Ajacieden in Oranje

[SPL]

There are hardly any players in the 25 to 29 age group,thus with Sneijder ,KJH, and v Persie also Robben all likely to be retired off if qualification to next summer fails,Cillessen aged 26 will be the oldest player along with Daley Blind aged 25.

[SPL]

There have been Ints at U18 up to u21 this week with Ajax kids involved and so far only one win between the whole lot

The U 21 are playing 2 Euro qualifiers for 2017 and beat Cyprus 4-0 Bazoer the only Ajax left in the squad scored.Currently playing their 2nd game vTurkey and winning 1-0 at HT (Sinkgraven and El Ghazi dropped out the squad with injuries.)

All the other teams played 2 friendlies ,just a brief roundup to show Ajax kids involved, one or two kids dropped out

U20 drew 1-1 and lost 2-0 both to France. Groothuizen,Mirani,Clement and Sanniez all played.

U19 drew 0-0 v Italy and lost 2-1 to Germany v d Beek,Nouri and Dekker(A1 winger and contracted) played.Frenkie de Jong also.(Fosu-Mensah and Dilrosun ,both only 17 and went to Man u and City last year played.)

Finally U18 lost 2-0 and drew 0-0 v England . Eiting and D de Wit both contracted plus de Lange a goalie played.

So U21 the only Dutch team who have won this week .

[SPL]

2 Dutch wins ! U 21 beat Turkey 1-0 in a 2017 euro qualifier.Bazoer played.

[Cruijff]

Ajax again nr 1 in the pre selection of Oranje. Anwar El Ghazi, Jasper Cillessen, Davy Klaassen, Jairo Riedewald, Kenny Tete and Joël Veltman can be picked.

[SPL]

Plenty of Ajax in various age groups.All eyes on Oranje in Euro qualifiers with Cillessen ,Tete,Bazoer Riedewald and El Ghazi. Not sure those 4 kids are ready for full Int just yet.

U21 play 2017 Euro qualifier v Slovakia Sinkgraven

U20 play a 4 nation tournament v England Germany Turkey .Groothuizen, Clement, Mirani,Owusu

U19 play a 2016 Euro qualifier v France, Gibraltar, Liechstenstein (top 2 to the elite round) V Bladeren,v dBeek,Nouri Dekker plus Frenkie de Jong .( Dilrosun and Mensah both not 18 until next year and lost to English clubs are included)

U18 v Serbia friendly Boultam,de Wit plus 2 uncontracted de Lange a goalie and Zeefuik defender

[SPL]

Hugh night for Oranje ,game is on sky so I will watch it. Tete,Riedewald and Cillessen should start and I hope KJH scores some goals.

Will take a bit of a miracle to get to 2016 Finals, 2 wins this week, Turkey to lose and then playoffs.

[Orange14]

The NT is so dysfunctional these days that if they don't get a goal within the first 5-10 minutes I don't think they will score. I hope to be proven wrong, but this looks like a 0-0 match.

[rjf1]

Looks impossible to play with any kind of finesse on that miserable pitch. Krul is in goal -- was there a problem with Cillesen?

[rjf1]

You have to try -- really hard -- to miss a chance like the one Depay just did.

[SPL]

Not sure how Depay missed. El Ghazi set up for Wijnaldum. Need another goal and that should be it.

[SPL]

Cillessen injured his back in the warm up.I just saw Milik is out injured for 2 weeks

[SPL]

Beautifully set up goal

[rjf1]

Starting with the 65th minute, they started playing slow and sloppy. A good manager would make a substitution round about now, you would think.

[rjf1]

They never learn -- have the game totally in hand, but then start to play slow - pitty pat around the back - lose all momentum - get sloppy as a result - the other team plays fast, takes over the momentum, and runs circles around them. "Oh my, where did that goal come from?" They never learn. Holland was lucky the game didn't have another 10 minutes in it.

[SPL]

V Dijk stood there for that goal and a little while earlier let them in with a great chance which was somehow missed.

Of our 3 Tete looks solid defending but when everyone is fit not sure El Ghazi or Riedewald are ready to play v the top teams.

That back 4 will be torn apart at the finals if they got there.Our 2 kids are ok very inexperienced but Bruma and V Dijk are poor. Turkey will drop points tonight but you can see Czech Rep getting a draw in Amsterdam.

[rjf1]

Sad to say, Turkey won their game, so the situation looks pretty grim. But, not qualifying may save us the embarrassment of being torn apart (as you say), in the finals. Agree that Tete looked good - Riedewald had a decent game for the most part, but will no doubt have problems vs. more talented opposition. And until El Ghazi can start beating his defender around the outside on a regular basis, he will have his problems, as well. As it is, they just wait for him to cut back inside and close him off.

[SPL]

Riedewald of course has played his 2 Ints at LB whereas he now plays CD for us ,which is his favourite position. Unlike Tete I dont think he is ready yet .

Big question for Oranje with no finals next year is do they drop their older players. V Persie and KJH have not had great qualifiers and not doing that great at club level. Think Tuesday we should say goodbye. Sneijder and the nearly always injured Robben are both a year younger .Robben is still quality and may be used for next season's Wc qualifiers. Sneijder can also be faded out. Klaassen,Wijnaldum Bazoer Blind are the future of MF but Sneijder's goal last night was top drawer Dutch footy at its best.We can still use him for qualifiers next season at least.

Only positive of no Euros next summer our kids wont be in the limelight and if Denmark fail to make it I think only Milik of our squad will be there.A whole summer off will do our young side good as this is going to be a long busy season for them.

PS I have been in love with Oranje since 1974 ,like so many football fans from outside Holland of my age, and I am gutted they are not looking like being at the finals.

[rjf1]

...PS I have been in love with Oranje since 1974 ,like so many football fans from outside Holland of my age, and I am gutted they are not looking like being at the finals.

We have that in common -- it started for me in the mid 60s when I played for an amateur team in New York made up of expats from Holland and the Dutch West Indies.

[SPL]

Not getting better as the Dutch U 21 lost 3-1 at home to Slovakia today . Both sides are joint top in their Euros 2017 group and have won 2, lost 1 with 5 games to play. Top team in the group go to the final best 2nds play off. Only Ajax player in the squad Sinkgraven came on as a sub. Ex players V d Hart ,Kishna plus Menig (out on loan) used today .

Also as sub one Gylano v Velzen of Volendam . 5 years ago aged 16 he left for Man U never made it returned and spent 2 years with Jong Utrecht and now with Volendam .


At other age groups U18 won v Serbia 4-0 in a friendly Zeefuik, Boultam and de Wit played .

U20 playing in a 4 nation tournament lost 3-1 v England and 2-1 v Germany with Turkey to play.Groothuizen,Mirani ,Owusu and Clement have all played.

Finally U19 playing 3 group matches for Euros 2016 have so far beaten Gibraltar 9-0 ,Nouri and Dekker a goal each
and Liechtenstein 2-0 .France to play but they will almost certainly be in the next round .V Bladeren and v d Beek have both also played along with Frenkie de Jong.

[Orange14]

Not getting better as the Dutch U 21 lost 3-1 at home to Slovakia today . Both sides are joint top in their Euros 2017 group and have won 2, lost 1 with 5 games to play. Top team in the group go to the final best 2nds play off. Only Ajax player in the squad Sinkgraven came on as a sub. Ex players V d Hart ,Kishna plus Menig (out on loan) used today .

A number of very good players who are eligible for Jong Oranje were either not called up or played for the senior team because of injuries: el Ghazi, Bazoer, Rekik, van Beek, and Boetius.

[SPL]

I agree I should have added Tete, Riedewald, El Ghazi, Bazoer and v Beek ,Rekik all playing would have made a hugh difference.

[Manneken Pis]

Sad to see us not quality but not that surprised.

We've ridden our luck in the last two WCs to be honest.

We've been adapting tactics for a set of players that weren't world class very cleverly by Bert v M and Louis v G, and then hoping Robben/Schneijder/Van Persie showed a moment of brilliance. Although they both got heavily criticised for abandoning the "Dutch way", we've seen what happens otherwise under Hiddink. Also his "friendly uncle" approach after LvG's strict gym teacher approach was always a recipe for disaster.

The truth is we've not had a generation of world class players (aged 25 to 29) come through after the early 2000s batch, and the younger generation aren't ready.

[Cruijff]

The Dutch national team was really poor, poor, dramatic.

But... they can still make it. We can just trust on three fine goals of good old Sigthorsson.

[SPL]

Main event tonight but to wind up the youth Int games with Ajax in .

U20's having lost 2 games just beat Turkey 1-0 and our Pelle Clement scored the goal.Owusu and Mirani played.

U19's drew 1-1 with France in their Euro 2106 group. v d Beek scored the goal and Nouri and Dekker also played.France won the group on Goal difference of plus 1 but Dutch u19's through to the elite round .

[SPL]

Only change in tonights starting X1 is Zoet for Cillessen .