Ajax Amsterdam - 'holding onto the gold only to let it slip away'?

At the end of round 29, Ajax Amsterdam was 9 points ahead of PSV Eindhoven. With only 5 rounds remaining in the 2024/2025 Eredivisie season, coach Francesco Farioli's team had almost certainly secured the championship title.

Unfortunately, Ajax Amsterdam stumbled at the most crucial stage of the season. The most successful team in Dutch football suffered defeats against Utrecht (0-4), Sparta Rotterdam (1-1), NEC Nijmegen (0-3), and Groningen (2-2).

Thus, after only four rounds (rounds 30-33), Ajax Amsterdam has been overtaken by PSV Eindhoven, who are now one point ahead. Therefore, the power to decide their own fate in the title race is no longer in the hands of coach Francesco Farioli's team.

In the final round, while Ajax Amsterdam hosts Twente, PSV Eindhoven will visit Sparta Rotterdam. To win the championship, Ajax Amsterdam must satisfy two conditions: they must win, and PSV Eindhoven must draw or lose.

It's not too early to say that PSV Eindhoven's chances of dropping points against Sparta Rotterdam are very slim. Simply put, coach Peter Bosz's team is too strong, while their opponent, Sparta Rotterdam, has modest strength and no more objectives to fight for.

If their rivals PSV Eindhoven snatch the championship, or more accurately, if PSV Eindhoven successfully defends their title, then coach Francesco Farioli and his team will face the wrath of their home fans, for "letting gold slip through their fingers."

If Ajax Amsterdam lose the championship to PSV Eindhoven, they will have to endure their third consecutive season without a trophy in the most prestigious competition in Dutch football. It would be a bitter pill for Ajax Amsterdam to swallow, having to "live in the shadow" of PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord.

Let's wait and see whether PSV Eindhoven or Ajax Amsterdam will claim the Eredivisie title for the 2024/2025 season.