John Heitinga will finish the season as coach of Ajax, the national champion announced on Thursday. The former defender thus definitively takes over the duties of Alfred Schreuder, who was fired on January 26. Dwight Lodeweges will act as one of his assistants.
One day after Schreuder’s departure, Heitinga was already put forward by the board of the national champion. With the former international at the helm, Ajax dealt with Excelsior (1-4) on Sunday. With that, the team from Amsterdam ended a series of seven Eredivisie matches without a win, equaling a negative club record.
The 39-year-old Heitinga has stood for the group of players of Jong Ajax since mid-2021, which he led to seventh place in the Kitchen Champion Division last season. Last autumn, the former defender extended his contract with Ajax until mid-2025.
General manager Edwin van der Sar has had several conversations with Gerry Hamstra and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who are responsible for technical policy, about Schreuder’s succession in recent days. Heitinga also joined them a number of times.
“We are convinced that this is the right solution. John follows a careful and gradual path, so that he has developed very well as a trainer in recent years,” says Van der Sar. “We have great confidence in John’s qualities and the vision he expressed.”
Heitinga is the youngest Ajax head coach since Ronald Koeman. The current Orange national coach was 38 years old when he was appointed at the end of 2001 to succeed the dismissed Co Adriaanse.
Lodeweges was previously an assistant to Koeman at the Orange
The 65-year-old Lodeweges has an extensive CV. The Canadian-born was previously head coach of FC Groningen, SC Cambuur and sc Heerenveen, among others, and interim trainer of PSV. In recent years, he has mainly acted as an assistant, such as Koeman at Orange between 2018 and 2020.
Lodeweges was recently appointed as a member of the supervisory board of sc Heerenveen, but he is stepping down from that position due to his employment at Ajax. “His knowledge and years of experience ensure that he is complementary to John and the rest of the staff,” says Van der Sar.
With the departure of Schreuder, his assistant Matthias Kaltenbach also had to give way to Ajax. Michael Reiziger and Richard Witschge will stay on as members of the technical staff and, together with Heitinga and Lodeweges, will have to bring about a change for the team from Amsterdam.
Heitinga was active as a player for Ajax during two periods: between 2001 and 2008 and in the 2015/2016 season. The former defender also enjoyed his education with the team from Amsterdam. As a player, Heitinga won the title twice with Ajax: in 2002 and 2004. In 2002, 2006 and 2007, the defender won the KNVB Cup tournament with the team from Amsterdam.
In mid-2008, Heitinga exchanged Ajax for Atlético Madrid, after which he also served Everton, Fulham and Hertha BSC before returning to the team from Amsterdam in 2015. He played 87 international matches for the Orange squad and was active at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 European Championships and the 2006 and 2010 World Cups.
Ajax is having a disappointing season
After nineteen rounds, Ajax occupies the very disappointing fourth place in the Eredivisie, five points behind list leader Feyenoord. On Sunday, the inhabitants of the capital will visit low-flyer SC Cambuur.
Only the champion qualifies directly for the very lucrative Champions League this season. The number two has to enter the preliminary rounds of the billion dollar ball.
In the intermediate round of the Europa League, Ajax will duel with 1. FC Union Berlin on February 16 and 23, which is sensationally second in the Bundesliga. The team from Amsterdam was relegated to the second European level due to third place in their Champions League group. In particular, the 1-6 defeat against Napoli – Ajax’s biggest loss in a European context – came as a sledgehammer blow.
Despite all the sporting malheur, Ajax is still active on three fronts. In the eighth finals of the tournament for the KNVB Cup, Heitinga’s team will visit FC Twente next Thursday.
Programma Ajax in februari:
5 februari: SC Cambuur-Ajax (Eredivisie)
9 februari: FC Twente-Ajax (KNVB-beker)
12 februari: Ajax-RKC Waalwijk (Eredivisie)
16 februari: Ajax-1. FC Union Berlin (Europa League)
19 februari: Ajax-Sparta Rotterdam (Eredivisie)
23 februari: 1. FC Union Berlin-Ajax (Europa League)
26 februari: Vitesse-Ajax (Eredivisie)
