02 Feb 2014: FC Utrecht - Ajax

[paladinby]

Both Claassen and Serero are creating nothing upfront. We are also lacking some physical presence in the attack. This team keeps getting lighter all the time.

[Orange14]

Schöne's foot gets stomped on. What does it take to get a Yellow card in this match?

[rjf1]

Somebody needs to by Fischer a compass and a map.

[Tom_]

Somebody needs to by Fischer a compass and a map.

He's actually had a good 60 minutes. But his finishing is awful

[Tom_]

Schöne's foot gets stomped on. What does it take to get a Yellow card in this match?

Not much, apparently... did you see the yellow van Rhijn got in the first half?

[saddlerian]

I know this means that he'll score in a minute...but get Serero off...he's a very weak link today!!

[rjf1]

Is there anyone on the field who can put the ball in the net?

[Cedric]

Well, that was crap. Especially Fischer...

[Amol]

Ugh.

[Tom_]

Damn. I felt like it wasn't a bad attacking performance by us (until the last 15 minutes) but we couldn't put the finishing touch on it. As soon as I said Fischer was having a good game he started getting up to his usual tricks...

[paladinby]

Duarte looked quite lively in his cup game and he is benched for some reasons.

[SPL]

A very poor game against a team who fouled and got away with late challenges the lot.They should have had a few yellows and posibly ought to have finished with 10 men .Felt we played against 12 today with that ref.

Anyway our attack is too light. de Jong adds nothing and apart from the slow Siggy thats all we have.

[saddlerian]

Same old thing...like banging my head against a brick wall....too many players playing BACKWARDS when we need a goal!!!

Disappointiing!!

[Orange14]

Worst officiated match of the season but that's no excuse for poor play. 70% possession and more shots on target but only one goal to show for it. A number of players just did not show up today. Worthless long ball play all match long. Some nice saves from the Utrecht keeper to keep the tie.

Player Ratings:

Cillessen (6.5) - didn't have any difficult saves to make
Boilesen (6) - pretty decent until he came off; hope it wasn't an injury
Moisander (6) - better in the second half
Veltman (5.5) - poor defending in the first half and some poor long passes in the second
van Rhijn (5.5) - when a cross was needed van Rhijn was not the player to deliver it
Blind (6) - decent enough but didn't impact the match in any major way
Serero (4.5) - one good pass does not make for a good match
Klaassen (4.5) - one of those missing in action
Fischer (6.5) - only one who pushed to score a goal had a couple of good passes that teammates were not ready for
Bojan (4) - really quite poor and should have passed to Fischer on the break in on the keeper
Schöne (6.5) - shot that hit the post was from a tough angle and along with Fischer wanted to create something
Poulsen (6) - really defended well coming in
de Jong (5.5) - just a little better than average

We seem to always have trouble in Utrecht and today was no exception. The team really needs to do better!

[Cedric]

Damn. I felt like it wasn't a bad attacking performance by us (until the last 15 minutes) but we couldn't put the finishing touch on it. As soon as I said Fischer was having a good game he started getting up to his usual tricks...

Don't feel guitly, I thought he was crap for 90 minutes.

[Cedric]

Fischer (6.5) - only one who pushed to score a goal had a couple of good passes that teammates were not ready for

To me that's bad passes. I give the man a 3. Tried and failed. Ok, now I'm over with my rant.

The only forward with a brain today was Schöne. That's not much to score goals...

[zeux]

Worst officiated match of the season but that's no excuse for poor play. 70% possession and more shots on target but only one goal to show for it. A number of players just did not show up today. Worthless long ball play all match long. Some nice saves from the Utrecht keeper to keep the tie.

Player Ratings:

Cillessen (6.5) - didn't have any difficult saves to make
Boilesen (6) - pretty decent until he came off; hope it wasn't an injury
Moisander (6) - better in the second half
Veltman (5.5) - poor defending in the first half and some poor long passes in the second
van Rhijn (5.5) - when a cross was needed van Rhijn was not the player to deliver it
Blind (6) - decent enough but didn't impact the match in any major way
Serero (4.5) - one good pass does not make for a good match
Klaassen (4.5) - one of those missing in action
Fischer (6.5) - only one who pushed to score a goal had a couple of good passes that teammates were not ready for
Bojan (4) - really quite poor and should have passed to Fischer on the break in on the keeper
Schöne (6.5) - shot that hit the post was from a tough angle and along with Fischer wanted to create something
Poulsen (6) - really defended well coming in
de Jong (5.5) - just a little better than average

We seem to always have trouble in Utrecht and today was no exception. The team really needs to do better!

6.5 for Fischer (the highest in your ranks today) must be a joke. One of the worst players on the pitch (together with Bojan, Veltman and Van Rhijn). Egocentric, wild, poor passing, terrible. And not for the first time.

[Orange14]

Fischer (6.5) - only one who pushed to score a goal had a couple of good passes that teammates were not ready for

To me that's bad passes. I give the man a 3. Tried and failed. Ok, now I'm over with my rant.

The only forward with a brain today was Schöne. That's not much to score goals...

If those passes were any softer they would not have been easily intercepted. Fischer is also left on his own too often. Where were Serero or Klaassen as outlets? You don't like Fischer fine, I do and that's fine as well. Bottom line is that Ajax are a better team with him in the lineup than out. Schöne did have a fine game as well and that's about it for the attacking players. If you can name one other that seemed to have any clue about how goals should be created please let me know.

[zeux]

If you can name one other that seemed to have any clue about how goals should be created please let me know.

That's indeed the problem: there isn't any. Siggy, Bojan, Fischer, they are below par. The club didn't invest in forwards, a conscious choice. I'm not sure it is the right choice.

[Cedric]

You don't like Fischer fine, I do and that's fine as well. Bottom line is that Ajax are a better team with him in the lineup than out.

It has nothing to do with the fact that I like him or not, but with the fact that he hardly did anything good this season, being too selfish or losing the ball rather clumsily most of the time, and with the fact that I think he can be a lot better.
And indeed, it's another fact that there isn't much other choice on the left wing.

[Orange14]

I think he can be a lot better.
And indeed, it's another fact that there isn't much other choice on the left wing.

On this I think we can agree!

[Orange14]

FdB said Boilsesen came off because he felt his hamstring begin to stiffen so I guess this was precautionary. I haven't gone back and looked at the record book but I don't think we've won in Utrecht in the past six seasons!

EDIT: 2009 was the last win there.

[SPL]

Hope Boilesen will be ok we need Daley in MF.

Have to say Fischer has struggled this year but I too like him ,think he will make it to the top.We have now struggled to find the net in our last 5 league games ,ie Cambuur was 2-1 Roda also 2-1 thanks to wonder kid Riedewald, and PSV GAE both 1-0.I should not be moaning as we will still be 2 points clear tonight and after 8 wins on the trot we drop points against a very physical dirty team .

I am worried about our forwards. Fischer has to play he tries to make things happen and is class .Schone is doing a great job considering he is aMF. Bojan disappoints me and I am not sure he is adding much at present. de Jong is not good enough as a MF and is not a striker.I would keep him on the bench he should just be used as a sub. Finally Siggy is too slow and does not fit into the Ajax system. I wish he had gone to PAOK instead of Hoesen.

We may have loads of kids but in the Jong no one is good enough at present. Kishna needs handling carefully after 2years of injury .de Sa is just another Lukoki and Sana does not look good enough in the Jong.

[Tom_]

I'm somewhere in between on Fischer. I like him because he's quick, aggressive and competitive, but he gives away possession FAR too often and is not a good finisher. I personally don't think he's contributed much this season—unless you count giving the ball to the other team as a contribution for them ;) But he's out of position on the wing and that's obviously not his fault.

In the first 60 minutes today I thought he was having one of his better games, driving the ball forward from the left flank into space in the middle. But I believe those two passes towards the end of the game, one to Schöne and one to Klaassen I think, were both 'on' and he overhit them.

[zeux]

Fischer looks nice: dynamic, forward thinking, agile. But it is very seldom effective, his selfishness is annoying and he is just too wild.

He has talent, but really needs to discipline himself to become a great player. This season he is too immature.