Marco van Basten misses ‘a general’ at the back of Ajax. He finds the Amsterdammers defensively vulnerable and sees no one taking the lead. Ajax came across Saturday Speed off well with a 2-1 win.
But not Ajax, but Vitesse opened strongly in the Johan Cruijff Arena. “Vitesse could have scored two goals in the first three minutes”, says Van Basten Rondo on Ziggo Sport.
“I still find Ajax quite vulnerable defensively. They can play football well, but in the back? There is also no one in charge. Daley Blind is the experienced player, but no one says stay in cover. They are all soldiers carrying out orders, but there is no general in the back. You also need someone to tell you what to do. Blind is the man who has to do it, but doesn’t. Schuurs, Mazraoui and Tagliafico don’t work either. That is something that Ajax has to work on. “
“They had difficulty with Vitesse’s way of playing, also physically”, Youri Mulder adds. “Ajax can play football so well that if you are late, you will be tagged away. As an opponent you have to organize it properly. Once you have passed it, you are out.”
“It was a one-on-one match”, says Van Basten. “Ajax has an advantage in that because they have more qualities. But because it is one against one it can become dangerous, because Ajax is defensively vulnerable.”
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