Agree. I think that's the biggest difference. They're better defensively (last game notwithstanding) and so much of defense is about communication, teamwork, and fighting spirit. That alone will address some of their very obvious skill deficiencies. It just won't get Brobbey to put the ball in the back of the net.
I find it incredible that he refused to take the offer of van Basten to work with him on being a striker. Every young striker talent in the world would gasp for air and grab something to hold on to if they got that offer and would only be capable of nodding to accept it....but Brobbey....
Van Basten certainly hasn’t endeared himself to many players who has appeared for Ajax or Oranje over the past couple of years with his general negative views, or comments right or wrong, with Brobbey being one of his targets. That said, I would understand Brobbey not wanting anything to do with the Van Basten.
I would also note that van Basten was a bad NT and club manager. Being a great player does not guarantee success as a trainer but it can mean a lot of money as a TV pundit.
He was definitely pretty bad as a manager, but I could see him as being good at coaching specific skills for strikers (and lord knows Brobbey needs some help). Interestingly, right now there are a lot of top players who have turned into good managers. Pep, Arteta, Zidane, Deschamps, Simeone, and Xabi Alonso come to mind, just off the top of my head. It seems to me like this is more than in the past.
Ajax can look to the long trip home from Baku with a 0-3 win in their pocket. The match was decided early when Godts was pulled down and a DOGSO Red Card was shown quickly by the Scottish referee. Ajax scored in the first half with a put back by Taylor and then got two in the 2nd half, Weghorst from the spot and Akpom late. Ajax were lethargic in the MF not moving the ball quickly enough to create much in the way of shot opportunities but at this point any victory will be celebrated. With the early games complete, Ajax top the table with 7 points and a superior goal differential. That lead should be short lived as there are a number of teams that can ease ahead of them depending on results. Player Ratings: Pasveer (6) - had very little to do Rensch (6) - had one disastrous pass that created a Qarabag scoring opportunity but was otherwise sold Rugani (7) - played about 2/3 of the match and was solid Sutalo (6.5) - had a decent match Hato (6.5) - did well enough Henderson (7) - did a decent job keeping the defensive shape Taylor (6.5) - got the match winner in the first half Fitz-Jim (6) - OK match before coming off at the 60th minute Rasmussen (6) - drew a penalty when he was shouldered into the ground but did little else Weghorst (6) - solid penalty taken but did not have any other opportunities Godts (6.5) - was dangerous at times, forcing his opponent to foul Kaplan (6) - had a couple of touches coming in for Rugani Akpom (6) - scored a nice goal in relief van den Boomen (5) - had little impact Gaaei (NR) - on late Mokio (NR) - on late Willem II up on Sunday then Feynoord in mid-week followed by PSV. Matches coming one on top of another now.
Pretty uninspiring match - very fortunate with that early red card, think they would have had a tough time scratching out a goal or two without it. Movement just wasn’t there.
Absolutely correct. The World Cup 2006 debacle of not selecting Seedorf and Davids was insane. Dropping Ruud Van Nistelrooy in the Round of 16 hackfest vs Portugal really puts Van Basten in a poor light.
Terrible match yesterday I thought between average Ajax and the powerhouse Qarabag. Other than the horrific challenges by the hosts there was little else to say about another average performance from Ajax.
A dream come true! The midfield of my dreams: Tahirovic, van den Boomen, Klaassen. Completely new defensive lineup too. It'll be very interesting to watch this experiment. Hope it'll pay off.
I like total rotation after that trip... Ajax has to play the long game and it's not like there's a huge difference between starters/subs at lots of positions. (Watch this totally backfire...)
Yet another 90 min. wasted. Throughout the match I was under the impression that I'm watching a Sunday League game. The lack of even basic technical skills and creativity demonstrated by our players is impressive.
I had an early choral concert so I just finished watching the replay. A clean sheet in an otherwise boring game but a win none the less. Farioli continued his heavy rotation scheme to keep players as fresh as possible, given the congested fixture schedule. Not only did he make a bunch of changes but came out with a new 5-3-2 formation. Brobbey drew an early penalty and Klaasen did not miss from the spot. Wijndal had a good effort with his off foot but all of the other Ajax shots were very tame. Defensively, Ajax were sound and there was only one tough shot on goal that Ramaj parried over the bar. Unfortunately, with three mediocre MFs, Ajax had a lot of trouble moving the ball around in the offensive half.Ajax stay in 3rd but are only three back of Utrecht who lost to Feynoord. Player Ratings: Ramaj (5.5) - started as part of the rotation plan; was decent in the first half and dreadful in the second Gaaei (7) - had only one tough defensive play to make and did so with a sound tackle; he had some very nice crosses going forward and was generally good with the ball Rugani (6.5) - mistake free on defense, coming off after 60 minutes Baas (6.5) - played in the center of the 3 man back line and did the job Kaplan (6.5) - decent enough going the full 90 Wijndal (6.5) - had a very nice game going down the left side and had the best shot of the game for Ajax that ended up being saved Tahirovic (6) - didn't make any mistakes which is always worth a point in my opinion van den Boomen (6) - really not much of an impact on the match Davy One Goal (6) - had the match winner from the spot Traore (4.5) - worst player on the pitch for me with some poor touches and soft turnovers Brobbey (6) - worked incredibly hard the whole 90 minutes, maybe he should have scored off the Gaaei cross but it looked like the ball bounced up too high for him Sutalo (6) - decent coming in for Rugani Taylor (6) - had a couple of half chances as a sub Henderson (NR) - on late for Tahirovic and was OK Godts (NR) - on for Traore and had some ball possession in the final ten mutes Hato (NR) - on late Feyenoord coming up on Wednesday and then PSV next Sunday. We will see if Ajax are a serious challenger.
I think the police strike screwed Ajax major league, as Feyenoord now and Feyenoord atm of the original matchday are day and night different.
Awful match once again. Farioli rotation of crap replacing crap. This Ajax team plays very slow and almost zero creativity. Traore was horrendous with his lazy attitude and slack play on the ball. Ramaj returned in Goal and he was brutal. Stupid decisions and outright poor distribution. Was hoping to see Weghorst play with Brobbey in the so called 3-5-2 which was clearly useless and ineffective. Really bad football today.
This felt like another step backwards today. Like Orange said, we will see reality on Wednesday. Dreading it a bit at the moment.
I cannot blame Faroli for this. Having all these matches crammed together is bad and they lost extra days of training because of a match in Azerbaijan because of travel. Previous trainers would not have rotated players and the results would have been worse.
I agree regarding the rotation and all - but for some reason these last four matches or so feel like continued regression in overall play. Praha (hold on for undeserved point), Groningen (wout saves three points), Heracles (ugly three points), Qarabag (uninspiring and very helped by the red card), and yesterday (saved by a penalty). super good they got so many points out of so many matches where the play doesn’t feel like it’s progressing. That’s an improvement over the past couple of years. But I’m very worried there is going to be a big wake-up call on Wednesday and Sunday that demonstrates there is a LOT more work to do to really be a top-3 side.
It's good to see the typical Ajax publiek - win but complain that they weren't stylish enough - is back. I view it as an early sign that things are returning to normal. The first blossom of spring, if you will. But compare Ajax's position in the table to that of this time a year ago, when they were dead last and sitting on five points. Sure, they're not stylish and all that, but they have five times more points and they're one spot from a UCL spot with a game in hand. All of that while operating under significant financial constraints. I'll take it.
As much as I hate it I have to admit that the football we play right now is downright ugly. I am Ajax fan for 58 years now not because the club was winning points and trophies, but because of the way they played football - a true example of "o jogo bonito". Speed, technical skills, fantasy, creativity, you name they've got it. Now all this is long gone, today's starters wouldn't have been even considered for signing by Ajax back in the day. I've put up with the reality of today but still hope that we'll be back where we belong.
I four years behind you. I saw my first live Ajax match in 1974 when I was over for a visit at the Utrecht State University Biochemistry Department. It was a home game against NAC and they won 3-0. Cruyff had already departed for Barca but Neeskens was still in the MF with Arie Haan and Arnie Muhren. Johnny Rep and Piet Keizer were up front. I've seen four more matches on various trips but nothing very recent. I think the Frank de Boer (manager) years were pretty dreadful.