John Heitinga finds himself under increasing pressure in his role as head coach at Ajax, with supporters leading calls for the former Liverpool assistant to be sacked.
Heitinga was appointed Ajax head coach in May after a single campaign at Liverpool, but just six games into the new season he is already facing calls for him to be relieved of his duties.
This comes with a growing tension among Ajax supporters who witnessed a 2-0 defeat at home to Inter Milan in their opening game of the Champions League.
Marcus Thuram scored both goals in Amsterdam, with Heitinga’s coaching – and in particularly his tactics and the setup around defending set-pieces – come under question.
Ajax podcaster Jan Verdonk took to X to describe the decision to replace Francesco Farioli with the 41-year-old as “possibly the most baffling choice ever at the club.”
Another supporter wrote that “the top sports culture and professionalism have been replaced within a year by ‘Ajax DNA’,” referring to Heitinga’s long association with the club, adding “fix that mistake and throw him out.”
ESPN journalist Thijs Zwagerman criticised Heitinga’s communication as “a kind of maze,” while another fan labelled his appointment as “genuinely an insult to the supporters.”
There are doubts over whether Ajax will in fact pull the plug on the Dutchman’s tenure but it is noteworthy that the Eredivisie side have had seven coaches in the three years since Erik ten Hag left for Man United in 2022.
Heitinga is already in his second stint in charge, having been overlooked following a productive interim role in 2023 as Ajax instead appointed Maurice Steijn – who himself lasted four months.
Liverpool will want Heitinga to succeed
Liverpool will be watching the situation closely as they hold a vested interest after loaning both Vitezslav Jaros and James McConnell to the club in the summer.
Jaros made his Champions League debut on his sixth consecutive start for the club on Wednesday night but was unable to keep a clean sheet, while McConnell came off the bench for the final 27 minutes.
Ajax are currently third in the Dutch top flight having won three and drawn two so far, sitting behind leaders Feyenoord and reigning champions PSV Eindhoven.
Fourth-placed AZ Alkmaar are only a point behind and have a game in hand, while Ajax will visit PSV in their next game on Sunday.