Ajax hit 61 goals in most prolific start since 1997
Míchel Sánchez’s side have scored freely across their opening 20 competitive matches and will take a five-game winning run into Sunday’s meeting with FC Twente.
Ajax have made their most productive start to a season in almost three decades, scoring 61 goals across their opening 20 official matches under Míchel Sánchez. According to VI, the last Ajax coach to oversee a more prolific opening was Morten Olsen in 1997/98, when the Amsterdam side struck 68 times over the same number of games.
The landmark comes despite an uneven opening to the campaign. Ajax recorded emphatic wins over Fortuna Sittard and Willem II but also dropped points against Excelsior and NEC, while suffering a Conference League defeat away to Hajduk Split. Their form has since improved significantly, with five consecutive victories.
That winning sequence includes a 5-2 result at FC Groningen, a 2-0 victory over Atalanta and domestic successes against Sparta Rotterdam and AZ. Ajax then produced their biggest score of the run by beating FC Midtjylland 6-1 away on 5 November.
Olsen’s 1997/98 team went on to win both the Eredivisie and KNVB Cup, scoring 112 league goals and finishing 17 points clear of PSV. The current Ajax side next face FC Twente on Sunday. The Enschede club will arrive in similarly free-scoring form after recording a 9-0 away win against Excelsior last weekend.
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- Ajax beleeft productiefste seizoensstart in bijna dertig jaar— VI Europa League
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