14 Feb 2007: SV Werder Bremen - Ajax

[Dubbel]

I know you're saying something in German there.

But unless you're a woman with a sexy voice, that language is all Greek to me.

Roy Makaay and Bayern doesn't ring any bells? Then I rest my case.

[Monkey Tonk]

I'm not following Ajax very closely anymore. So I honestly don't remember Makaay. Just like I won't remember Werder f*cking Bremen.

[bryan]

Lindenbergh deserved (just about) the second yellow card, but the first one was a complete joke. The Werder players were diving all over the place, it was sickening. They essentially won the match after 23 minutes.

I always say that you can't blame the referee for misinterpreting players diving as fouls. The referee has a hard enough time as it is without having to hand out Oscars as well. The cheating players are cheating the referee as well as the other team. FIFA/UEFA really need to do something about this simulation bullshit. Hand out suspensions retrospectively... that would sort it out.

We know that Stekelenburg is total clown of a goalkeeper, how this guy has been keeping goal for Ajax for four years now is a complete mystery. That said, you can't blame him for the loss.

Ten Cate's tactics were a but mysterious. Was Emanuelson injured? Why didn't he play?

[Jesse]

Emanuelson is injured.

[ZoefdeHaas]

i think the biggest ? mark is WHY PLAYING DEBUTANTS IN A GAME LIKE THIS?

really i mean a debut against ADO? fine. Heracles? fine. PSV? also fine. but Werder Bremen? not unless ur the guaranteed new cruyff.

we can forget about the uefa cup, lets just win the damn eredivisie

[afckeeper95]

We know that Stekelenburg is total clown of a goalkeeper, how this guy has been keeping goal for Ajax for four years now is a complete mystery. That said, you can't blame him for the loss.

That's totally unfair IMO.. he was one of the candidates (on a weak short-list) for my MOM.

[aveslacker]

Lindenbergh deserved (just about) the second yellow card, but the first one was a complete joke. The Werder players were diving all over the place, it was sickening. They essentially won the match after 23 minutes.

I always say that you can't blame the referee for misinterpreting players diving as fouls. The referee has a hard enough time as it is without having to hand out Oscars as well. The cheating players are cheating the referee as well as the other team. FIFA/UEFA really need to do something about this simulation bullshit. Hand out suspensions retrospectively... that would sort it out.

We know that Stekelenburg is total clown of a goalkeeper, how this guy has been keeping goal for Ajax for four years now is a complete mystery. That said, you can't blame him for the loss.

Ten Cate's tactics were a but mysterious. Was Emanuelson injured? Why didn't he play?

Unfortunately, the President of FIFA has said publicly that he doesn't think diving is any big deal. He admitted to doing it himself when he was a player.

So I don't think help is on the way on this score.

[Azeri]

For the first time I tend to blame HTC. I think he lost this match before it started. The whole world knows that:
1. Werder is highly organised
2. Werder is very good in fast attacking and plays 'vertically'
3. To overplay Werder you have to be faster and better in midfield, playing by short passes, keeping the ball on the ground and after having it lost constantly pressing Werder everywhere.
And what we saw?
Lindenbergh... I mean if Anita is so good why not to play him from the start? Why to substitute the only fast player - De Mul - and to keep three!!! very-very slow in motion and thinking - Maduro, Gabri and Roger? Why to keep on the bench Perez, Huntelaar, Rosales, Leonardo, Mitea and to play Donald??
My Man of the Match is Stam

[666]

...and to keep three!!! very-very slow in motion and thinking - Maduro, Gabri and Roger? Why to keep on the bench Perez, Huntelaar, Rosales, Leonardo, Mitea and to play Donald??

What did you have in mind? A lineup with two defenders, three midfielders and five forwards?

There was no need field Donald and keep Perez out, but there was no way we could have kept Maduro, Gabri, and Roger out of the team. We needed at least two of them; there wasn't anyone else to choose from.

[Azeri]

...and to keep three!!! very-very slow in motion and thinking - Maduro, Gabri and Roger? Why to keep on the bench Perez, Huntelaar, Rosales, Leonardo, Mitea and to play Donald??

What did you have in mind? A lineup with two defenders, three midfielders and five forwards?

There was no need field Donald and keep Perez out, but there was no way we could have kept Maduro, Gabri, and Roger out of the team. We needed at least two of them; there wasn't anyone else to choose from.

I meant that to substitute De Mul while keeping Maduro, Roger and Gabri was a mistake. I would field one of them - Maduro or Gabri - while Leonardo and De Mul could play closer to midfield

[Kowalczyk]

It's never been this easy to summarize a game, and to analyze what happened.

Werder Bremen are, quite simply, a much, much better football team than Ajax. We had absolutely no chance whatsoever. This was already the case in the first 23 minutes, in which we managed only once or twice to get the ball into their penalty box, and definitely after the 23rd minute.

Only one Ajax player was stronger, better and more impressive than his opponent (Jaap Stam). At every other position it was a man against a boy. With Ogararu, Davids and Emanuelson, perhaps this would have been the case at 'only' eight positions, instead of ten.

Okay, so Lindenbergh's first yellow card wasn't a yellow card.
Okay, so the second goal hadn't crossed the line.
Okay, so our whole defence was missing.

It's all true, and who knows we could have gotten away with a 1-0 defeat, with a little bit of luck. Fact is, that we were absolutely never in it. Even when I take the injuries, the suspensions, their second goal and Lindenbergh's dismissal into consideration, I still think it was a shit performance, because we never made the Bremen crowd think: "Okay, we're tearing them apart, but you can see that - below the surface - they're a talented lot."

We never looked like that. We were totally and absolutely useless and we never even tried to play football. Werder Bremen were the best team by a hundred lightyears. Not just because they were taller, physically stronger, harder working and more experienced, but also because they have more skill, more tactical intelligence and more team spirit. They were, in other words, the better team in every thinkable way - and the difference was so shockingly enormous that it makes me a bit... depressed.

K.

[SE6Ajacied]

it makes me a bit... depressed.

K.

Never rely on Ajax for a nice Birthday present eh.

I haven't seen any of this one which is probably just as well given the reports I've heard. How did our deputants get on? I remember Maduro (I think) making their debut in the away defeat at Auxerre a couple of years back and they've been quite regular fixtures with mixed results ever since - any signs of that here?

Looking forward to next weeks game anyway, no pressure now and I'm hoping that it will just be a good game of football (though a scrappy 4-0 win would of course be even better......)

[GangstaRiB]

It's never been this easy to summarize a game, and to analyze what happened.

Werder Bremen are, quite simply, a much, much better football team than Ajax. We had absolutely no chance whatsoever. This was already the case in the first 23 minutes, in which we managed only once or twice to get the ball into their penalty box, and definitely after the 23rd minute.

Only one Ajax player was stronger, better and more impressive than his opponent (Jaap Stam). At every other position it was a man against a boy. With Ogararu, Davids and Emanuelson, perhaps this would have been the case at 'only' eight positions, instead of ten.

Okay, so Lindenbergh's first yellow card wasn't a yellow card.
Okay, so the second goal hadn't crossed the line.
Okay, so our whole defence was missing.

It's all true, and who knows we could have gotten away with a 1-0 defeat, with a little bit of luck. Fact is, that we were absolutely never in it. Even when I take the injuries, the suspensions, their second goal and Lindenbergh's dismissal into consideration, I still think it was a shit performance, because we never made the Bremen crowd think: "Okay, we're tearing them apart, but you can see that - below the surface - they're a talented lot."

We never looked like that. We were totally and absolutely useless and we never even tried to play football. Werder Bremen were the best team by a hundred lightyears. Not just because they were taller, physically stronger, harder working and more experienced, but also because they have more skill, more tactical intelligence and more team spirit. They were, in other words, the better team in every thinkable way - and the difference was so shockingly enormous that it makes me a bit... depressed.

K.

Cheer up, Ko. Everybody saw that Ajax was bad, but we were not that bad. It was a shame that Lindenberg received his 2nd yellow so soon in the game, because if we survived the opening fury from Werder, we could make a chance. Werder didn't impress me at all. In the 2nd half it looked like Ajax would be overrun, but I just thought about the factors that Ajax didn't had in their own power. For instance: the referee, that certainly wasn't on our side. The assistent referee that never should have allowed that goal.

I'm kind of looking forward to next thursday, Ajax playing full on attack. As I said earlier, Werder didn't impress me.

[ZoefdeHaas]

Judging by these comments I'm guessing I'm the only who doesn't seem too dissapointed? Personally I think Ajax should forget UEFA Cup. Now are chance to win the Eredivisie is greater than ever and we should stick to that. Yes yes it's nice to win EVERYTHING but trying hard in Europe will simply wear out the team. Eredivisie>UEFA Cup. :yes:

[666]

The post and the crossbar were definitely on our side.

[Kowalczyk]

Yeah. I mean: look at the chances. It could have been 8-2.

K.

[Dubbel]

Yeah. I mean: look at the chances. It could have been 8-2.

K.

Yeah, it sucks. Happy birthday anyway.

[Philippe]

I'm kind of looking forward to next thursday, Ajax playing full on attack. As I said earlier, Werder didn't impress me.

I fully agree, but it's kind of hopeless now.
It was not very clever to suggest that it was a good move for Ajax not to qualify for the CL because we would do better in the UEFA.
As a matter of fact we could not have done worse in the CL than we did in the UEFA. The only difference is that we lost lots of money, and a little more prestige.
Let's focus on the Dutch league, and win it !