23 Feb 2012: Manchester United FC - Ajax

[Ride]

It seems that Giggs will eventually play his 900th game today.
My prediction is 1-2 for Ajax.

[acab]

Ajax made me proud!!!

[SPL]

great performance especially in the second half . We were the better team on the night . Very proud of the team tonight and the 4000 Ajax fans out sung 63000 Mancs. Our fans also did us proud. Ferguson was moaning about playing too many youngsters in his defence ,he was lucky we did not play a striker .Does he know Klaassen will be back in the youth team come Saturday !!

[souras84]

Not wanting to sound like somebody that overlooks our problems, I will say though that FUCK YEAH, IF ONLY WE HAD SOME MORE OF OUR OLDER PLAYERS... we could have done magical things in the past 10 years

[ofey]

Got to watch this on Australian TV this morning.

The things that put a smile on my face and wear my Ajax kit with pride:
1. the way we held possession 58% at Old Trafford and it did seem alot more!
2. Also the way we fought for possession high up the field. We didn't sit back.
3. Out shooting Man United 10 Vs 6 and we played without a striker.
4. Performances from Van Rhijn, Vertonghen and Ozbiliz made me very proud.


Even the Australian commentary team commented on how well we held possession in the 2nd half with youth team players.Stunned though at them calling Lodeiro the Uruguayan Messi!! WTF?

I was disappointed that we had to bring Serrero on. I would have loved to have seen Eriksen been able to play on to the end. Perhaps Frank didn't want him to impress more and get signed up by United.

It was pretty clear to me that tactically as a team we were NOT inept.
However, we are definitely a couple of developed players short of being a "real" Ajax team.
We do have problems but we really need to focus on the positives and build our game and youngsters.
That was what Van Gaal did and what DeBoer should focus on doing.
However it is paramount we qualify for the Champions League again next season.
Nothing else to distract us now.

[Orange14]

Ferguson was moaning about playing too many youngsters in his defence ,he was lucky we did not play a striker .

Three of the four players he started on the back line have all played a lot of first team football this season. I think Fabio is the only one who has not. Compare this to the team that Ajax sent out on the pitch (two fullbacks who have played mostly on Jong Ajax and a striker who is really not one).

EDIT: The Guardian's comment on the match: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012 ... opa-league

[Manneken Pis]

My prediction is 1-2 for Ajax.

You don't happen to know the Euro Millions numbers for the draw tonight do you?

[Philippe]

My prediction is 1-2 for Ajax.

You don't happen to know the Euro Millions numbers for the draw tonight do you?

I played this morning, just in case.

[SPL]

Ferguson still saying he picked a too young team especially defence but he only had Evra and the injury prone Ferdinand rested . We were the better side altough not playing a striker is still a handicap. Vertoghen was our best defender as usual ,Toby played well and both full backs are improving with regular games.Ozbiliz the best attacker and again playing regularly he is improving .Anita showed he should start every game in the midfield. He is not a left back ,trouble is if Koppers is injured then its either Blind or Anita!! Odd that Eriksen
came off but maybe FdB wanted to save him for the more important game on Sunday .

We have plenty to build on for the future as only Vertoghen will likely leave this team in the summer. An experienced defender to replace him, Seedorf could still do this team good for a year or even 2 in midfield and a quality goal scoring striker is needed( we found KJH and Suarez cheaply ) .

A night to be proud of my team .

[orange goblin]

Me proud too.
I agree with SPL about fact there's plenty to built here. van der wiel and probably vertonghen will leave, in the back we just need to develop denswil and buy a strong defender. maybe also a good midflelder if we end the janssen experience. but that's all we have to do for now.

[Kilroy]

For those in the US of A: English language GOL-TV will show the ManU - Ajax game today at 2:00 p.m. (14h00) West Coast Time (PST) in High Definition. This is Channel 620 on the Direct TV satellite.

[Orange14]

For those in the US of A: English language GOL-TV will show the ManU - Ajax game today at 2:00 p.m. (14h00) West Coast Time (PST) in High Definition. This is Channel 620 on the Direct TV satellite.

Watched it live on GolTV yesterday and it was really funny hearing Ray Hudson talk about how good Bulykin is and how he would be missed from the team sheet.

[Monkey Tonk]

ManU rested starters because they were up 2-0 and had a more important game coming up. A stinging comment on how low Ajax has fallen. I would have been proud of Ajax if that decision had come back to haunt Ferguson. It would have been great to punish his arrogance. But that never happened. In the end he read Ajax exactly for what they were worth and didn't have to field his best team. Why celebrate such a hollow victory? If players fought harder than they do in the national league, it's most likely because they had their eye on the Premiership.

[paladinby]

ManU rested starters because they were up 2-0 and had a more important game coming up. A stinging comment on how low Ajax has fallen. I would have been proud of Ajax if that decision had come back to haunt Ferguson. It would have been great to punish his arrogance. But that never happened. In the end he read Ajax exactly for what they were worth and didn't have to field his best team. Why celebrate such a hollow victory? If players fought harder than they do in the national league, it's most likely because they had their eye on the Premiership.

Their rested starters are pretty much no special players so who cares? Yet we didn't field Bergkamp and Danny Blind and they left Giggs and Scholes at bench, We missed something like half of a team due to injuries (though you can't really say that Enoh and Jannsen were missed). So it's even on both sides. And yet we beat them. They required help from refs in both games to pass through - some butchery tackles go unpunished and that portuguese scum is allowed some stuff. The best thing is that Ajax didn't fall apart after a bad result in a first game and a bad start in the return leg. We showed some spirit and hearing Ajax fans overchanting that stadium was just great. We just need to be positive and carry that level of commitment and concetration to Eredivise. It will be ours for taking if we do.

[Orange14]

ManU rested starters because they were up 2-0 and had a more important game coming up. A stinging comment on how low Ajax has fallen. I would have been proud of Ajax if that decision had come back to haunt Ferguson. It would have been great to punish his arrogance. But that never happened. In the end he read Ajax exactly for what they were worth and didn't have to field his best team. Why celebrate such a hollow victory? If players fought harder than they do in the national league, it's most likely because they had their eye on the Premiership.

Delusional???? Look, the only key player for ManU who did not start was Rooney and he was out sick. Here are the players who either started or played that are on the England NT that face the Dutch NT this week: Smalling, Jones, Cleverly, Young and Wellbeck (and of course Nani and Chicherito are NT players as well). How many Ajax players will be on the Dutch NT? ZERO (Vertonghen and Eriksen are the only players from Ajax who feature for their countries as starters). To think that our players have their eyes on an EPL career??? What are you drinking? Eriksen and Vertonghen, maybe but the thought that any of the other nine players will ever set foot in England other than in an Ajax shirt is crazy.

It remains to be seen if Ajax are now beginning to find their stride and will put pressure on the five teams above them in the table. We'll have to wait on that but I think the club can be proud of the way it played in both the CL and EL contests this year.

[acab]

ManU rested starters because they were up 2-0 and had a more important game coming up. A stinging comment on how low Ajax has fallen. I would have been proud of Ajax if that decision had come back to haunt Ferguson. It would have been great to punish his arrogance. But that never happened. In the end he read Ajax exactly for what they were worth and didn't have to field his best team. Why celebrate such a hollow victory? If players fought harder than they do in the national league, it's most likely because they had their eye on the Premiership.

Delusional???? Look, the only key player for ManU who did not start was Rooney and he was out sick. Here are the players who either started or played that are on the England NT that face the Dutch NT this week: Smalling, Jones, Cleverly, Young and Wellbeck (and of course Nani and Chicherito are NT players as well). How many Ajax players will be on the Dutch NT? ZERO (Vertonghen and Eriksen are the only players from Ajax who feature for their countries as starters). To think that our players have their eyes on an EPL career??? What are you drinking? Eriksen and Vertonghen, maybe but the thought that any of the other nine players will ever set foot in England other than in an Ajax shirt is crazy.

It remains to be seen if Ajax are now beginning to find their stride and will put pressure on the five teams above them in the table. We'll have to wait on that but I think the club can be proud of the way it played in both the CL and EL contests this year.

I totaly agree. Wake up Monkey, we're not living in the 70's. No offense. I personaly think this was a great victory for us and this will give the players an impressive boost up for the league, witch we'll win.Watched Twente, they are crap, just like AZ. only phillips is real opponent, but we'll beat them edn of march and that will be the (bitter) end for tehm. Hup AJAX!

[SPL]

Agree only Rooney was really missing the others rested are all over 30 and cannot play 2games aweek ie Giggs Scholes Ferdinand, ok Evra is a bit younger. We had no striker and the big blond kid Klaassen who was sort of leading our attack in the second half was back playing youth team football this afternoon at de Toekomst . It was a hugh win for us and hopefully our confidence. Kids like Koppers V Rhijn and Ozbiliz are playing better the more games they play.Nani and Young certainly did not make our full backs look poor.

PS my postman,a Spurs fan ,greeted me yesterday with "a good win by your lot. I like the look of that kid who scored your first goal ie Ozbiliz. He has some ability and you need to keep him for a year or 2. Mind he would look good in a Spurs shirt " .The press has been impressed with us and several of my football mates ,at my local non league club today,though we were good for the win ,including 2 Man U fans. I made a big issue out of Davy Klaassen is only a youth team player.

[Philippe]

Whatever. We did beat them at OT.
Although we missed no less than 5 basis players.
They were close to the edge and saved only by the final whistle.
Bottom line.

[Kowalczyk]

Comparing Man Utd to Ajax is like comparing RKC Waalwijk to Ajax: a totally different caliber.

We missed more starters and experienced regulars than United, for sure: Janssen, Bulykin, Van der Wiel, Enoh, Sigthórsson, Boerrigter, Boilesen... All of these people would have seen action, had they been available.

Yes, Man Utd played without Rooney. So what? Instead they played Berbatov... What are we talking about? Even Man Utd's third choice is older, better, more experienced and more expensive on the transfer market than any Ajax player.

Man Utd vs Ajax is Goliath vs David, in any situation, always. And we beat them at Old Trafford: no Dutch club ever did that before. We were seriously close to advancing, United were saved by the bell and during two stretches of twenty minutes each we seriously played them off the park.

Hats off. This was great.

K.

[aveslacker]

Comparing Man Utd to Ajax is like comparing RKC Waalwijk to Ajax: a totally different caliber.

We missed more starters and experienced regulars than United, for sure: Janssen, Bulykin, Van der Wiel, Enoh, Sigthórsson, Boerrigter, Boilesen... All of these people would have seen action, had they been available. K.

Apparently he's not a starter anymore.

[Monkey Tonk]

ManU rested starters because they were up 2-0 and had a more important game coming up. A stinging comment on how low Ajax has fallen. I would have been proud of Ajax if that decision had come back to haunt Ferguson. It would have been great to punish his arrogance. But that never happened. In the end he read Ajax exactly for what they were worth and didn't have to field his best team. Why celebrate such a hollow victory? If players fought harder than they do in the national league, it's most likely because they had their eye on the Premiership.

Delusional???? Look, the only key player for ManU who did not start was Rooney and he was out sick. Here are the players who either started or played that are on the England NT that face the Dutch NT this week: Smalling, Jones, Cleverly, Young and Wellbeck (and of course Nani and Chicherito are NT players as well). How many Ajax players will be on the Dutch NT? ZERO (Vertonghen and Eriksen are the only players from Ajax who feature for their countries as starters). To think that our players have their eyes on an EPL career??? What are you drinking? Eriksen and Vertonghen, maybe but the thought that any of the other nine players will ever set foot in England other than in an Ajax shirt is crazy.

It remains to be seen if Ajax are now beginning to find their stride and will put pressure on the five teams above them in the table. We'll have to wait on that but I think the club can be proud of the way it played in both the CL and EL contests this year.

I totaly agree. Wake up Monkey, we're not living in the 70's. No offense. I personaly think this was a great victory for us and this will give the players an impressive boost up for the league, witch we'll win.Watched Twente, they are crap, just like AZ. only phillips is real opponent, but we'll beat them edn of march and that will be the (bitter) end for tehm. Hup AJAX!

I just view these type of games differently, as a handicapper. Clearly, Manchester considered themselves in the next round already and undervalued the game, while already looking ahead at a more important game in the weekend.

If Ajax had punished that attitude, by reaching the next round, I would have been right there with you guys celebrating. But there is nothing to celebrate. It's a hollow victory. One of those underdog wins with no consequences, and, predictably, the underdog fans celebrating it as a big achievement. It's not. It was a crumb thrown our way. If Ajax had won the first match, this game would have been very different.

True, these are not the 70's, but lowering the bar to this level is not cool with me. A knock out round is about two games. Not one. I don't look for Manchester to face Ajax with a big yawn in the second game.

Is this a confidence builder? Remains to be seen. I hope so. My faith in this group of players is very low, but I'd love to be proven wrong.

[Cruijff]

I agree with you Monkey Tonk, lowering the bar to this level is the reason that I was really suffering and made me come back to Amsterdam to change things.

Ajax should have punished the poor Man U attitude, with the level of this group of players my faith in fantastic Ajax football has also been very low, for years. And three weeks ago it even got worse, Eriksen en Vertonghen are not playing as well as the should, we miss a real Ajax icon like Stekelenburg (he would bring so much confidence to the team and would also be a good leader). But, when you play with Koppers, Blind, Serrero, Ozbilic, Lodeiro etc. against a Premier League team you can expect a dramatic loss. Our team is also able to play like shit against Utrecht and VVV Venlo.

But, you still see, Ajax passing game is faster and more confident than most teams in Europe, we showed in twice against AC Milan and during parts of both Man United games we handled the ball well, despite we had several poor performing players in the team. That gives confidence, when you start a game, you have to be confident. If there is nog faith inside teams like Basel they would never win a Champions League game. Everything start with faith, enjoying football and supporting your team. Our fans were a great support, it seemed that players like Koppers were playing better than they were able to, thanks to that. And that's a reason to celebrate with 4.500 amazing Ajax supporters.

[Cruijff]

When returning from the winter break it seemed like Ajax was wasting al their chances, to anything. What a poor games against AZ, Feyenoord and Utrecht... Then the away game at NAC Breda was not good, but it was nice to see that the players took the game with a good fighting spirit. The players played better in the home games against Man U and NEC so that gave confident for winning a couple games on a row and hopefully the title again!