It will come as no real surprise to you that we’re talking about yet another phenomenon to come out of the Ajax youth set up. The prestigious academy has produced some stars through out the last few decades including Denis Bergkamp and Johan Cruyjff as well as more recently Wesley Sneijder and Van Der Vaart and I’m sure Viktor Fischer will follow in these great players foot steps. With Ajax’s huge contribution to the young profressional it comes as no shock that recently in a Dutch international match 9 out of the 11 players that started that game, came through the Ajax system.
Ajax youth centre is second to none, with an interview with Ajax Youth Academy director, Danny Blind, he explains exactly why the set up produces so many super stars. In Ajax they focus on the philosophy and system of play. The aim for Ajax is for all their teams to play there same 4-3-3 attacking football from under 8s to the first team. Another intriguing factor that makes Ajax’s youth system so attractive for the best and most wanted teenagers to join Ajax is there TIPS model, standing for Technique, Insight, Personality and Speed. Each Ajax youngster must strive towards full filling the 10 criteria in each area.
Now to the good part. Fischer. There’s only one way to describe Viktor Fischer, and that’s ‘sensational’. The Denmark international is at the tender age of 18 and already he’s making his way in the Eredivisie. Fischer can player any where behind the striker as a winger or as a modern number 10 role. It’s fascinating watch a player of his calibre and elegance, he’s very calm on the ball, and for a youngster he doesn’t give the ball away that often. He can stand up, jostle and try a trick or two, he knows when to play a pass and when to beat his man. His intelligent running is something which is a sign the boys a genius in the making. His stop-start running style can only be compared to Franck Ribery, and with his trickery and dribbling technique to add to the the similarities he could go on to emulate the French mans success.
This season, Fischer has made 16 appearance for Ajax scoring seven goals, which is very impressive for a winger. A lot of his goals come from intelligent runs into the centre or cutting inside from the left wings and taking a strike. His goal scoring form wasn’t just found this season. Last season the Danish winger won the Next Gen series Golden Boot.
Another factor that will surely develop over the next few years is the exciting new era that the Danish national team enter with Fischer and fellow Ajax youngster Eriksen at the helm of it. Some of the other players that company the Ajax pair are Lindegaard, Agger, Kjær and Bendtner. This will be monitored in the next few years to see if this team can emulate what the likes of Laudrup did back in the late 80′s for the footballing nation of Denmark, before going on to win the European Championships in ’92.
What’s next for Fischer, it’s quite easy to see why teams such as Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Real Madrid were interested in Victor while he was 16 before signing for Ajax, but will these big European teams renew their interest in the youngster. In the next 6-18 months are crucial for Fischer, he had to deny all interest from any club, concentrate on his football at Ajax. It’s happened to so many players, leaving the club that made them and not getting game time with their new club. So maybe in two years or so, we could be talking about a multi million pound move for Fischer to join the English Premier League, but for now I think it’s to early for the players development.
Conor Slater