Ajax, after having to sell a number of their star players in the summer of 2022, sit fourth in the Eredivisie table halfway through the season. The defending champions’ form just before and after the FIFA World Cup break has been poor, and they are quickly falling behind in the title race. The below radar shows where Ajax rank for some of the key team metrics when compared with the other teams from the Eredivisie this season.

Ajax, currently with 32 points, (at the time of writing) sit five points behind leaders Feyenoord. After having one of the best starts to the season, winning the first six games, scoring 21 goals and keeping four clean sheets in the process, Ajax quickly lost momentum and are without a win in their last five league games. The biggest reason for this has been their defensive record with Alfred Schreuder’s men keeping only one clean sheet in their last 10 games. What is even more worrying is their home form with only four wins out of eight games this season.

One could argue that they have been slightly unlucky with the xGA lesser than the actual goals conceded. Their offensive numbers still look strong and there is not a lot to worry about on the offensive side. Ajax were very good in the big games against fellow contenders last season, but this season, they’ve already lost both against PSV and AZ Alkmaar. Their inability to not win against teams at the bottom end of the table is also one of the biggest reasons why Ajax are not top.

Ajax will be looking for some much-needed consistency going into the second half of the season. Being knocked out of the Champions League means that Ajax must now focus on the title race as we enter the key stages of the season. It would be a fair argument to say that Ajax have lost some key players and that is one of the reasons for their struggles, but even then, they are not at the levels people expect them to be, and manager Schreuder will very soon want to gain some momentum.