Totally unnecessary dropped points. Grim is turning out to be not much better than Heitinga. Two major errors by out two 18 year olds, Steur and Bouwman gave up the goals. Neither one picked up the player who was in their zone, though the second shot off the Bouwman mistake was a fine strike. Grim's fascination with Klaassen is mystifying and then he subs on two defensive players late in the game. I'm running out of things to say and am really wondering if it's worth watching this team any more this season. Ajax did have about 15 minutes of good football where the ball was quickly moved and shots were created. If we could go by expected goals, Ajax would have had 4-5 rather than the two they scored. Maybe Youri Baas is the key to this team. They faltered last year down the stretch when he was out injured and the last two games that he has been out this season are indicative of his value. There were also an abysmal number of give aways in the Ajax half in the 2nd period Player Ratings: Jaros (6) - a shade above average but is forced to kick long way too much but he had a great throw out leading to an attack Gaaei (6) - went forward with purpose and fortunately did not have to defend Bouwman (5.5) - had one good run with the ball into the offensive half but was at fault for the second goal Itakura (6) - decent and no more Rosa (6) - worked hard all game Regeer (6) - still don't know if he is a solution to any problem this team has Steur (5.5) - good field vision and made some good passes and runs, but he let the runner go right past him on the first goal Klaassen (6) - solid shot on the first goal but that was it, I still don't know why he starts Bounida (6.5) - one of the better players for Ajax, notice that he doesn't get dispossessed the same way that Oscar does Dolberg (6.5) - had a solid match and even controlled the long kicks in his direction, too bad he did not finish the 2nd half chance better Godts (6.5) - most creative player out there and like Dolberg, he should have finished the shot that caromed of the cross bar Sutalo (5.5) - on in bizarre double substitution Mokio (5.5) - same as Sutalo Edvardssen (NR) - part of the Smurf Patrol Moro (NR) - part of the Smurf Patrol Oscar (NR) - yet another Smurf and he is quickly proving to be a very mediocre player Villareal coming up in the CL and they lost today. Ironically AZ also got handled by PEC Zwolle 3-1. Go figure!!! Maybe Feyenoord will drop points tomorrow.
He is on loan. Remember, Heitinga was the assistant trainer at Liverpool last season. Perhaps he saw something in Jaros that nobody else has.
I’ve been contemplating whether or not to comment about Ajax after the wretched performance vs AZ midweek, and Orange14 is not wrong about questioning not to watch them anymore this season. I recall giving some praise for Grim after the Champions League win, and the Feyenoord match, but he’s proving to be clueless with this love affair of Klaassen. The current roster is plain poor and it’s no secret as the results and play have mostly been abysmal for a few years now. Hope the youth can develop, and some proper squad building moves occur under Jordi. There are many moves and changes that need to be made, but with little money to spend things will be challenging. Hard pill to swallow for this hardcore Ajax fan the past couple of seasons, but unfortunately the truth is Ajax has a very limited team.
Ajax look set to bring in Alex Zinchenko on loan from Arsenal with an opportunity to purchase. He will be in Amsterdam on Tuesday for a medical and will help solve the LB problem.
I’m not a fan of Zinchenko, but it’s too late as he’s on his way. Now if we can only solve the GK, RB, CB, 6, and 10 problems.
I don't really get this - the LB is the least of our problems now, we have Rosa and Wijndal who are, especially the former, more than decent for today's Ajax. If we are really in a urgent need for a third LB, common sense says we should try some of our own young players, not a 39 y.o. on loan. What we badly need is a GK and a RW. For the latter position we keep on using Oscar and Bounida who are wasted there as their natural position is in MF where we play Klaassen and Regeer who are mediocre MFs.
I think they want to move Rosa back to RB and transfer Gaaei. Apparently Cruyff already told the club not to go after this young Brazilian FB from Santos. There is only a limited amount of money right now and I think they may only bring in one more player.
A couple of things before talking about the performance. It appears that Spanish supporters are fair weather fans and won''t come out if it's raining. Pathetic how many empty seats there were. Secondly, it did not look like Villareal had their heart in this game. Either that or the Spain #3 team is not very good. So Ajax pick up three points with the Edvardssen goal. Defensively they were still fragile but Jaros made some key saves. There are still too many unforced errors but the passing and movement were much better in this match. Oscar's free kick reminded me of the Schone goal against Real Madrid in the 2019 run to the semifinals. Incredibly, Ajax are still in contention for the KO round though things will have to break their way. Olympiacos is on 8 points and Ajax can pull ahead of them with a win next week!! Go figure. Player Ratings: Jaros (7) - best match in an Ajax shirt with some key saves and was good with the ball at his feet Gaaei (6.5) - didn't have to defend much and had the cutback to Edvarssen for the match winner Bouwman (5) - the rating might be charitable as he had two really bad mental mistakes, one that conceded the goal, he's only 18 and his passing is o much better than Sutalo Baas (7) - solid performance and it shows how much he is missed when he is out Wijndal (6) - decent enough and tried to overlap when he could, drew the foul that set up Oscar Regeer (6.5) - thought he was good on the evening before coming out because of a knock Mokio (6.5) - solid game as the defensive MF when Regeer would slide over to the right in a 3 man back line Klaassen (6) - you all know that I am NOT a Klassen fanboy and don't think he should play but he was OK in this match though huffing and puffing in the end Oscar (6.5) - rating is mostly because of the free kick but he was more under control and moved to the false #9 when Dolberg came off Dolberg (6) - worked hard at both ends but only had one half chance Godts (6) - I just don't now about him; apparently he is working with Huntellaar but what he really needs to do is watch some tapes of David Neres on how not to lose the ball Itakura (6) - OK coming in for Regeer at #6 and then dropped back when Wijndal was subbed off Steur (NR) - on for the final 20 minutes and was composed on the ball not losing possession and passing to the right man Bounida(NR) - same as Steur, had one bad give away but helped set up the match winner Edvardssen (NR) - nailed the matchwinner
van den Boomen is off to Angiers in France on loan with no option to buy. Osasuna has come for Moro for purchase but until the ink is on the paper it is still not certain.
Great to win, especially in Spain today against a very ordinary Villarreal side who are somehow # 3 in La Liga. That said it was not easy because Ajax cannot help themselves with their occasional shambolic defensive play, bad passing, and sloppy ball loss. Ajax still has a big disease about winning headers especially from Corners, and it’s totally shocking how often our defenders are flat footed, and show little aggression on these dangerous situations. Orange14 you are correct about Jaros & Klaassen today, and I won’t say anything else.
Yes, it pretty much means that any team in contention to reach nine points has to lose. At -12, Ajax have the worst GD among all the teams that can reach nine points. They can only knock out Olympiacos of all the teams currently on eight points.
Moro stays behind in Spain and will have a medical at Osasuna. Transfer fee is €6M. Ajax will get his salary off the books which will help make up for the €4M loss because of the purchase price last summer.
That crowd was ridiculous. I am shocked that they couldn't be bothered to turn out for a Champions League fixture. It's amazing to think that Ajax still may have a chance to get through to the next round.
The stadium only seats 23K and the town of Villareal is small (50K) I assume they draw supporters from the surrounding area. I don't know what the % of season ticket holders is and would assume that they would have also bought CL tickets. It was either the cold & rainy night or the fact that the club was really bad in this competition. Still one would never see this in Amsterdam.
They have a big sell-on % evidently... So hopefully Moro raises his level. Maybe he will be more comfortable in Spain. Good job to just cut dead weight at this point. More Alvarez rumors. Kante may go to Fenebache and if that happens, he will want out to get regular playing time for the upcoming WC. I'm (probably stupidly) hopeful about Jordi.
What about a RW? Are they looking for a purchase (unlikely) or they have in mind someone from JA? O'Niel there looks promising and at 19 it's time to be given playing time with the seniors. By the way he is the only natural RW, while we have a bunch of LWs there. IMO the selection should be more balanced.
Lots of shots but only our CB can score in this one. Two goals off of nice headers by Baas with the assist to Bounida each time give Ajax a 2-0 win. By all rights, Ajax should have had at least two more goals. He final pass or shot was always wanting and again too many soft passes that destroyed the continuity. Why did the club spend a lot of money on a new #10 only to see a creaky old player start every match? Mystifying is the only word for this. Bouwman with another stupid mistake on a very poor header towards his own goal when he was almost at the halfway line. Godts was hot and cold and still tries to do too much when he can easily avoid trouble. Still it is a victory which is a rare thing this season. Player Ratings: Jaros (6) - had little to do and did not need to kick long which was a plus Gaaei (6.5) - when he doesn't have to defend he is very good Bouwman (6) - other than the one bonehead play late in the match he was decent Baas (7.5) - defended and passed well and got two nice goals Rosa (6) - decent enough and like Gaaei had little defending to do Regeer (6.5) - getting better with each match, don't know if he is a long term solution at #6 but is certainly good enough for this team this year Steur (6.5) - solid match and clearly knows which player to pass to Klaassen (5.5) - WHY?????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Bounida (7) - solid game with two assists and a lot of quickness on the ball Dolberg (6) -just didn't get the ball with a clear shot on goal Godts (6) - still too many dribbles when he should pass though it was a little better than in past games Itakura (5.5) - on for Regeer and rather silent Mokio (6) - better today with hardly a give away Weghorst (NR) - good to see him back but he will have to be content as a sub Fitz-Jim (NR) - had some nice passes but that is his game Oscar (NR) - token sub very late and the question is WHY? Olympiacos coming up for the final Champions League match. Weird that Ajax still have a chance to advance though a lot of other matches will have to break their way if they win. I'm not counting on this but a win would bring in more money. I hope the club doesn't go crazy buying a worthless player or two.
Euro football is over for this season. Two mistakes gave Olympiacos two 2nd half goals while Dolberg was on target from the spot for Ajax. Despite the loss this was the best Ajax have played this season. They spent a lot of time in the offensive half and created some scoring opportunities. Dolberg was a toe or so offsides on a nice pass by Godts, Oscar missed what should have been a sure goal and Weghorst had a late header cleared off the line. The defense was decent other than on the first goal where there seemed to be confusion about what was going on. Gaaei was not tight enough on the 2nd goal that came off a corner (Ajax did a good job defending corners other than that one). There were still too many cheap give aways. I thought Regeer had a very fine match for Ajax. Godts was rather mediocre other than the pass to Dolberg. Let's hope the team can take something from this game and start winning in the league. One thing I don't understand is that the hand ball in the first half by the Greek defender was far worse than the one in the 2nd where the penalty was given. Go figure. Player Ratings: Jaros (6.5) - did not have any difficult saves to make and don't know if he could have done better on the 2nd goal, his kicking was OK and he distributed the ball well in the back Gaaei (6) - other than poor defending on the corner, he was more than decent on the night Sutalo (6.5) - rare start and he was OK Baas (6) - thought he was not up to his usual standard, had several really poor passes Wijndal (6.5) - had a couple of good tackles and was always looking to go forward Regeer (7.5) - I thought he was rock solid on the night and the best player for Ajax Steur (6.5) - except for a couple of poor passes that were intercepted, a really good shift, he is the starter for the next several years Klaassen (6)- an above average performance Oscar (6) - really should have scored and was OK but still loses the ball when in a crowd Dolberg (7) - solid penalty and was good at taking the ball down Godts (5.5) - just a shade over mediocre, he really should be much better but seems not to see the field as well as he should Bounida (NR) - on with 20 minutes to go and had little impact Edvardssen (NR) - same as Bounida Mokio (NR) - had one or two good plays and one or two poor ones Weghorst (NR) - nice header but saved off the line Nash (NR) - CL debut for a promising winger I'm of the opinion that Ajax should not spend any money this transfer window except for maybe Zinchenko (if it does go through). The club has enough players to get through the league and and regroup this summer under Jordi.