AFPOresignation to Jordan Henderson
NOS Voetbal•vandaag, 08:03
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Thierry Boon
editor NOS Sport
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Thierry Boon
editor NOS Sport
“I can say so much about it, but partly on the advice of my wife, I don’t do it anymore,” Sjaak Swart admits. “I don’t want to go into it too deeply anymore,” sighs Rafael van der Vaart. “Historically tragic…” concludes Jan Mulder. The current Ajax is hurting them.
A deep sigh, filled with disappointment and disbelief, which slowly turns into a cynical laugh. In this telling way, in the run-up to the away match against AZ (today at 4.45 p.m.), the former Ajax players start their story about the diptych earlier this week with Bodø/Glimt, which was won with ease.
“We did not come here with the intention of playing sparkling football, but to get results,” said coach John van ‘t Schip on Thursday evening after the Conference League match in the Aspmyra Stadium in Norway.
Laughed at by Norwegians
And it showed. Left back Borna Sosa, Croatian international, purchase of eight million euros, who dribbles across the sideline with conviction, ball and all. On the right, Anton Gaaei, who was paid more than four million, did exactly the same, to the derision of the Norwegian public.
And then Josip Sutalo, for whom Ajax paid a maximum of 23.5 million euros in the expectation that he would lead the Amsterdam defense. Instead, he disadvantaged his team against Bodø/Glimt with a red card.
AZ-Ajax at NOS
The match between AZ and Ajax can be followed on Sunday from 4:45 PM via a live blog in the NOS app and on NOS.nl, NOS Teletekst and via flashes on NPO Radio 1.
Shortly after the match, a summary of the match can be viewed online. An extensive summary will follow from 7 p.m. on NPO 1 in Studio Sport Eredivisie.
Although the result is positive, as Ajax has advanced to the eighth finals at the third European level, the performance has caused a storm of criticism in Amsterdam. “It’s unbelievable, but at the same time you saw it coming,” says Van der Vaart. “It’s repetitive.”
New low
Mulder, on the other hand, won four European prizes with Ajax in the 1970s, was shocked by Ajax on Norwegian soil. “As far as I can tell, I have never seen such a shaky Ajax before.”
“It is always technically so much less than the opponent. That is really striking,” says Mulder. “Ajax has never been this deep. Now there are still 50,000 people in the stadium, but the day will come when they will start to complain about the whole situation.”
There was a brief revival under Van ‘t Schip, who mainly managed to win after his appointment at the end of October. Things are now looking pretty good. Or as they say in Amsterdam: it’s back to normal.
ANPJosip Sutalo drops off in Norway after his red card
The worst Premier League season ever for Ajax was in 1965, when the team led by Rinus Michels finished thirteenth (out of sixteen). Furthermore, the club finished sixth in the rankings in both 1959 and 2000.
Parallel with dramatic anniversary year
1999/2000, the much-discussed anniversary year, recorded in the almost as much discussed documentary ‘There They Heard Angels Singing’. A season in which everything went wrong, head coach Jan Wouters left and Hans Westerhof had to take over.
Somewhat comparable to Van ‘t Schip’s situation now: taking over the management of a club that is on fire on an interim basis, without seeming to have any decent fire extinguishing equipment.
“I can imagine that John sometimes thinks: what on earth have I gotten myself into,” says the now 75-year-old Westerhof. According to the former coach of FC Groningen, PSV and Vitesse, there is mainly a lack of self-confidence in the current Ajax selection.
“I don’t understand how a number of boys can sink so low. Sosa and Sutola have an excellent reputation, come from excellent clubs, are Croatian internationals. What happened to make them play so without any self-confidence?”
ANPHans Westerhof as interim coach at Ajax in 2000
It reminds Westerhof of his interim job in 2000. “I had Frank Verlaat in the selection. Good boy, good football player, but so incredibly insecure.” Verlaat, trained at Ajax, came back to be valuable at the back with his experience. However, that didn’t work out at all.
Westerhof: “You try to make him feel as much as possible that you have confidence in him. Watching images in which he did well. But once the fear of failure sets in…”
Sudden pearls
Football romantic Mulder fears that Ajax fans will have to be patient for a while before they can talk with pride about the record champion from the capital again.
“There is a despondency about Ajax,” he notes. “Van ‘t Schip is a sweet boy and a good trainer, but he must also have good players. We are waiting for a great talent. A few sudden pearls from the youth.”
“This bad period will not be solved in one season. It will take years. I feel sorry for the club.”
2024-02-25 07:03:53
#Ajax #trouble #club #deep
