PREVIEW | Oscar Garcia prepares for first game in charge as Ajax welcome Sparta Rotterdam | OneFootball

It is all change at AFC Ajax once again.

Caretaker manager Óscar García will take charge of his first match this weekend when the Amsterdam club host Sparta Rotterdam in a crucial Eredivisie encounter at the Johan Cruyff Arena.

García’s appointment is the latest twist in a turbulent campaign for Ajax.

Only a month ago, the Spaniard had arrived to steady the ship at Jong Ajax, who were struggling at the foot of the Eerste Divisie. He replaced Willem Weijs shortly after the arrival of technical director Jordi Cruyff.

After overseeing a modest improvement with the reserves, García was unexpectedly thrust into the spotlight last week when Ajax dismissed first-team coach Fred Grim following a damaging run of results.

Grim has since returned to a role within the academy, leaving García to guide the senior side through the final weeks of the season.

“It’s an honour for me to be the coach of this great club,” García said after his promotion. “It’s a club steeped in history, and I know what it means to so many people. We want to change the sentiment as quickly as possible. With the help of the team and everyone around it, we’ll succeed.”

The call came suddenly. García had been preparing Jong Ajax for a league match against FC Den Bosch when Cruyff rang.

“He said changes were coming and that we might be in charge of the first team,” García explained to the club website. “That’s how it happened.”

Since then, the 52-year-old has moved quickly to familiarise himself with his new squad. Monday was spent reviewing footage and meeting staff members around the club, before he held his first full training session with the players on Tuesday.

“To get a good idea of what this team needs, you have to be in our building and talk to the players,” he said. “There are only eight matches left and we want to get the club back where it belongs.”

García brings considerable experience to the role. A former FC Barcelona forward who also represented Valencia CF during his playing days, he began coaching at Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy before embarking on a well-travelled managerial career.

His résumé includes spells with Brighton & Hove Albion F.C., RB Salzburg, Celta de Vigo and Stade de Reims. English football fans may also remember his 27-day tenure at Watford F.C. in 2014, where he lasted barely a month before stepping down for health reasons.

His most recent role came in Mexico with C.D. Guadalajara, where his contract ran until March 2025, and he managed just 12 games, winning five and losing four.

At Ajax, however, the immediate task is simple: stabilise a faltering side and salvage European qualification. The club’s domestic struggles have been compounded by a disappointing Champions League campaign in which they lost six of their eight group-stage matches. Former coach Johnny Heitinga was dismissed in November, and Grim’s short tenure ended after last weekend’s 3–1 defeat to FC Groningen.

Garcia has a huge task on his hands to turn Ajax around.

The most successful football club in the Netherlands has managed just one win in their last seven matches across all competitions, a comfortable 4-1 home victory against Sittard.

With the title race long gone, their remaining objective is to secure a place back in Europe. They sit five points behind second-placed Feyenoord but only two behind third-placed NEC Nijmegen, who face leaders PSV Eindhoven this weekend.

For García, the message to his players is clear: places must be earned.

“All players have to earn their place,” he said in his first pre-match press conference. “I won’t gift anyone a position. They have to deserve it. We have very good players, but they must fight and suffer for the team.”

He also hinted at tactical flexibility, stressing that structure and adaptability matter more than a fixed formation. “The formation is only important before the game,” he added. “When the whistle blows, the structure is what matters.”

Team news provides García with an early headache.

Goalkeeper Vítězslav Jaroš and defender Oleksandr Zinchenko remain sidelined with injuries, while centre-back Ko Itakura is ruled out with a back problem. Striker Wout Weghorst, who scored twice in October’s reverse fixture, will miss the match through suspension after collecting his fifth yellow card against Groningen.

That absence could see Kasper Dolberg lead the line as he looks to end a six-game goal drought.

Sparta arrive with concerns of their own. Teenage prospect Lushendry Martes remains doubtful after missing four games with injury, while midfielder Mike Kleijn faces a late fitness test.

History strongly favours Ajax.

The hosts are unbeaten in their last 19 meetings with Sparta — but recent form has made even familiar fixtures feel uncertain.

For García, the weekend represents both a debut and an opportunity: eight games to restore belief, revive results and remind Dutch football what Ajax are meant to look like.

GFN | Oscar O’Mara