Ajax, Lyon, Santos, and Schalke in crisis – four huge clubs fighting to avoid relegation
One footballing giant collapsing is enough for any season, but four is something quite extraordinary.
While the top end of football in the Champions League continues to be dominated by new money, teams with enough history to fill any library are heading for a next-level abyss.
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In England, even a write-off season for Chelsea saw virtually no threat of relegation despite only one win under Frank Lampard, but across seas the story is very different.
No one is quite safe in the Netherlands, Germany and France, while all the way over in Brazil, something that many thought was impossible is ten games away from happening.
Ajax
Amsterdam has a reputation as one of the most vibrant cities in the world, but a trip over this year may leave even the most optimistic travellers depressed.
From the highs of a Champions League semi-final in 2019 under Erik ten Hag with one of the most exciting young teams on the planet, it’s all gone downhill since for Ajax since the Dutchman left for Manchester United.
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Following his departure, sporting director Marc Overmars left in disgrace, and Edwin van der Sar resigned as CEO for separate reasons.
Overmars’ replacement, former Arsenal man Sven Mislintat, was then sacked over allegations of misappropriating club money.
Now even technical director Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is stepping aside citing burn-out, and it’s easy to see why.
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Record Eredivisie winners with 36 titles, Ajax lost out to PSV last season, but that’s nothing compared to this term.
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With one win in seven in the league, Ajax are second bottom, losing a six-pointer to lowly Utrecht 4-3 at the weekend, despite going 3-2 up.
It looked like things couldn’t possibly get any worse for the already unpopular head coach Maurice Steijn, and he's been sacked ahead of a potential first-ever Eredivisie relegation.
Louis van Gaal recently arrived as an advisor, but even with his legendary reputation, finding a way out of this cataclysm of mismanagement may be a task too far.
Lyon
Only a handful of games into the current season and Laurent Blanc was bizarrely asking to be sacked, later getting his wish.
Now out the door, the reasons for his desperation have become clear, with replacement and former player Fabio Grosso also unable to arrest the slide.
The parallels are similar with Ajax, last season was bad, finishing seventh, but this term they’re off to the worst start in their history, bottom of Ligue 1 without a win.
A shocking 2-1 loss to minnows and relegation favourites Clermont Foot at the weekend saw Lyon leapfrogged and dumped into last place, and they could be heading down for the first time since 1989.
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Winning seven straight titles from 2002 to 2008, Lyon are one of France’s and Europe’s biggest sides with a Champions League pedigree, reaching the semi-finals in 2020 with a win over Manchester City.
Returning heroes Dejan Lovren, Corentin Tolisso and Alexandre Lacazette have all been criticised for their lack of input, while a gamble on the relatively green Grosso is looking like a misfire.
That’s particularly worrying for American owner and chairman John Textor, who laughed off the threat of relegation at the Italian’s presentation.
He commented: “Everyone at this club thinks that not being in Europe would be a failure. Ligue 2?” he said with a laugh. “I know you have to ask the question. This team does not run the risk of relegation.”
It’s fair to say Textor isn’t laughing now...
Santos
One of the most famous sports teams anywhere in the world and maybe the most famous football team outside of Europe, club’s don’t come with much bigger legacies than that of Santos.
The former side of footballing icon Pele and also Neymar, Santos have never left the top flight of Brazilian football in their entire history, dating back over a century to 1912.
Now entering the relegation zone with just ten games left, they did so with the most disturbing of thumps, losing 7-1 to Internacional, giving their fans PTSD from Brazil’s historic embarrassment to Germany at their home 2014 World Cup.
Chelsea gutted Santos’ prospect pool in the summer by bringing in Deivid Washington and Angelo Gabriel, and with the pair not even close to the Blues first team, it’s looking like a painful reminder of the financial discrepancy between European football and the rest.
Schalke
Relegated again last season, but putting up an almighty fight under Thomas Reis, it was no surprise that Schalke were huge favourites to make it straight back up again from the 2. Bundesliga.
However, just a few months into the new season and fan favourite Reis is gone, replaced by Belgian Karel Geraerts who lost 3-0 in his first game, and admitted he did what he never does, and flipped his lid with his players.
With the fourth biggest weekly attendance in Europe and a trophy cabinet only two German sides can beat, Schalke have gone from aiming for a quick return to the top flight and European football, to spiralling towards the third tier for the first time, now five points adrift of safety.
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In 2020 the club parted ways with main benefactor Clemens Tonnies due to his treatment of factory workers during the pandemic, and in 2022 they then cut ties with lead sponsor Gazprom upon Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Now with the money completely dried up, even producing players the level of club greats like Manuel Neuer and Mesut Ozil might not save them.
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