These are the times that try men's souls. Yet another Grim performance by a team that appears to be aimless, cannot properly defend, and seems incapable of scoring more than a goal a game. AZ lose to PSV and probably cannot overtake Ajax. Part of me hopes that Ajax won't play in Europe next season so they can right the ship with youth players. They probably won't have any money at all for transfers which may be a good thing given how poorly they have done in the transfer market. Not much to write home about this one. Maybe Steur was the best player out there with some very nice passes. Maybe this was the last match Grim will be on the touchline. He's not much better than Heitinga and I still want to know who forced Farioli out last year. Player Rtings: Paes (5.5) - kicking was exceptionally awful and hard to blame him for any of the three goals Gaeii (4.5) - needs to leave Ajax as he cannot defend and his crosses were erratic Sutalo (4.5) - likely will depart for less money than we paid for him Baas (5.5) - at fault on the first goal and made a couple of good interventions later on but overall worst game of the season Wijndal (5.5) - whipped in a couple of good crosses but is a below average LB Mokio (5) - had a couple of very poor defensive plays but otherwise a shade above average Steur (6) - decent game overall and will be a full time starter next season Klaassen (5) - Fred Grim's favorite player and Jordi Cruyff's first move this summer will be to pay him off so he never plays for Ajax again Berghuis (5.5) - first start in forever after being injury hobbled, Cruyff's second move is to pay him off so he never plays for Ajax again Weghorst (5) - don't need any thugs on the field and I won't miss him when he leaves in June Godts (5.5) - looked to pass more which was good, couldn't score which was bad Dolberg (5) - dispossesed easily which led to a goal Bounida (5) - a creative player who sat on the bench too long Carrizo (NR) - first view of him but not enough to draw any conclusion Fitz-Jim (NR) - why even bother putting him in so late Tomiyasu (NR) - maybe he can get in shape for the Japan WC team Konadu (NR) - maybe he is Dolberg's back up next season, but that does not inspire confidence Hey, we end up with six substitutions. I know a team gets a free sub if a player has a concussion during the match. who would that have been? This season cannot end soon enough. I'll keep watching as I am a supporter, but it will be with a faint heart and I just might burn my Ajax shirt in the end. AWFULL, AWFULL, AND EVEN HORRIBLE IS THIS TEAM.
Farioli was forced out last year because he wasn't playing Ajax style football. The club has been mismanaged ever since ten Hag and Overmars left (though Overmars did not give the club any choice about dismissing him).
Same name, same badge, but nothing to do with the Ajax I fell in love with 50+ years ago. The spirit is not there. Gone. For the first time in all this years I'm becoming indifferent, not mad, not angry, not even annoyed. I know it'll pass and I hope it'll be before too long. Forza Ajax!
Grim out! Cruijff explains new coach change at Ajax Jordi Cruijff has expressed on behalf of Ajax that he is grateful to Fred Grim for helping out in the A-selection. On Sunday, due to the disappointing results, it was decided to no longer let the former goalkeeper be the interim coach of the first team. Grim's duties will be taken over by Oscar García, who was recently appointed to the Young Ajax. Grim is going back to his old position in the youth academy. He was moved on earlier this season after the dismissal of John Heitinga. The new technical director Jordi Cruijff indicates through the club channels that there was a conversation with Grim on Sunday, the day after Ajax's 3-1 defeat at FC Groningen. 'Fred and I had a conversation today about what is best for the club. Together we agree that something has to change. He jumped in a difficult phase and he did everything he could. We are grateful to him for that. Oscar finishes the season. The coming months are very important for the club. We still have eight games to play and we have to get the most out of it together,' said the new policymaker. Ajax is still in the race for second place, which means direct qualification for the Champions League. The starting position has deteriorated. The defeat at FC Groningen was the third loss of points in a row for the Amsterdam team. Sparta at home is the next game on Saturday-evening (9:00 PM). García will then make his debut as interim coach.
I hope the change in manager is not too late. Ideally, it should have happened a week or two ago. We will see if Garcia can bring some passion to the club.
Óscar García: 'I'll never forget this evening' Óscar García emphasized after a successful debut that he is not a miracle doctor. "I can't help but give my players all the compliments. They played with an intensity that is necessary to win matches." Ajax played with much more energy than in the last matches under coach Fred Grim. "I spoke with a lot of players last week. They have many qualities. If they don't have technique, I can't teach them that in a short time. I can tell them what mentality they have to play with. Let's not celebrate too soon either. This was only one game. But I am very satisfied. I enjoyed sitting on the bench in the Johan Cruijff ArenA as Ajax's head coach. I'll never forget this evening."
Ajax recorded its first win after three matches. It was striking that the club did not play worse and worse after the break, as in many previous games. "I told them at halftime that the first half was over. But that it was actually not 2-0 but 0-0 and that they had to win the second half as well. We shot on goal 22 times. So they handled it well."
Youri Regeer will not be in action for Ajax for the time being. The 22-year-old midfielder from Haarlem suffered a hamstring injury early in the game and went off the field in tears. Regeer was replaced by Jorthy Mokio midway through the first half. "I think we have to miss him for quite a long time," said Óscar García. "We will of course investigate his injury further. But it doesn't look good."
When I saw that Klaassen was leading the team out of the locker room, I shook my head in disbelief. Has Fred Grim's favorite player now become Oscar Garcia's favorite? Hard to understand football at times. Klaassen acquitted himself well with a neat run in the second half to get in on goal bet the pass and score. He played the full 90 minutes but was huffing and puffing in the last 15. There was a fine display of some classic Ajax football that somehow was conjured out of a nothing season. Sparta were on a bit of a down run but still have had a good season. The defense was better but there were some lightning crosses by wingers that flew past the goal mouth as there was not a player to attack them. PSV did not do us any favors by laying an egg at home and losing to NEC in a game that was really not close despite the home team having lots of possession. Ajax pretty much have to win out now to stand any chance of a CL spot. Hard to know whether this will happen. Anyway, it was good to see a proper game without having to worry that Ajax will throw it all away in the 2nd half. Player Ratings: Paes (6.5) - kicking not great but he had a couple of good saves and kept a clean sheet Rosa (7) - I thought he had a fine game, it was interesting that he stayed back when he was playing on the right as Ajax pretty much always attacked down the left Sutalo (7) - very calm and almost mistake free, only the silly foul when he had firm hold of the Sparta attacker outside the box Baas (6.5) - some suprising very bad passes tonight Tomiyasu (7) - finally a LB worthy of Ajax but we don't know how he will hold up playing 60+ minutes which was close to 10 time more than he has played since he signed Regeer (NR) - 25 minutes and then what looked to be a serious hamstring injury and we may not see him again this season Steur (6.5) - an excellent first half with a great pass to Berghuis for the second goal and then he was just average in the 2nd half Klaassen (6.5) - had a couple of good passes and the great run already mentioned to get a goal but otherwise just Klaassen-average Berghuis (7.5) - yes, those in the Arena voted for Godts as MOTM but Berghuis was excellent on the evening, great reception of the Steur pass and then an off foot volley for a goal Konadu (5.5) - had some nice passes in the box but really should have scored at least once when he was set up, he is still young but nothing shows me that he is the future Ajax #9 Godts (7.5) - really fine game with outstanding dribbling past opposing players, and then the great pass to a breaking Klaassen. If Ajax does not qualify for the CL I think he is sold in the summer Mokio (6.5) - on for the injured Regeer and did a good job Dolberg (5.5) - on for Konadu but didn't do much Gaaei (5.5) - any time the opponents go down his side, I wait for the mistake to happen; fortunately, he was OK Fitz-Jim (NR) - on late Bounida (NR) - on late but did show some flash with the ball Away to Feyenoord next week and we'll see if the magic is really there or if we will be fooled yet again
It appeared that Ajax under Garcia had a little more effort and energy, but it’s just not a great team and Jordi will have to clean out, clean up, and fix this mess of a club once the season ends, but despite these problems there is much to play for regarding Champions League football for next season. Huge match with fellow strugglers Feyenoord next weekend will have big ramifications.
But no worries for you. Feyenoord will fold like a napkin and concede the match to Ajax even if in De Kuip. This Feyenoord squad struggles in just about every department this half of the season.
Honestly I’ve been thinking a lot about this match and I just don’t anticipate a high level of quality on display as both teams have really dropped off in my opinion. Ajax really needs a win here, but Feyenoord will say the same as it’s been a struggle to play good, winning football for both.
There is no question that the VAR PK call for a review was correct. In the end, Ajax could just not create enough chances against a damaged Feyenoord side that was packing everyone back on defense. It came down to one reckless challenge and one has to say a draw was a fair but unfortunate result for Ajax. Steur's strike for goal was magnificent and both Ajax FBs, Rosa and Tomiyasu were superb defenders. Paes had one really good save and Mokio cleared a ball off the line that looked like a sure goal. So the standings stay pretty much the same as NEC also draw on the day. PSV look to be champions and maybe they don't have a lot to play for in the remaining games. The game against Twente now looks big as they are only one point behind Ajax. A fifth place finish is not out of the question if there are further slip ups. Player Ratings: Paes (6.5) - great save late but had to still do too much kicking Rosa (7) - strong defending all game Sutalo (7) - good performance on the day Baas (7) - another nice match Tomiyasu (7.5) - solid game and it was interesting to see him slide into the middle to take passes from Paes, hope his leg complaint is not serious Mokio (7) - solid game both on and off the ball Steur (7.5) - would have been great to have been the game winner Klaassen (6) - still don't understand why he plays 90 minutes Berghuis (6) - not much of a factor Weghorst (5.5) - could not get free to do much of anything Godts (6) - held in check by a deep lying Feyenoord team Dolberg (5) - can't remember if he had more than a touch or two Bounida (5.5) - poor defending on occasion Fitz-Jim (4.5) - caught up in the moment and gave up a PK try that was converted Wijndal (NR) - decent enough coming in for an injured Tomiyasu Don't see the team finishing second at this point and a third place will be satisfactory but they could also slide into the Conference League playoffs. All those draws are haunting this team.
I was impressed with Mokio, Steur, and the two wingbacks (Tomiyasu and Rosa). Reminded why I don't like Klaasen and his flying elbows. Best Feyenoord player once again was Targhalline, who runs and runs and runs, and seems to keep the midfield from falling apart like they did when he was at AFCON. Hopefully Makkelie's lesson to Hadj Moussa takes hold. He goes to ground too many times and too easily. A draw was a fair result. Against a minnow side, one of those Ueda headers would have gone in. In a different forum, we call him the "Minnow Killer" because he only produces against smaller sides; never against the likes of Ajax, PSV, or AZ.
It was striking that Feyenoord did not press much at all yesterday. They played most all the forwards as the halfway line and let Ajax bring the ball from the back with no problems. However, once Ajax got into the Feyenoord half, everyone was packed in to defend. Ajax just does not have enough good ball rotation and penetration to break things down. Godts was always double or triple teamed and could not dribble across to get a free shot or cross. So we have a fundamental problem that Ajax has to address, they cannot do well against good teams that press high nor can they break down teams with a good defensive block. This means they have to defend very well to win 1-0 matches! They almost pulled this off yesterday. As long as Klaassen starts matches, Ajax will be hobbled. Fitz-Jim is a possible solution but he needs free space to operate well as he can be dispossessed if challenged. For all the cries about the lack of a #6, the basic problem is we don't have three good MFs who can play ball rotation. It is also puzzling that Carizzo has not gotten any playing time at RW. Bounida was first off the bench yesterday when Berghuis came off and was very bad. He's not a natural winger. Gloukh is now invisible and turning out to be another worthless buy by Ajax (Hlynsson has eight goals for Twente this season!). Maybe Ouzane improves and can slot in at #10 next year (amazing to see a team with three U-20s in the MF!!!). What happens with the players out on loan (Goojier, Janse, Kaplan, Alders, van Axel Dongen, Verschuren, Faberski, and Rijkoff) will be interesting to see. I hope that van den Boomen, Akpom, and Mannsverk get picked up by their clubs). Jordi Cruyff has a lot of work to do.
Ajax are just incredibly poor. I don’t know what Jordi is going to do here because the lack of talent is very real. Sell everyone over 23 and start truly developing the youth.
It's apparent that the manager of this Ajax team does not matter. The team has played like schoolboys regardless of whether it is Heitinga, Grim or now Garcia. The passing that led to the Weghorst goal was the ONLY decent play over the whole 90 minutes. This is absolutely, positively, unacceptable for an Ajax team. Passing was bad, position in the field was bad, goalkeeping was shaky, and I can go on and on about how woeful this team is. Both Twente goals were cheaply conceded but in truth they always looked the more dangerous side today. My hope is that this team does not play in Europe next year regardless of the financial consequences. this is just one ugly horrible side and it's not going to get any better until the players get their heads out of the clouds. they all think they are good and deserving of big € contracts. In truth none of them are. The old players cannot play 90 minutes and are two slow; the young players think they should be at Arsenal or Bayern. I am a true supporter and will watch the rest of the matches and report on them regardless of how awful the matches are. Ajax are a mid-table team and nothing more. Player Ratings: Paes (5) - two worth saves but a couple of woeful plays Gaaei (4)- broken record time - he CANNOT defend Sutalo (4.5) - why does he always lose concentration at a critical time Baas (5) - strictly ordinary Rosa (5.5) - better than average Mokio (5) - stop reading reports on how good you are, they are wrong, horrible positioning on the first goal as he had no idea where players were and was late getting back Steur (5) - no critical mistakes but nothing to write home about either Berghuis (4.5) - just too slow and I hope he does the right thing and retires as I don't want to see him drawing a salary next year Edvarssen (5) - always a hard worker and always just an ordinary mid-table winger Weghorst (5.5) - did score a goal which counts for something Godts (5)- good assist to Weghorst amidst a lot selfish play, again you are NOT Lamine Yamal!!!!!!! pass the damn ball sometimes Oscar (5) - wants to play more but when he plays he is quite poor, a waste of €s that cannot be blamed on Mislintat Konadu (5) - he should be loaned out next season assuming there are other alternatives at #9 Carrizo (5) - might be an interesting player as he is quick and has good ball skills but I need to see more of him Dolberg (NR) - is he still carrying an injury? he is certainly better than Konadu Fifth place is about right for this team and AZ are only three points behind now.
Pretty much the only option. Wander in the wilderness for a season or two developing talent is the only way.