Ajax Reach Cruising Speed Under Míchel

Ajax are starting to look like a team built in Míchel’s image – and in Spain, they’ve noticed.

Catalan daily Mundo Deportivo devoted space on Wednesday to the surge in Amsterdam, arguing that Ajax are gathering enough momentum to launch a genuine title push. Their headline was blunt and admiring: “Míchel’s Ajax have reached their cruising speed.”

For a coach only a few months into the job, that’s a strong verdict. Mundo Deportivo stressed how settled this Ajax side already appears, writing that they play as if they have been together for years, not just a handful of months under their new boss.

The latest evidence came in the 5-1 dismantling of Willem II. Ajax didn’t just win, they smothered. They hogged 70 per cent of the ball, fired off 33 attempts on goal and went into the break 2-0 up. The scoreline might have tempted some teams to ease off. Míchel’s Ajax did the opposite. They kept the tempo high, kept pressing, and kept hunting goals until the end.

That performance wasn’t a one-off burst. Mundo Deportivo pointed to a four-game league run that has showcased both the attacking volume and the growing cohesion of this side. Ajax hit four past Telstar, one against PSV, then five against Fortuna Sittard and another five against Willem II.

There has been only one stumble in that spell: the 1-3 defeat to PSV. Even there, the Spanish paper argued, Ajax came away with less than they deserved. Across those four league matches, they collected nine points and racked up 14 goals, numbers that fit the narrative of a team accelerating rather than merely ticking over.

It’s not just the forward line drawing praise. Defender Youri Baas earned a specific mention in Mundo Deportivo’s analysis, highlighted for his strong performances at the heart of the Ajax back line. In a side lauded for its attacking flair, his emergence as a reliable presence in defence underlines why confidence around this project is growing.

If this is only “cruising speed,” the obvious question in Amsterdam – and now in Barcelona’s sports pages – is how fast Míchel’s Ajax can actually go once the season reaches its decisive stretch.