Won't we get Davids & Gabri back for the next game? I remember Gabri getting a 4 match conditional ban which was actually 3 games plus one (depending on some 'stuff'?).

Davids got a one match ban for accumutaled yellow cards. So we should definitely get him back for this one.

Also, we could possibly use Perez in place of Sneijder.

yeah, Gabri will play next sunday. davids probably will replace urby at left back and perez will play in center with gabri and roger or maduro. i really would prefer maduro

If one team deserved a late winner, over all, it would have been AZ. But I don't agree that they were the "best team throughout the game". I thought Ajax actually played really well in the half hour after conceding an early opening goal.

To me, this was a totally unnecessary defeat. The defense was well-organized and everything went just fine, until Ten Cate replaced KJH with Lindenbergh, a very odd, defensive substitution, more than 25 minutes before the end.

AZ had more possession and played the better football in the second half, but Ryan Babel had three face-to-face encounters with Waterman and should have put at least one of them away. The best chance of the second half was for Ajax. We could have won it and should most definitely have held on to a 1-1 draw. That would have forced them to score at the ArenA. Now we need to score ourselves.

Also, very, very bad thing that Sneijder will be suspended. HTC thought that his yellow card was "professional" and a "necessary" foul. I thought it was very stupid. Sneijder has, unfortunately, played his last game as an Ajacied. We could have used him in the home leg. His goal in Alkmaar will explain you why... The lad is world class.

K.

Huntelaar didn't play well and was not involved in the game at all, not only his fault. The period before the substitution Ajax missed a defensive midfielder dearly and with the sub Huntelaar - Lindenbergh the balance was back. After all, Ajax got a few good chances after this sub.

Another important reason to sub Huntelaar and not Perez or Babel was that the referee didn't give much, if any, to Huntelaar and therefore he was fighting a losing battle.

This will be a very hard game, and it will take true fighting spirit.

Just like the Cup final, so nothing impossible ! :hupajax.gif:

I'm not taking anything for granted, but this is still very very winable.

If Davids is back the whole midfield dynamic will be very different.
Sneijder will be a big loss no doubt about it, but Perez can fill the role if Davids does the "hoovering" defensively.

It's down to motivating the side by HTC, and Huntelaar getting a decent supply line.

We can win this!!!!!!!

Will Urby and Stam be fit ??

Urby will probably make it. Stam's season is over - for sure.

K.

Huntelaar played poorly because he had no support. He would routinely get the ball with acres of space, four defenders nearby, and no one providing support. He's not the kind of guy who can take four defenders on. This is after HtC made what appeared to be a tactical decision to drop his wingers back to defend.

Furthermore, Babel passed up an opportunity to provide KJH with an easy tap-in and decided to shoot it himself. I remember seeing KJH go ballistic on Babel afterwards.

Babel's moves were amazing; his finishing was putrescent. He should have scored at least one and fed KJH for at least another one.

So very true.............

I thought Sneijder,got booked because he lost his temper after getting no protection from the ref for most of the game.
Im not sure if he quick enough to be world class though!He would struggle in the premiership,he would be more suited to la laiga.
Babbel misses could well cost Ajax the game in the end,i think we will need 3,because Az wil score.

This is an odd one...

Is the average football player in the English Premiership quicker than the average football player in La Liga or the Eredivisie...? I strongly doubt it. I really don't think there's much of a difference. They're professional athletes and I'm pretty sure there are quick and slower players in every league.

If you'd organise a running contest for football players, I don't think the English Premiership would necessarily win, to be honest.

K.

Well I don't know the stats but they've organised this sort of thing in England for a few years now...fastest 100 metres, furthest thrown in, hardest shot etc. It would be interesting to see but I tend to agree with you, with the exception of a few outstanding players I suspect the averages would be pretty similar in all the top leagues.

I think Sneijder just lost it out of frustration, pure and simple, he's done it before.

I suspect they'd take more drugs where there is more money involved though (Italy, England, Spain for example...)

The English game,is now all about pace the top teams all seem to have player 6 foot + and they have a phyiscial side to their game.But to really suceed in the Epl,Pace is a must.Top players like Henry,Droghba,Bertatov have genuine pace.
Spanish\dutch football the game more about passing,the Epl is more direct.

Aye, that Lampard bloke is as fast as f*ck.

Lampard isnt world class class in my opinion,granted he can shoot but isnt a patch on Gerrard in the central postion.Hence he is none existence in the international game.

The EPL and it appears all of the leagues in the UK is about constant pace for 90 minutes with the ball flying around like a pinball.
Footie in Holland, Italy and Spain and the like is about utilising a change of pace with the players still having the same capability for fast acceleration when it is required.
One of the best exponents of this that I have seen since 2000 was Chivu who could amble around but when he moved out of the defence with the ball at his feet - boy could he travel and so often left opponents in his wake. If used like Chivu it is a powerful tool with gaps opening up like the Red Sea and in fact it is an attacking option that has been sorely missed since his departure.

He may not be world class but no one can claim that he has been anything other than a great success in the Premier League.

Back on topic - did anyone else notice De Zeeuw giving Stek the studs first treatment again.

yes, i did, he nearly took his face off

Sounds logical to me.

But why do they get more money in Turin than anywhere else ?

Er, back to the match... I finally posted a match report. Have at it:

http://www.ajax-usa.com/matches/m06-07/ ... ge-az.html