Sustain the Excellence: Ajax, 2019-20

Ajax staff in corona quarantine.
assistent-trainer Christian Poulsen, inspanningsfysioloog Alessandro Schoenmaker en een van de fysiotherapeuten.

 

It's weird. Looks like they had sand in their eyes and most likely thought some of the saves were shots against the posts . At first I thought at least two were against both the post, but from a different angle it were clearly saves by Onana.

 

Ajax needed a goal gifted by Faik, who passed to Tadic, to take control of the game.

 

I missed the game, does anyone know what happened here??

 

It seems he ignored the tactical plan and his tasks in it. He was supposed to be more back as a passing outlet for Tadic. He was too often playing forwards. Tadic was right to set him straight after a couple of Heerenveen players failed to score. One goal in the first half for H'veen could have been disastrous for Ajax at the moment with feeble confidence.
Also he ignored instructions about that from his captain. So when Dest talked back again after being adressed Tadic was fed up.

 

Dest wasnot playing bad apart from this.

 

I think Kik Pierie really should move on. Ten Hag doesnot like him. Timber was chosen according to ten Hag for his speed. The first thing that happens he gets beaten on speed and gets a yellow. H'veen players were beating the defenders on speed time after time. What happens when Onana moves on this summer?
He this month is the only one that kept Ajax in the race with AZ.

 

Found a comment by Tadic:
Beide Ajacieden kregen het verbaal met elkaar aan de stok. Na de 1-3 zege legde Tadic voor de camera van FOX Sports uit dat hij vond dat Dest bij een bepaald moment niet goed stond. 'Had ik toen de bal verloren, dan hadden we met 1-0 achter kunnen komen', aldus Tadic. 'Maar dit is normaal in het voetbal. Ik toonde een beetje emotie.' Het voorval werd al snel uitgesproken. 'Hij is een goede jongen en een goede speler.'

 

Tadic is a class act. I think he'll make a good coach when he retires

 

From paper Trouw:
Tadic - Dest
Een Servische vulkaan, aanvoerder Tadic, barstte vijf minuten voor rust uit. Hoofd-tegen-hoofd stond de trotse Balkan-voetballer ineens met de jonge Ajax-verdediger Dest, die blindelings naar voren was gedraafd en geen oog had voor de ruimte die hij achterliet (en Tadic daarmee ook een afspeelmogelijkheid ontnam). Zo steken de verhoudingen op dit moment dus in elkaar bij Ajax.

Tadic had daar wel een punt. In de eerste helft, waarin het niveau van de regerend landskampioen toch al te denken gaf, lag de boel een paar keer gevaarlijk open bij Ajax. Ejuke (doelman Onana redde met de hak) en Halilovic (vergaloppeerde zich voor open doel) verzuimden echter te scoren voor SC Heerenveen. “Ik heb veel ervaring en probeer hem te helpen”, zei Tadic na afloop over zijn woede-uitbarsting richting Dest. “Op dat moment moet je niet gaan lopen.”

 

Yeah, Dest has a very good soccer connection with Ziyech, but that's probably also why the instructions were to restrict the forward moves as Tadic plays a different positioning game.

 

Anyway, times have changed. In the old days with Cruijff, Israel, van Hanegem and Krol if a young player ignores instructions he would be punched.

 

This was a strange and nerve racking game.. heerenveen could of easily been up 3-0 at the half... and omg Ejuke blew by Blind twice and made it look so easy. Anyways, Let’s hope this carries on some positive momentum.

 

Tadic has played RW a lot of late. I think he is a lot better at LW or the 10.

https://www.transfermarkt.us/dusan-tadic/leistungsdaten/spieler/36139

I agree on your offensive difference. The way bigger difference is defensively. Ziyech is a mad man chasing down players, pressing, coming back. Tadic is just slower and not really effective as a presser.

 

Dutch papers about Tadic fury:
https://www.voetbalprimeur.nl/nieuw...ten-hag-zelf-niet-in-staat-tij-te-keren-.html
Het Algemeen Dagblad zag een 'getergde aanvoerder, die de ploeg vol overgave bij de hand nam'. 'En toen was de maat vol voor Dusan Tadic', klinkt het. 'Op alle mogelijke manieren was het in de aanloop naar Heerenveen-uit binnen Ajax besproken. De trainer en de spelers wilden geen rigoureuze concessies doen aan de speelwijze, maar er moesten wel een paar accenten beduidend anders gezet worden.'

'De meeste aandacht ging uit naar de rol van de vleugelverdedigers als Ajax aan het aanvallen was. Nicolás Tagliafico, maar vooral Sergiño Dest had er een gewoonte van gemaakt om maar naar voren te vliegen op het moment dat zijn ploeg de bal had. Gevolg was dat de backs verdedigend in geen velden of wegen te bekennen waren als Ajax weer eens balverlies leed.'


Toen Dest weer de diepte koos, sprong Tadic uit zijn vel. 'Tadic toonde zijn passie in woord en gebaar, maar liet vervolgens wel zijn voeten spreken. Na een periode waarin de Servische aanvaller veel duels anoniem meehobbelde, nam hij nu Ajax met woorden én daden bij hand. (...) De getergde Tadic, die zijn ploeg de weg wees, herstelde met zijn uitbarsting onbewust ook enigszins de hiërarchie in het elftal.'
google translate:
"Most attention was paid to the role of the wing defenders when Ajax was attacking. Nicolás Tagliafico, but especially Sergiño Dest had made a habit of flying forward when his team had the ball. The result was that the backs could not be seen defensively in any fields or roads if Ajax once again suffered a loss of ball. '

When Dest chose the depth again, Tadic jumped out of his skin.

 

Does anybody know if there been any films or docs produced on Ajax's success last season? Anybody have tips on how to rewatch old matches? Would love to relive some of the glory of last season while spending so much time at home.

 

Amsterdam paper phylosophing about replacements for Ajax players who will leave:
https://www.parool.nl/sport/deze-vi...jax~b37b7e77/?referer=https://www.google.com/

 

Bigger things going on in the world but to escape what is happening: In a (very) weird way... the stopping of all competitions could actually help Ajax:

* Ajax is known for having tons and tons of cash in reserves. The most fiscally responsible team perhaps in the world. This would allow them to buy players from clubs that are desperate for cash. It's one of the reasons the transfer fees they pay are a lot lower than what people think -- Ajax can pay cash up front.

*The 45m they got for Ziyech originally looked like a steal for Chelsea. Well, if transfers are down, it might be a great price.

*It seems like Nico, Onana, Donny are 100% gone and Dest, Neres were a good bet to go too. Maybe not if teams cannot afford them.

*Ajax doesn't rely on revenues from their domestic league like others. A dip in Eredivisie prize money won't really kill Ajax like it will for teams in bigger leagues.

Of course, there is the other side too. It seems like UEFA may keep the coefficients as 19/20 which would mean champion of the Eredivisie will (again) have to win 2 rounds of preliminaries to get to the CL. There's a trickle down effect too: 2nd place will have to win 3 rounds and Cup champion wouldn't automatically be in EL.