John Heitinga’s thrillingly fluid Jong Ajax

There were rumours that John Heitinga was not particularly interested in pursuing management after his playing career but returned to Ajax to coach at youth level, working his way up to the Jong Ajax team. Last year, Mitchell van der Gaag’s Jong Ajax side were disappointing as they were mistake prone and failed to grasp the intriguing tactical blueprint of the first-team, finishing a lowly 16th while this season, under Heitinga, they are more tactically adventurous and have risen to 4th as the most effective pressing team in the Eerste Divisie as the 38-year-old has been outstanding. They embarked on a 13-game streak without a loss which ended against Telstar as Heitinga has outlined himself as a tactically progressive young coach in his first professional job.

Build-up

In build-up, Heitinga has instilled a philosophy which breeds a fluidity in their build-up shape as well as their player’s positional roles in the build-up shape. As the season has progressed, Heitinga has continuously encouraged his side to be more fluid in positional roles with players occupying free spaces to work possession out of specific pressing situations. Jong Ajax utilize inverted fullbacks from the start of the season as they would tuck into the 8 space and the midfield three while as the season has gone on, fullbacks will now move into the six-space as Jong Ajax look to have positional rotations in the midfield area to manipulate opposition man-orientated pressure as well as engineering spaces to work the ball out of.

Normally, Jong Ajax will start with a standard 2+3 shape with goalkeeper involvement and the centre-backs circulating possession amongst each other to attract pressure. One of the primary tenets of Jong Ajax’ build-up sequences is the rotation in the six-space as in situations where the opposition are applying pressure, Jong Ajax will move to one side of the pitch with the deepest-lying midfielder moving to the flank to receive possession before Jong Ajax work the ball to the ball-far centre-back with the deepest-lying midfielder holding his position on the opposite flank to occupy his marker while the ball-near 8 or even the attacking midfielder will drop into the six-space to receive possession where he will work the ball to the wide areas or to the six who will move into space to receive possession once his teammate received the ball in the six-space.

In the situation above, Jong Ajax are in their 2+3 build-up shape with the opposition in a medium block which has allowed the left-sided centre-back to push up with possession as in this situation, he can play a raking line-breaking pass directly to the nine-space for the striker to lay-off to the central spaces for a switch ball to the flank and a low crossing opportunity. The left-back has been able to push higher as with Jong Ajax occupying the opposition double-pivot as with the centre-back pushing up, the opposition winger will be forced to tuck inside and engage the centre-back which will allow Jong Ajax’ left-back to make a blind-sided movement to receive possession for his team to evade two lines of opposition pressure. Jong Ajax’ player spacing is integral as Heitinga has turned them into a highly vertical side in possession as the centre-backs and deepest-lying midfielder have a triangle while the deepest-lying midfielder and two 8s have a triangle as the ball-far fullback, midfielder and winger have also formed a triangle.

In the situation above, the left-sided centre-back can also turn and play the ball to his goalkeeper or his centre-back partner at which point, the right-back will tuck into the central spaces to draw his marker and open a passing lane for his winger to receive possession and play a one-touch pass inside to the fullback positioned in the half-space. The fullback tucking into the 8 space allows the midfielder positioned in the 8 space to move to the 10 space where he is a passing option to receive deep vertical passes in between the lines or shorter passes from the half-space as this also allows Jong Ajax to stagger their midfield. In this situation, if Ajax decide to rotate in the six-space, the 8 will drop deep with the fullback tucking inside to occupy the central midfielder as if the ball is played back to the goalkeeper, there are sequences where the fullback will be able to drop into the six-space to receive possession as this movement allows them to generate the space to evade pressure.

Positional rotations in the six-space and one-touch passing interchanges are a key press evading sequence for Heitinga’s side. The six will interchange positions with a fellow midfielder who will receive possession and work a one-touch pass to the six who has moved into the next line where he will play a pass in between the lines or switch the ball to the flank to stretch the pitch. There are other instances where the ball will be played into the wide areas for the fullback who will be tasked with playing a deep vertical pass to the nine-space as the original six will make a third man run in between the lines to be perfectly positioned to receive a lay-off and switch the pass to the flank or attempt to play the ball in behind. Positional rotations in the six-space are also key under high pressure, especially when Jong Ajax play the ball back to the goalkeeper as once the goalkeeper receives possession, the midfielders will rotate to attract pressure for a switch pass or direct pass in between the lines or to create space for the goalkeeper to play a short pass to the six-space.

In order to evade or manipulate opposition pressure, Jong Ajax will utilize movement in the second-line, especially if they are facing a medium block and not high pressure from the opposition. The centre-backs will be tasked with driving the ball forward to move closer to the six-space as a player in the eight space may drop to receive possession or Jong Ajax could be employing a double-pivot as, the ball-near midfielder will push up into the attacking line to vacate space and open a passing lane for a direct ball in between the lines. In such situations, the eight could into the attacking line which allows an attacking midfielder to drop deep, Jong Ajax could also work a triangular movement where they eight pushes up and draws a marker, allowing the ball-near fullback to tuck inside which creates a passing lane to the winger who can play a one-touch pass to the eight who is now in the attacking line.

Heitinga instilled quick vertical connections for his side as in their two-chain build-up, they also look to create numerical superiority as in certain situations, the two centre-backs will be playing the ball amongst each other with the deepest-lying midfielder occupying the six-space as the ball-near 8 will drop next to him to create an overload with the goalkeeper, two centre-backs, two deeper-lying fullbacks and a midfield double-pivot as one of the deeper-lying midfielders will remain free to attract pressure and receive possession which will trigger a pressing action from an opposition player as this creates space for movement in the next line for the midfielder in possession to play the ball. Heitinga’s rotation in the six-space are also utilized in the wide areas as if the ball is played for a fullback, the six could move to the wide areas and push up to clear a passing lane to the six-space for the ball-far 8 to drop deep and receive possession to evade pressure by facilitating a switch to the opposite flank. Jong Ajax also use rotations in the deepest-lying midfield area in the opposition half as when they are recycling the ball, such fluid interchange results in Jong Ajax creating space and moving an extra man in between the lines to receive possession.

Inverted and centrally positioned fullbacks are a major facet of Jong Ajax’ build-up as the use of fullbacks as a central conduit in the build-up and attacking phase has continue to grow during Heitinga’s tenure. While the centre-backs are circulating play, the fullbacks will tuck inside into the central midfield area as this clears a direct passing lane to the winger who will receive possession and play a one-touch pass into the central spaces to ease transition. With their fullbacks tucking inside, Jong Ajax could also have the opportunity for central overloads as if the ball is played back to the centre-backs, they have a plethora of passing options in between the lines, especially with the fullbacks holding the eight space. Inverted fullbacks also facilitate Heitinga’s aforementioned rotations in the six-space as once they tuck inside, one of the 8s can drop into the same vertical line as the deepest-lying midfielder to receive possession with the deepest-lying midfielder pushing up to drag a marker out of position.

In the situation above, Jong Ajax are utilizing their fullbacks in the eight space as their deepest-lying midfielder has dropped deep to create a defensive three-chain, one of their 8s has dropped into the six-space while the other 8 is in the 10 space. Heitinga’s side are using a diamond 3-4-3 build-up shape akin to Louis Van Gaal’s Ajax or it could be considered a 3-3-4. Jong Ajax have numerical superiority in the first line as they will play a wall-pass into the six-space before moving the ball to the wide areas where they will have an overload as this is where the inverted fullbacks become influential in receiving possession in between the lines to facilitate transition. The inverted fullback can also drop deep to attract their marker and create space for a deep vertical pass to the nine or ten space where Jong Ajax will have the width to switch the ball to the flank for their wingers.

Inverted fullbacks facilitate transition as they create a triangle that Jong Ajax utilize for wide rotations before they move the ball into the centre of the pitch in the attacking phase. The use of inverted fullbacks has also been good for Jong Ajax’ playing staff as Youri Baas is a more technical ball-playing left-back rather than a marauding left-back while in certain games, Youri Regeer has played at right-back as he is also not a marauding fullback as Heitinga’s style allows them to progress gradually with possession. In build-up, Jong Ajax will have sequences where they evacuate the six-space with the centre-backs pushing up and attacking players dropping to attract pressure before pushing up while another of their teammates will drop into the six-space to play string quick passing moves together to evade pressure. In these situations, Jong Ajax will allow their fullbacks to tuck inside and eventually drop into the six-space to receive the ball to provide fluidity in the rotations with the central midfielders taking up wide positions in the midfield three in order to disorient man-orientated pressure.

Jong Ajax are so fluid with their fullbacks tucking inside that in certain situations, their fullbacks will tuck inside due to finding a free space in midfield to receive possession or open a passing lane to the winger in the wide areas. Heitinga’s side will express their fluidity under opposition pressure when they a centre-back drives the ball forward and finds that he has no direct passing access to the midfield line so the deepest-lying midfielder will drop into a three-chain with his centre-back partner pushing into the six-space so he can receive possession in the midfield line so he can play a line-breaking pass in between the central lines or into the wide areas. The same way that Jong Ajax rotate their midfielders in the six-space is the same way that they will shuffle their centre-backs as in certain situations, Jong Ajax’ midfielders will take up centre-back positions with their centre-backs moving into the midfield line to work passing interchanges before switching positions with the centre-back dropping back to create a three-chain before the midfielder will push into the midfield line to receive possession and play the ball forward. There are sequences where Ajax are under lateral pressure on one flank as the ball-far centre-back will then push into the six-space to receive possession and facilitate a pressure evading sequence.

Jong Ajax will also switch to a 3+1 build-up shape with the deepest-lying midfielder dropping into the defensive line to create a three-chain while one of the 8s will move into the six-space to receive possession. Despite Heitinga’s use of inverted fullbacks, he will rarely utilize a fullback in a three-chain as utilizing a midfielder in the three-chain is one of his rotational ploys as the midfielder will drop into the defensive-line to create a three-chain in order to attract the opposition press as one of the eights will drop into the six-space at the perfect time to receive a pass from one of the wide centre-backs to beat the first line of pressure. Heitinga’s side utilize a three-chain to have numerical superiority in the first line to attract pressure and circulate the ball to the ball-far centre-back who will drive the ball forward and look for a pass in between the lines or play a pass to the deepest-lying midfielder who is in space.

 In the sequence above, despite altering their build-up shape, the tenets of Jong Ajax’ style have remained the same, especially with the triangles in the three-chain and midfield line and the triangles with the deepest-lying midfielders and the other three players in the midfield diamond. Jong Ajax are moving the ball to the ball-far flank as they have attracted pressure from the opposition front two on one flank before moving possession to the other as once the ball-far centre-back receives possession, he will drive the ball forward or play a vertical pass into the six-space. In their build-up structure, Jong Ajax have occupied the opposition midfielders while if their ball-far winger pushes up to apply pressure, Jong Ajax’ wide player will tuck inside to receive possession with a teammate moving outside of him. It is also important to notice that occupying the six-space is Jong Ajax’ right-backs who is scanning before receiving possession as he has occupied the ball-far striker which will allow Jong Ajax’ ball-far centre-back the space to push up and drive possession into the midfield line before distributing possession.

 In a 3+1 shape, Jong Ajax will also circulate possession to stretch the opposition line of pressure before looking to open a passing lane from the central centre-back to the six-space in order to evade the first line of pressure. Once the central centre-back plays the ball to the six-space, the deepest-lying midfielder will turn and thread a pass in between the lines to the eight space to instigate an attacking move. In the three-chain, there will also be fluid movement in the defensive chain as the centre-back will push into the midfield line to receive possession with the deepest-lying midfielder tucking inside to a conventional centre-back role as the centre-back who has pushed into the six-space will have the opportunity to spread a pass into the wide areas for the fullback or work a pass in between the lines.

 Jong Ajax had a goalscoring sequence against VVV Venlo which epitomised the fluidity that Heitinga utilizes with Jong Ajax.  They had a throw in while the defence was in a back-four for one centre-back to push into the six-space and the other to hold his position to create a 3v1, the centre-back who held his position received the ball while the other centre-back moved to the ball-far flank on the left for the centre-back in possession to work a pass to the right for his teammate to push the ball forward and switch a pass to the left flank for the midfielder to drop back and work a pass to the central centre-back who turned and played a pass to the right flank again. The central centre-back then pushed up for a midfielder from the left flank to drop into a central centre-back role as the defender played a line-breaking pass to the right half-space with the central centre-back received a lay-off to drive the ball forward and spread a pass for a teammate who curled a strike into goal.

 There are also situations where Jong Ajax will evacuate the six-space in this build-up structure with the onus on the ball-far centre-back receiving possession and driving the ball into the midfield line to entice pressure before releasing the ball with a deep vertical pass or once an opposition player moves to press him, a Jong Ajax will make a timed movement into space to receive possession. Once Jong Ajax move the ball back to the goalkeeper then their midfielder will move back into the six-space to receive possession from the goalkeeper or Jong Ajax will attract pressure with a double-pivot in midfield for a longer pass in between the lines. Jong Ajax are unafraid to attract opposition pressure to play long passes into the midfield line or switch the ball to the attacking areas to start build-up moves while after the winter break. Against Jong Utrecht, Heitinga utilized deeper fullbacks than normal with his fullbacks positioned in the same vertical line as the centre-back at times to attract pressure and play through pressure.

Jong Ajax will also attract pressure for longer passes in between the lines as well as attracting pressure to one flank before switching the ball to the opposite flank to initiate attacking moves. They switch the ball through direct switches or through vertical passing interchanges by playing the ball to the fullback for a teammate to move into the half-space to receive possession to work a vertical pass in the next line. In these sequences, the ball-far fullback can tuck into the half-space to receive the switch and make the length of the switch ball shorter, giving it a higher opportunity of success or the ball-far winger can tuck inside to receive possession as once he receives possession, the ball-far midfielder will make a run inside with the fullback making an overlapping run on the flank to provide passing options and create space. In the instances where the fullbacks tuck inside, and a direct switch is played to the winger on the opposite flank, the fullback can make a circular movement outside the winger allowing him to cut inside or stretch the pitch by playing the ball to the overlapping fullback.

 Jong Ajax are also able to attract pressure in their three-chain, especially when the opposition are pressing with a first wave of three attackers as they can circulate the ball amongst each other before playing a pass into the next line or creating space for one of the wide centre-backs to drive forward and thread a pass in between the lines, especially to the player in the same zone as him, occupying the attacking half-space. They can also play the ball back to the goalkeeper as the Jong Ajax keeper is unafraid to play short passes to defenders while under pressure but if Heitinga’s side are tightly marked, the keeper will play a lobbed pass in between the lines to instigate an attacking move. Jong Ajax are also able to play switch passes to the fullbacks in the wide areas as once the fullback receives possession, he will play a deep vertical pass to the nine-space or ten space to facilitate vertical connections in the centre and a switch pass to the opposite flank for a high-quality crossing opportunity.

Positional Play

One of the impressive aspects of Heitinga’s fledgling steps into management is his ability to tailor his style to the playing staff he has while getting better results than his predecessor. In the summer, Brian Brobbey and Lassina Traore who both played with Jong Ajax last year departed the club while Julian Rijkhoff also left the club for Borussia Dortmund. The 38-year-old manager has had to be inventive with finding options up front as Max De Waal was deployed as an attacking midfielder and winger last year but was moved up front during the first half of the season, scoring 9 goals and earning a loan to Eredivisie side, PEC Zwolle as Danilo has also been used nominally. Through their rotations and cohesive attacking play, Jong Ajax are able to create a high number of attacking opportunities for their team.

In the situation above, the player spacing is integral with Jong Ajax operating with a defensive three-chain who have pushed into the opposition half as well as the triangular player spacing from Heitinga’s side. Jong Ajax are a 2+3 capable of switching to a 3+1 as Kian Fitz-Jim is holding possession as he could push up to play the ball into the wide areas and continue his run forward to attract a marker with him as the 8 currently occupying the six-space will drop deeper to receive possession in the space that Fitz-Jim has created to turn and look to thread a pass in between the lines. The right back in the bottom half of the screen will make a movement into the half-space in between the lines to receive possession once the ball is played to the deeper-lying midfielder. The right back could also move inside to open a passing lane to the wide areas for a switch ball to the weak side, giving the right winger a 1v1 opportunity as well as a high-quality crossing opportunity. These are some of the more conventional tenets of Heitinga’s style which are utilized in build-up play but are also applicable to the approach play phase in the opposition half.

 If Fitz-Jim pushed the ball forward and plays a pass into the wide areas before continuing his run, Jong Ajax will also have movements and positional rotations in between the lines as once the youngster has made his run and dragged a marker with him, the attacker in the half-space will drop into space to receive possession which will trigger a vertical run in behind from a player occupying the nine-space to receive a pass in behind while the player in the ten space will then move to occupy the nine-space to finish the opportunity. Heitinga utilizes fluidity in all facets of his team’s system as fluidity in the nine-space was especially key in using Max De Waal as a centre-forward. Players would frequently rotate in the central striking position as Heitinga utilized triangular movements and passing rotations in and around the opposition box.

 In the situation above, with Fitz-Jim pushing the ball forward, the three attacking players in the same zone as him could all drop closer to the ball to have a 4v4 or a 4v3.4v2 numerical superiority in the area while also drawing the opposition defence into playing a higher line and creating space for the striker to surge into the wide areas to receive a pass with the player nearest to him, making a circular movement around him to receive a pass while the player occupying the ten space makes a run into the box to receive a cross and occupy the ten space. Heitinga is developing a reputation as a manager who is skilled in utilizing fluidity to evade pressure and low blocks as his side create high quality opportunities with regularity during games.

Jong Ajax utilize fluidity in their blind-sided movement, especially with rotations in the nine-space with one player dropping or moving to the flank to vacate his space and create a hole in the opposition defence for a player to fill. When Jong Ajax move possession to the wide areas, they will have a teammate making a run inside while another teammate moves into the vacant position in the centre to receive possession and create passing avenues to the centre of the pitch while also facilitating a switch ball. In the deeper areas, Jong Ajax will alternate players in the six-space to create passing access to that area while the fullback will move into the eight space to create an overload as Heitinga’s side are capable of creating situations where the midfielders rotate in the central spaces and the fullback receives possession in the ten space.

In the attacking phase, Heitinga’s side move the ball quickly through quick vertical short passing sequences as their close and triangular player spacing allows them to interchange positions, drawing defenders out of position and generation space for quick passing sequences on their way into the opposition box. In the nine-space, they will frequently interchange as they could have situations where the ball is being played forward through the central areas, the striker occupying the nine-space will drop out of the areas and move into the half-space to vacate the position and allow a run from a deeper player to move into the nine-space to receive possession to lay-off the ball to the ten-space or to the original central attacker for a teammate to make a third man run behind them to receive possession and have a 1v1 opportunity on goal.

 In terms of their nine-space rotations, vacating and occupying space is key in how they disorient the opposition back-line as if Jong Ajax are operating in a flat attacking line of five or six and progressing through the wide areas or half-spaces, the striker and ball-near attacker in the half-space will interchange positions with the player occupying the half-space dropping to receive possession to create a triangle in the deeper areas to receive possession as the attacker in the nine-space will also move into the half-space, vacating the nine-space and allowing a run from a deeper player into the nine-space to receive possession to have a shooting opportunity or to lay-off for a teammate. In their normal attacking rotations, Jong Ajax would have fluidity in the nine-space as this allows players in the attacking line to interchange positions, drawing markers out of position to create space for attacking players to drop deep and receive possession in between the lines.

In the situation above, Jong Ajax are in the process of disorienting the opposition defence as they have stretched the pitch with the left-back being highly placed. This is also an example of how they evade and occupy spaces in positional play sequences as the left half-space is empty with the striker holding his position and occupying his centre-back while the left-back is occupying the opposition fullback as Heitinga’s side continue to have triangular player spacing across the pitch. The player in possession is playing a vertical pass to a teammate while a midfielder is making a third man run into the vacated half-space where he will receive possession and draw markers. Once he receives possession, the central striker will make a short vertical run to receive a pass in behind while the player who is currently receiving possession in the ten space will make a movement to occupy the nine-space with the player in the ball-far half-space occupying the back-post to create crossing options.

 This situation is also a perfect indication of how Jong Ajax utilize quick vertical passing sequences in between the lines as the player could play his vertical pass before the midfielder makes a run in between the lines to receive possession to work a pass to the nine-space where the central striker will lay the ball off to the ten space for the attacking midfielder to switch a pass to the opposite flank. They can also work a sequence where the midfielder makes a run which allows the central midfielder to receive possession and lay-off to the ball-near centre-back to play a pass to the six-space who can hold the ball and work a pass into the left half-space for the midfielder who could work a delivery into the centre or spread a pass for the fullback who is now occupying the wide areas. In the first instance, Jong Ajax have been able to create an opportunity through their positional interchanges and stretching the pitch while in the second, they have been able to create an opportunity through movement and establishing overloads in the central spaces.

 A key part of Jong Ajax’ vertical attacking play is their movement allows them to make runs off the ball and create passing lanes in congested areas to circulate the ball quickly. One of the more essential ideals of the attacking style that Heitinga has implemented is playing quick short passes in the congested central areas to draw markers before spreading the ball to the flank with medium passes to stretch the opposition and create high quality opportunities from crosses. Having the ability to work short passing sequences in the centre while wide players make runs off the ball for Jong Ajax to thread passes through tight lines into the wide areas is key in the way that Heitinga’s side attack the opposition box. Once they move possession into the wide areas, Jong Ajax will have a near post runner with a player looking to receive a cut-back at the top of the box as well as a far post runner. For instance, the central striker could make a run to the near post if he is closest to the ball or a teammate make a run to the near post meaning that the central striker will hold his run and remain at the top of the box, only moving farther inside the box once the wide attacker drives the ball along the by-line.

 Jong Ajax’ fullbacks have been more proficient in this system due to Heitinga not demanding that they constantly covering the whole flank but rather positioning in places where they can make overlapping or underlapping darts to receive possession and be more efficient with their crossing opportunities. Baas will sometimes be positioned in the half-space as if the winger receives possession in the wide areas and decides to cut inside, Baas will make a circular movement to the outside of his winger to make a late overlapping run while the winger will have a teammate moving inside him. Jong Ajax also utilize movements on the right flank where the right back will push up with possession to play a pass inside before making an underlapping run to receive possession before working a one-two with their teammate occupying the nine-space for the right-back to have a high-quality shooting opportunity of their own.

Counter-pressing

Due to all their attacking impetus and the high-quality opportunities they create, Jong Ajax can concede high quality opportunities on the counter-attack with great regularity during games. This does not mean that they do not have a ferocious counter-press as they have improved in this phase of play under Heitinga, this means that when they lose possession in certain situations, they only have their two centre-backs defending as they will be unable to decide whether they should push forward to continue the counter-press or drop deep and try to defend their goal.

Once Jong Ajax lose possession, they are ferocious about swarming the ball and looking to regain possession as soon as possible while they like to have a persistent counter-press. If Jong Ajax lose possession on one flank and the opposition switch possession to the opposite flank then, Jong Ajax will continue their counter-press as they will shift to the other flank with players on the other flank tucking in to close the space and force a turnover. Another reason that Jong Ajax operate with so much risk in their counter-press is because their counter-press is ball-focused rather than player focused so when they lose possession, they will focus on swarming around the ball and forcing the turnover as if the opposition players shifts the ball to a teammate in possession, the counter-press will continue in a ball-focused manner to force the turnover. Jong Ajax’ counter-press is relentless as even if the opposition play the ball back to their centre-backs or the goalkeeper, they will shift into their press as they will not stop applying pressure on the ball until they force a turnover.

In a counter-pressing situation, the closest player will start the press by immediately apply pressure on the ball as if he is dribbled past, another Jong Ajax player will push up to make a challenge as if the ball is not moved from that zone, two or three Jong Ajax players will encircle the opposition player to force the turnover. In terms of press security, if Jong Ajax have only two defenders behind the ball, Heitinga prefers to apply pressure instead of retreating in order to force a loose pass which the defenders can recover or to force a turnover as this is one of the reasons that Jong Ajax can concede counter-attacks in the counter-pressing phase.

In situations where Jong Ajax are in the attacking phase and lose possession in the opposition half, their centre-backs will push up to apply pressure and constrain the space to force a turnover. Their centre-backs will be highly aggressive in looking to regain possession in these situations as even if the centre-backs are the last men in the Jong Ajax defensive line, they will still look to push up and apply counter-pressure to regain possession. However, if Jong Ajax have a counter-pressing situation beyond the halfway line and into their own half, the centre-backs will hold their position if the attacking players are retreating and looking to regain possession as if it turns into a counter-attacking possibility for the opposition, Jong Ajax’ centre-backs will drop back and look to defend their goal.

Pressing

Just like their fluidity in possession, Jong Ajax maintain a fluidity when pressing the opposition as their focus is on having coverage of their man-marking responsibilities as they can utilize a 4-4-2 diamond pressing shape as well as a 4-3-3 and a 4-2-3-1. Under Van der Gaag, Jong Ajax were quite an astute pressing team as it was one of their best and most effective facets of their game as even under Heitinga, this part of their game has improved. Under van der Gaag, they were second in the Eerste Divisie for PPDA with 9.46 while under Heitinga they have moved to first in the Eerste Divisie in the same metric with an 8.51 PPDA.

In the photo above, Jong Ajax are in a pressing situation as they press the opposition in a 4-2-3-1 shape as the opposition are utilizing a double-pivot as one of the deeper-lying midfielders have pushed up to mark the opposition midfielder with Jong Ajax attacking midfielder closing down the six-space for the ball-near midfielder. The opposition have just played a back-pass which has triggered Jong Ajax into a higher and more proactive press with the striker pushing forward to mark the ball-near centre-back as if the centre-back receives possession and plays a back-pass to the goalkeeper, the striker will shift from closing down the centre-back to closing down the opposition goalkeeper with the centre-back in his cover shadow, preventing passing access to the centre-back. The ball-near winger has dropped back to mark his fullback while the ball-far Ajax winger has tucked inside and will look to mark the ball-far opposition centre-back if he receives possession.

 In situations like this is how Jong Ajax can alter their pressing shape to have better coverage of their man-marking responsibilities as with the ball-far winger and striker pressing in the same-line, they can switch to a 4-4-2 diamond pressing shape while the ball-far winger has shifted from marking his fullback to marking the centre-back. Jong Ajax remedy this by tasking their fullback with pushing up to close down the fullback when he receives possession while the ball-near winger and midfielder will shift to the flank to create a numerical superiority to force a turnover. The striker will then shift his marking responsibilities to covering the ball-near centre-back to prevent back-passes while also leading the press if the ball is switched to the opposite flank or a back-pass is played.

Jong Ajax are intensely focused on managing their man-marking responsibilities aggressively in the pressure phase as they look to force a long-ball to regain possession by the half-way line or force a turnover in the opposition half, so they can instigate a quick attacking move to create opportunities. In the situation above, they are pressing in a 4-3-3 shape as the back-pass has triggered a higher and more aggressive press with the front three against the opposition defence while the deepest-lying midfielder has been marked by the Ajax attacking midfielder. The free player has also been marked while the left-back has pushed forward to apply pressure on the opposition fullback as if the ball is played to the fullback, the ball-near wide attacker will slide across to apply direct pressure with the fullback proving press security to regain a loose pass down the line. The fullback will only apply direct pressure on the ball if his attacker is unable to cover the space.

The right-winger is teasing a pass into the opposition left-back while if the keeper holds possession for a certain amount of time, this will lead to another pressing trigger from Jong Ajax with the striker pushing up to apply pressure on the goalkeeper, forcing him into a long ball or a mistake while the ball-near winger will take a more narrow shape, moving into the space in between the opposition centre-back and fullback while his fullback pushes up to support him. If the keeper attracts pressure and manages to lob a pass over the head of the striker and into the centre-back, the winger will provide cover and apply pressure on the centre-back while if the ball is played to the fullback then Jong Ajax will lateral press the flank with the winger directly engaging him and applying pressure.

Whether they are in their 4-4-2 diamond, 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 shape, the philosophy of Heitinga’s high press will remain the same as they employ a high-line to limit the spaces in their defensive block, so teammates can cover for each other and so that they can interchange shapes in order to maintain coverage and man-marking responsibilities. Their fullbacks are very high and aggressive in the pressing phase in supporting as well as directly pressing and marking the opposition fullbacks. The centre-backs are also aggressive in pushing up to win possession but also in sliding across to regain loose balls and cover for their highly positioned fullbacks. Wingers normally press as both wingers and more central attackers to force turnovers and regain possession in the first and second wave of the press.

Defensive Shape

Despite their exploits in the attacking half, Jong Ajax still leave a lot to be desired defensively as at times, the high-quality opportunities they create is negated by the high-quality opportunities they concede, especially through counter-attacks due to their aggressive counter-press and Heitinga’s side struggling to transition into the defensive phase of the game. They have one of the highest XG averages conceded in the Eerste Divisie as well as one of the most amount of goals conceded which is an issue from van der Gaag’s tenure which has not been remedied by Heitinga. It will be interesting to see if the issue can be remedied with a more experienced squad as in the past, Peter Bosz has stated that he found that more experienced teams better able to apply his aggressive counter-pressing philosophies.

Jong Ajax normally defend in a 4-1-4-1 shape, looking to constantly apply pressure on the ball as they can interchange their defensive shape into a 4-5-1 as the opposition drives deeper and deeper into their half while they can also at times look like a 4-4-2 when they are trying to transition from their defensive block to their high press. They look to keep the lines of space tight in between the central lines while not allowing the opposition to overload them on the flank, where they will look to match the opposition in 2v2s and 3v3s with the wingers covering the fullbacks. Under van der Gaag, in defensive situations, the deepest-lying midfielder would drop in between the centre-backs as a defensive ploy but that rarely happens under Heitinga. Jong Ajax like to squeeze the space in between the lines to win turnovers and while if the opposition switch the ball, they can more easily shift and defend the opposite flank.

In the situation above, Jong Ajax are in their 4-1-4-1 medium block as they have closed down passing access to the centre as well as passing access to the flank while if the opposition play a pass through space in between the winger and central midfielder, either a narrowly positioned fullback or a centre-back will push up to win possession while the winger, central midfielder and deepest-lying midfielder will also move into the area in order to force a turnover. Jong Ajax are looking to transition into their pressing shape as the central attacker is applying pressure while if the ball is played into any of the wide players in the defensive line, this will trigger the wide-players to push forward and engage their marker as the left winger is doing. The ball-far winger will always be tucked inside to allow the defensive block to shift across while when the ball is moved to their flank, they will push up to engage the defender to trigger a higher press while their fullback will push up to mark the opposition winger.

Once they regain possession, either in defensive phase or the pressing phase, Jong Ajax’ players are positioned closer together which allows them to work passing connections to evade pressure or attract counter-pressure before switching possession to the weak side. If they are being closed down on one flank, they will utilize subtle changes of position like the centre-back pushing into the six-space to disorient the opposition press and evade pressure with passing connections and tight player spacing. Heitinga’s side are well-versed in passing connections in tight spaces much like Ten Hag’s first-team side.

Conclusion

Jong Ajax have the highest expected goals and PPDA as in his first managerial job, Heitinga has improved on his predecessor as Jong Ajax were ninth in expected goals last year. On the pitch, the positional variation has in possession and the quick vertical passing interchanges has made his side one of the most interesting teams to watch this year. For the first time in a long time, Ajax have groomed a tactically progressive young coach with interesting ideas that have translated well to professional football. Jong Ajax have the second highest expected goals in the Netherlands under the Ajax first-team while they also have the second lowest PPDA in the country under Erik Ten Hag’s side as Heitinga will need to become more involved defensively as Ajax could have moulded a ready-made replacement for the highly sought-after Ten Hag. 38-year-old, Heitinga is certainly one of the young Dutch coaches to watch in the future.