01 Sep 2013: FC Groningen - Ajax

[rjf1]

Agree our only shot was a goal at least we have not given away a silly goal as yet .

Only by a stroke of luck when the ball deflected off of Groningen's own player.

[SPL]

Midfield is poor and creating nothing. Answer to Poulsen getting even slower Enoh is still with us

[Van basten]

We need to buy creative midfielder!!!!

[Tom_]

We need to buy creative midfielder!!!!

Siem de Jong?

[rjf1]

Actually, Poulsen is doing a good job of his primary responsibility -- to protect the back line and clean up the spillage. Plus you need an older hand to steady the ship when you have so many youngsters in the lineup. There's more to it than how slow you think he is.

[saddlerian]

Thank you Bojan, greeedy B.....that's cost us a goal! 1-1 now....PRAT!!!!

[Cedric]

Put that goal on Bojan account. The chance he waisted seconds before for being too selfish was a professionnal foul.

[saddlerian]

My God....Bojan again...a sitter!!!!!! The only way he can repent now is to score the winner...FOR AJAX!!!!

[Tom_]

Bojan "Facepalm" Krkić

[ofey]

So all our Danes are on the pitch?

[Amol]

So relieved that Groningen missed the chance in the last minute.

Piss poor game. Team is still probably thinking of Eriksen and Toby.

[saddlerian]

yet ANOTHER very disappointing performance...

This is a game we should have, and would have won if Bojan wasn't dreaming about being the next Messi!!

FDB, you've got a lot of work to do with this lot...I'm just glad that I am where I am now!! I can see myself "releasing" my season card already....with performances like this, I can't justify the expense in flying to Amdam!!! The selling has gone too far now as the quality of replacements is just NOT good enough!!

[King Litti]

all and all quite poor from us. Two and a half weeks and we will face fc Barcelona away. Looking at todays away game I have to say the quality just isn't there. We didn't play our usual fast attacking and passing game and failed to defend solidly at the same time. We tried to do a bit of both and ended with a unimpressive performance in both ends of the field. Thank god Groningen didn't punish us in the very end.

[SPL]

very poor game lucky to draw. Nil creativity in midfield. 2 years in Italy and Bojan has forgotten about passing mind Fischer is not much better when he is going for goal.

The back 4 were ok and Vermeer maybe a bit unlucky with the goal although he should have stopped it.

[rjf1]

If they would have played the attacking way they did after Groningen tied it up -- instead of that pitty pat nonsense that they were into up until then -- they could have put this game away easily. What a start to the season: 3 ties = 1 win and 2 losses.

[Orange14]

Just a lot of players on the pitch today who were clearly not good enough. This team cannot play catenaccio football and shouldn't even try. Mosiander and Denswil may have set records for most passes received and completed. Midfield is just a shambles and our worst fear that it would dissolve with Eriksen's departure looks to have come true. Maybe Duarte can step in and provide a pivotman who can actually see the field; none of the three who were on the pitch today have that ability. It's looking like it will be a very long season.

Player Ratings:

Vermeer (5.5) - needed to make three saves and missed on the easiest of the three; saved by the post at the end of the match
Boilesen (6) - good going forward and seemed to have an awareness of what needed to be done
Denswil (6) - out of position on the post shot at the end of the match but other wise good
Mosiander (6) - solid game as usuall
van Rhijn (6) - defended much better today
Poulsen (5) - just too slow today and looks to pass backward rather than pressing forward
Schöne (5.5) - scored a nice goal but otherwise was just average, free kicks were not of Eriksen's quality
Serero (5) - did very little to convince that he warrants a place in the starting lineup
Bojan (6) - best game so far in an Ajax shirt but that's not saying much
Sigthorrson (4) - really bad and deserved to come off; couldn't hold up the ball at all and looks very slow
Sana (5.5) - a couple of nice touches but otherwise average; Fischer is better
Hoesen (6) - held the ball up well and created an opportunity for Poulsen
Fischer (5.5) - should be starting and maybe his new haircut shows a commitment to unselfish football
Andersen (5) - had only a few touches; nothing special

International break next weekend and FdB really needs to sort things out. The back line will do OK barring any injuries but the midfield is just a mess. If that cannot be repaired this team will really struggle to score goals. Sigthorrson has been disappointing all season long and maybe it was another case of misjudged talent. I'm extremely pessimistic and given this performance, I cannot see us winning (or even drawing) any of our CL matches.

[Tom_]

Maybe Vermeer could've caught it but he can't be blamed for the two totally unmarked Groningen players waiting to tap it in.

The only thing I can say is that almost all our attacking players were well below their level today, so hopefully we won't see too many more games like that.

[SPL]

A fair suming up Orange. the midfield is rubbish without Eriksen and de Jong injured. Siggy is not an Ajax player we should have got the other Icelander Finnbogasson.

[Tom_]

PS I don't think Poulsen–Schöne–Serero is a MF combination we'll be seeing that often—hopefully!

[souras84]

Tragedy...

[saddlerian]

I'm off to the beach....maybe I'll see a couple of youngsters good enough to make the next game!!!!

Really disappointed, especially as I predicted that we'd cave in once Eriksen had gone....is there no-one good enough to come through? Sod the age....I've seen lads in junior teams last year who showed promise, one, Jordy Bruijn, even matched dear old Wesley!!! Just hope he progresses this year and gets a run out!!!

[Kowalczyk]

Oh dear.

K.

[Blind3]

With an out of form Fischer , an out what the heck is/was his form Barca->Roma->Ajax Bojan, an out of Amsterdam Eriksen , and an out injured de Jong , the arrival of Lenin Duarte, etc... can't come a moment too soon .