(Football news) Defending Dutch champions Ajax Amsterdam have fired coach Alfred Schreuder after a disappointing 1-1 draw with Volendam as they extended his side’s winless run to seven league games. Alfred Schreuder was appointed on a two-year contract in May to replace Erik ten Hag who left the Amsterdam club to take over as the new Manchester United manager.

Ajax are fifth in the Eredivisie table, seven points behind leaders Feyenoord after 18 matches and have now decided to part ways with the former Club Brugge coach. Ajax haven’t won a match in the league since defeating RKC Waalwijk on Oct. 23 and have drawn their last six Eredivisie matches. Ten Hag had the best win rate at Ajax in 20 years and his replacement Alfred Schreuder failed to successfully replace him. This season they have conceded 20 goals, which is more than the 19 goals Ten Hag’s Ajax conceded in 34 games last season as they won the league.

Ten Hag was always a hard act to follow and he had some say in dismantling Ajax and making Alfred Schreuder’s job even harder. This season Ajax sold Antony and Lisandro Martinez to United, while the likes of Sebastien Haller joined Borussia Dortmund, Ryan Gravenberch and Noussair Mazraoui signed with Bayern Munich. Schreuder may regret taunting United over a lack of Champions League football as he has dragged Ajax down to the Europa League, and he won’t even be in charge to see it. Schreuder on the other hand lost the dressing room as the players were against his tactics. 

“This is a painful decision, but it’s necessary,” Ajax chief executive Edwin van der Sar said in a statement. “Regardless of the good start to the season, we lost a lot of unnecessary points. The football itself was precarious too. Due to the World Cup, we had an early and long break during the winter. We gave Alfred our time and trust to change the way things were going. It became clear to us that he could not change the tide.”

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