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Francesco Farioli: The coach with the right philosophy to revitalise Ajax

Francesco Farioli: The coach with the right philosophy to revitalise Ajax

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‘Philosophy’ is a term grossly overused in modern football, but Francesco Farioli has more license than most to talk about it. The Italian studied philosophy at university and has carried his education into football management, earning a reputation as one of the sharpest thinkers in the European game right now.

By Graham Ruthven

This is presumably one of the things that attracted Ajax to Farioli with the 35-year-old appointed the Amsterdam club’s new manager last month. After a calamitous 2023/24 season, Ajax need someone to point them in the right direction again, both in a sporting and cultural sense, and Farioli appears to fit the bill perfectly.

At Nice, Farioli was a transformational presence. While Les Aiglons faded towards the end of the Ligue 1 campaign after a fast start, they were still one of the most improved teams in the French top flight this season. Indeed, by finishing fifth Nice enjoyed their joint-best season for seven years. It could have been a fourth place finish had they not slumped so badly in February and March.

Under Farioli, Nice’s biggest strength was their defence. They conceded the fewest number of goals (29) in the entire league which is in stark contrast to the 61 goals conceded by Ajax in just 34 Eredivisie matches this season. In Amsterdam, Farioli will be expected to rebuild Ajax’s defensive foundations. 

Some argue Farioli’s rigid structure stifles attacking creativity. While Nice boasted the best defence in Ligue 1 this season, they also averaged just 1.17 goals per game. Some players thrived under Farioli, but others floundered. Khephren Thuram, for example, was never permitted the freedom to play the dynamic, box-to-box game that made him such an exciting prospect under Farioli’s predecessor, Didier Digard. 

Ajax supporters could be forgiven for being concerned by this such is the Amsterdam club’s long-standing reputation for favouring attacking, possession-orientated football going back to the days of Rinus Michels and Johan Cruyff, but Farioli can explain why Nice were so conservative – boring, even – under his control. 

“When we arrived, we found a team that was ready in the defensive domain,” Farioli said, highlighting not to change the core identity of the team he inherited. At Fatih Karagumruk in Turkey, where Farioli was permitted to impose his own ideas on the squad, the Italian’s team stood out with the second-highest number of passes in the Turkish SüperLig. He wants his players to have the ball. 

Farioli worked under Roberto De Zerbi as a coach at Benevento and Sassuolo and the former Brighton manager’s influence on the 35-year-old could become more apparent at Ajax. Farioli had to play the role of underdog as Nice manager, being in the same league as Paris Saint-Germain and other bigger, richer clubs, but the Ajax job will bring out another side of him as a coach.

“There are many, many reasons, of course, to sign for Ajax,” said Farioli after his appointment. “But the main reason is: there are two clubs that represent the football I love – Ajax and Barcelona. I grew up with their football ideas. This is a nice coincidence, let me put it this way, that my path now crosses Ajax. I couldn’t escape that attraction. That’s the main reason I had the feeling and desire to go into this.”

Ajax haven’t had a foreign manager in 26 years, but last season made clear just how badly the club needs to consider new methods. The Amsterdam outfit never truly moved on from the era of Erik ten Hag and Marc Overmars and finished an embarrassing 35 points off champions PSV at the top of the Eredivisie this season.

To date, Farioli’s coaching career has taken him to Qatar, Italy, Turkey, and France. Now he is charged with revitalising Dutch football’s historic superpower and the early signs are that the 35-year-old wants to draw on Ajax’s past to ensure a brighter future. “The football that I love came from here,” said the Italian. Nice might not have played Total Football, but Farioli has a plan to get Ajax back on track.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Ajax game live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Francesco Farioli: The coach with the right philosophy to revitalise Ajax

‘Philosophy’ is a term grossly overused in modern football, but Francesco Farioli has more license than most to talk about it. The Italian studied philosophy at university and has carried his education into football management, earning a reputation as one of the sharpest thinkers in the European game right now.

By Graham Ruthven

This is presumably one of the things that attracted Ajax to Farioli with the 35-year-old appointed the Amsterdam club’s new manager last month. After a calamitous 2023/24 season, Ajax need someone to point them in the right direction again, both in a sporting and cultural sense, and Farioli appears to fit the bill perfectly.

At Nice, Farioli was a transformational presence. While Les Aiglons faded towards the end of the Ligue 1 campaign after a fast start, they were still one of the most improved teams in the French top flight this season. Indeed, by finishing fifth Nice enjoyed their joint-best season for seven years. It could have been a fourth place finish had they not slumped so badly in February and March.

Under Farioli, Nice’s biggest strength was their defence. They conceded the fewest number of goals (29) in the entire league which is in stark contrast to the 61 goals conceded by Ajax in just 34 Eredivisie matches this season. In Amsterdam, Farioli will be expected to rebuild Ajax’s defensive foundations. 

Some argue Farioli’s rigid structure stifles attacking creativity. While Nice boasted the best defence in Ligue 1 this season, they also averaged just 1.17 goals per game. Some players thrived under Farioli, but others floundered. Khephren Thuram, for example, was never permitted the freedom to play the dynamic, box-to-box game that made him such an exciting prospect under Farioli’s predecessor, Didier Digard. 

Ajax supporters could be forgiven for being concerned by this such is the Amsterdam club’s long-standing reputation for favouring attacking, possession-orientated football going back to the days of Rinus Michels and Johan Cruyff, but Farioli can explain why Nice were so conservative – boring, even – under his control. 

“When we arrived, we found a team that was ready in the defensive domain,” Farioli said, highlighting not to change the core identity of the team he inherited. At Fatih Karagumruk in Turkey, where Farioli was permitted to impose his own ideas on the squad, the Italian’s team stood out with the second-highest number of passes in the Turkish SüperLig. He wants his players to have the ball. 

Farioli worked under Roberto De Zerbi as a coach at Benevento and Sassuolo and the former Brighton manager’s influence on the 35-year-old could become more apparent at Ajax. Farioli had to play the role of underdog as Nice manager, being in the same league as Paris Saint-Germain and other bigger, richer clubs, but the Ajax job will bring out another side of him as a coach.

“There are many, many reasons, of course, to sign for Ajax,” said Farioli after his appointment. “But the main reason is: there are two clubs that represent the football I love – Ajax and Barcelona. I grew up with their football ideas. This is a nice coincidence, let me put it this way, that my path now crosses Ajax. I couldn’t escape that attraction. That’s the main reason I had the feeling and desire to go into this.”

Ajax haven’t had a foreign manager in 26 years, but last season made clear just how badly the club needs to consider new methods. The Amsterdam outfit never truly moved on from the era of Erik ten Hag and Marc Overmars and finished an embarrassing 35 points off champions PSV at the top of the Eredivisie this season.

To date, Farioli’s coaching career has taken him to Qatar, Italy, Turkey, and France. Now he is charged with revitalising Dutch football’s historic superpower and the early signs are that the 35-year-old wants to draw on Ajax’s past to ensure a brighter future. “The football that I love came from here,” said the Italian. Nice might not have played Total Football, but Farioli has a plan to get Ajax back on track.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Ajax game live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.