Ajax knew this would be summer of change - the price they pay for being so good last season.They reached the Champions League semi-finals and probably should have made the final, having thrown a lead away against Tottenham Hotspur.They did win the Dutch double last season, though, with a young team that captured the imagination through their brilliant attacking football.But it also caught the interest of Europe's giants and Frenkie de Jong agreed to move to Barcelona before the season was even done.Matthijs de Ligt was always likely to join him through the exit door and he has indeed left for Juventus.
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Others, like David Neres, may still go but Ajax still head into the new season without two of their stars of last year.
But judging by their first game of the season, nothing has really changed.
Ajax start the campaign in the Johann Cruyff Shield - their Dutch Super Cup, essentially - and face rivals PSV Eindhoven.
Ajax kicked the match off - and ten passes & 36 seconds later they were in front.
You can check the goal out below:
The move went from kick-off to defence to the goalkeeper to the midfielder to Kasper Dolberg up top who finished it off - total football, simply put.
PSV hadn't even touched the ball and yet they were behind to a team that, really, shouldn't be able to put together a move like that.
They haven't been together all that long and are missing, in De Jong and De Ligt, two of the most important players in moves like that.
But while you can take the players out of Ajax, you'll certainly struggle to take out the style.