some signs of life. Ajax won 4-1 away at Vojvodina on 2026-07-23 and repeated the same scoreline at home on 2026-07-30. Those results do not amount to a full turnaround, but they do show a team with a bit more rhythm than the one that has spent recent seasons lurching from one reset to the next.

Shelbourne add an interesting contrast in the Conference League. They are 34th in the 2025 UEFA Europa Conference League table with 2 points from 6 games, and their record is 0 wins from 6 matches. Ajax are still the bigger club and the more recognisable name, but the broader lesson is less about prestige than about organisation. Ajax are trying to restore control first, and the football should follow.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →