Brobbey starts as ST, and Akpom is on the wing https://www.flashscore.com/match/MFxnZl2U/#/match-summary/lineups
This was the best I have seen Ajax play since ten Hag left for ManU. Yes, they conceded two goals but they never lost the thread and offensively were always the more likely of the two teams to score. There was some great passing and Ajax snapped at every turn over by PSV and moved quickly to the attack. Godts gets the match winner off a blunder by Tillman of PSV as the guests were could not deal with the deep pressure from Ajax. Defensively they were up to the task. de Jong got his usual goal against Ajax off a corner kick. It looked to me that Rensch was supposed to prevent him from cutting in but got picked and Sutalo was too far back to challenge. The second goal was just a great effort by Maura Junior who was challenged by Rensch and looked to be taken out of the play. Unfortunately, the ball was moving too slowly towards the end line and the PSV back got up and crossed the ball. Klaasssen was a step away from intercepting it and it fell to Pericic who drilled it home. Player Ratings: Pasveer (6.5) - really had very little to do other than passing and kicking; had no chance on either goal Rensch (7)- defended well keeping Lang out of the game, and was relentless moving forward both in the inside channel and outside Sutalo (7.5) - he was zonal marking on the de Jong goal and a step too far back but the rest of his defending was textbook Baas (7.5) - defended well and as with Sutalo was cool with the ball at his feet Hato (7.5) - what a cross to Klaassen for the first Ajax goal and his defense and passing were top rate Henderson (8) - kept everything organized and hardly had a pass go awry Davy One Goal (7) - played deeper today but signaled his run to Hato well and buried the header; slowed down a bit in the 2nd half but still made a couple of good interceptions Fitz-Jim (8) - MOTM for me with great ball skills and two shots in the first half that almost went in; scored a great goal with his off foot on a poorly cleared ball Traore (7.5) - thought this was maybe his best game this season, he tracked back well and was really good with the ball in the attacking zone Brobbey (7) - I'm sure he will score before the season is out but he held the ball up so well despite getting mugged on every single pass to him, had a couple of good passes right at the 6 yard box Akpom (7) - good game both defensively and pressing when PSV were in their territory Godts (7.5) - dangerous from the moment he came on for Akpom in the 2nd half and got the match winner Taylor (7) - had a cracker of a shot that just kissed off the left upright Weghorst (6.5) - worked hard when he came in for Brobbey Rugani (NR) - on late as Ajax went to a three man back line and had a couple of clearances Berghuis (NR) - finally back after a length absence Maccabi Tel Aviv at home in the Europa League and then off to Enschede to play Twente, who also have a Europa League match next weekend.
And let me quote myself from a week ago. I was worried this was going to be a zero or maybe one point week. Instead it was six out of six. Unbelievable!
I was only able to watch the extended highlights, but they showed a lot of Ajax taking it to PSV. A nice save by the PSV keeper and the post probably kept it from being worse. I would've taken a point, but three is amazing. It also seemed like they might have been a bit lucky to beat 010, but absolutely deserved the victory yesterday. Nice to see the ArenA rocking like the old days. Five points back of PSV - time to think that first place is within reach!
Quite enjoyable from Ajax yesterday for the first time in a long time it seems. They put PSV under a lot of pressure, and winning the ball often from the press really shows what can happen when everyone is dialed in with proactive movement off the ball, and that was exactly what I saw from Ajax under Farioli’ direction yesterday. These tactics are necessary because of Ajax’s limitations on the ball especially through Midfield, but it works yesterday because PSV will take risks with their own general playing mentality to try and get forward as quickly as possible. PSV really missed Schouten yesterday, and although Tillman has improved as a player it was his mistake that cost PSV with a nonsensical back pass. Really enjoyed Rensch and Hato’s contribution when they looked to get forward, although Rensch was guilty of letting Mauro Junior have too much room to drive his low cross which Perisic dispatched with a brilliant low strike on their second goal. I hope Farioli will say that one of our Midfielder’s should be positioned closer to the the top of the box to cut that cross out, but it’s a memory now. First goal conceded to me is ridiculously poor by simply not being first to the ball. Luuk De Jong is a limited player technically, but he has one tremendous quality, and that is heading the ball, and you simply have to man mark him by staying in his shorts. Sorry there can be NO excuses! The Ajax goals were well deserved with Klaassen ghosting into the space that Brobbey had vacated with some very unselfish movement. Nice header and super ball from Hato. BB has to be so frustrated in search of his allusive goal just continues to work off the ball playing some nice touches and passes while he gets mugged by Flamingo. Fitz Jim looked good buzzing around with some playmaking ability in Midfield that this team truly needs, and had a very nice finish on the second goal from Benitez’s save, which Flamingo had just cleared the ball away ever so slightly, as Brobbey had to think he was going to finally open his account, but the clearance only got as far as Fitz-Jim who hammered a left footed blast into the roof of the goal. Godts with the gift from Tillman’s assist and the celebration was on. If only Traore can deliver a better pass or cross for Brobbey would be my only criticism on the night. He is just way too slow on the ball to recognize that early and accurate service is needed. Great result and hopefully onward and upward for Ajax after some much needed excitement for the fans.
Taylor got an unnecessary yellow card and will be out at Sociedad. Highly unfortunate. Ajax up big, should hopefully run up the goal differential in this one.
5-0 now. Brobbey got one finally. And Fitz-Jim just gets better and better. Appreciate Orange’s long standing trust in him for years now.
Maybe he got upset from the Maccabi fans behaviour in the minute silence for the victims of the Spanish/Valencia precipitation disaster.
I was watching the match what happened with the Maccabi fans before the match. It seemed all quiet to me before the match with the moment of silence.
Simple win over Macabbi 5-0. Excellent passing all over the pitch and Ajax created numerous chances. Only some brave goal keeping by the Macabbi GK kept this from getting higher. Rasmussen was barely offside on what would have been the 6th goal. Defense was solid with maybe two exceptions, but Pasveer and a VAR offside check kept the visitors from scoring. Ajax are second in the table to Lazio but have the best goal differential at +12. Kudos to Farioli who is getting this team ready to play in every match. Player Ratings: Pasveer (7) - had little to do most of the match but came up with two big saves in the 2nd half for the clean sheet Gaaei (7) - strong game going forward, good on the ball and sent in some nice crosses Rugani (7) - solid game and VAR kept an own goal off the scoreboard because of an offside call Baas (7.5) - had one really great intervention to disrupt a potential scoring opportunity Hato (7) - solid half before being subbed out for Wijndal van den Boomen (6.5) - had some nice cross field passes but defensively was a bit of a liability because of his lack of speed Taylor (7) - had to take off a half point for a really stupid YC when he interferred with a free kick in a non-dangerous position but was strong and had a great goal Fitz-Jim (7.5) - so nice to see him get the ball and quickly find the right player to pass to, was really good in the box and had a good goal Traore (7.5) - got the match winner early on and was strong on the ball Brobbey (8) - MOTM for his strong hold up play, two assists and a free kick goal following a double kick by the GK, had three other solid shots on goa that were well saved Godts (7.5) - caused trouble all match long cutting inside to get free and shoot Wijndal (6.5) - soid enough subbing for Hato Akpom (6) - good shift Berghuis (6) - good to see him back in the game Henderson (NR) - on late to help out with the defense Rassmussen (NR) - a bit unlucky not to have scored as he was offside by a few cm Trip to Enschede this weekend to take on FC Twente
Another excellent display today. Ajax work off the ball was very impressive once again putting constant pressure on the Israeli side who struggled to cope with Farioli’s tactics. Brobbey was fantastic, and finally scored off a thumping free kick. Fitz Jim has really improved tremendously under the Italian, and is now a constant source of quality from the Ajax Midfield. Shocking development that is almost hard to believe, but he’s been excellent the past few matches.
Fitz Jim is my MOTM - field vision, passing, good technical abilities - he's got it all. Really a player Ajax should hold onto. It's a crime they wasted the whole last season barely using him.
That second goal was a true Ajax goal. Fantastic. It was also nice to see how the team rushed to congratulate Brobbey after he scored. One of the biggest things that Farioli has done is give Ajax its confidence back. That has nothing to do with technical ability. It has everything to do with getting the players to fight for one another. So far Kroes hasn't put a foot wrong. It's wonderful to see how quickly things have changed for the better.
Fitz Jim seems to have a lot of buzz lately. I haven’t see much of him yet. Can someone please provide me a quick summary and comparison for him? Is he worth to follow for our NT? Thanks.
He was on loan the first half of the season so using him was out of the question. Ajax management until Farioli came in had blinders on; they would never have thought that Baas could be a starting CB.
Best comparison is Jordie Classie. He is undersized and not all that strong (unlike Classie) with great handling speed. He has never been a great defender but is improving. Technically, he has great skills but his size may hold him back.
I think Farioli has done a masterful job with rotation. Listen, there isn't a huge difference in quality between a lot of these positions. He's done an incredible job just keeping guys fresh. There is legit depth (not exactly talent/skill though) on this team. Things like (with the match wrapped up), subbing Winjdal for Hato really helps. Beyond keeping guys rested, it also encourages competition. Henderson/others have commented how much better practice is now. And I bet more players are engaged because they know playing time is on the line.