2015-16 Season Recap

[Orange14]

I watched all the Ajax league matches except for the PEC Zwolle home match this year. What follows are based on my posted match observations and player ratings. Despite competing for the Eredivisie title to the final match day when the club was undone by a poorly played draw to de Graafschaap this was nothing more than a very average Ajax club. The only outstanding players over the whole campaign were our keeper and those who played on the back line. Everyone else was wildly inconsistent and often times our attack was nonexistent, in large part because of a midfield that was too slow on the ball and often passed backwards allowing the opponents time to martial their defensive line. Opponents could pack things in defensively with the knowledge that this Ajax team could not break them down. Ajax were most impressive when they scored the first goal early in the match and forced the opponent to come out of a defensive minded game plan (though this didn’t seem to make a difference when Ajax were up 2-0 against Roda and then had to settle for a draw).

Much of the problem lay with FdB who seemed not to have any understanding of modern football tactics. There was a stretch of games after the winter break that were the worst imitation of the old Italian catanaccio. A home match against Heracles was like watching a slow drip from a leaky water faucet. The club did the job defensively but couldn’t score, and if you don’t score you cannot win. This did work in the return game against PSV when there was an excellent defensive display and the club had a season low of only 40% possession yet won an important road match to take the lead in the league. Ajax continued to have difficulties with Utrecht losing 1-0 away and salvaging a 2-2 draw at home because of a phantom penalty call by the match official. One can successfully argue that out of the 34 league matches maybe five were played at a high tempo with good attacking.

There was the usual putting players into positions that they either are unfamiliar with (Sinkgraven on the LW) or just cannot compete because of age (Schöne on the RW) or putting Klaassen up front as a striker. Sometimes one just looks at the match and wonders what FdB is thinking about. He didn’t seem to have any clue about how to get the team ready to play inferior opponents who adopt a defensive pattern. This club should never struggle against a bottom of the table de Graafschap (2 narrow wins and the season ending draw).
When Milik was having a bad game there were no other options at striker. I don’t think that having Zlatan back with this team would have changed anything. The midfield just cannot create enough opportunities and there would be stretches of time when Milik or el Ghazi when he was at #9 never got a touch on the ball.

The player evaluations and ratings (averaged over the number of games played) are based on the league matches only (the ignominious defeat in the CL qualifying round, inability to make it out of the EL group play, and the failure to beat archrivals Feyenoord in the cup are a bad dream best dispensed of. I’m also not commenting on three players who saw action but are not part of Ajax any longer: Sanogo, Heitinga, and Hendrix. My ratings tend to be more conservative than what you might see in other places. I gave out one 9 this season. To me a 10 has to be a world class effort over the whole game, not just a single wonder goal when the rest of that player’s match was mediocre (case example here is Bazoer who received high marks from various publications when he won the Vitesse match with a great strike).

Cillessen (6.5) – great keeper in all aspects of the game. He doesn’t score particularly high as a lot of the competition was effectively dealt with by the back line so he didn’t make lots of saves. He is the Oranje NT keeper but is he good enough to play at a higher club level? I’m not sure about that but he is good enough to stay #1 at Ajax in the years to come.

Dijks (6.0) – yes we had to bring him back when Boilesen threw a hissy fit and didn’t extend his contract. FdB said that the Dane would not play for Ajax again (double standard here, as Moisander did the same thing last season and remained a starter!). Dijks had a decent season defending well in all but a couple of games. He was persistent in going forward and trying to beat his man which he often did. He has a great cross. He’s maxed out at this level of play since he doesn’t have the speed or quickness to move to the next level.

Riedewald (6.1) – somewhat inconsistent moving to central defense this season after playing LB and DM previously. Still he seemed to be settling in to the position but then suffered a foot injury that sidelined him until the final two matches. He is still very young and has good ball skills and can be a good defender. He is certainly not ready to move abroad.

Veltman (6.5) – highest rated of all the field players and he is my player of the year (Cillessen a close second). Had one really bad game and that was it as he was solid in the center and then on the RB when Tete went down. He is not physically imposing as some center backs but is always in the right position. Can he move on to a bigger league? I’m not sure, I think he is probably as good as Vermaelen as a center back but not as good as Vertonghen. Spain or Germany might be a good destination. The big question is, “WHY IS HE NOT THE CAPTAIN OF THIS TEAM????”

Tete (6.5) – what wonderful defensive RB. He shut down every opposing winger he played against. The big question is what offensive skills does he possess? Ajax prefer to attack down the left side rather than the right so Tete seldom ventured into the offensive half of the field (it’s been this way ever since FdB took over and I wonder if that is because the manager is left footed, maybe even left-brained). Tete has defensive skills to play at the highest level but the expectation of fullbacks these days is to go forward. That part of his game has yet to develop.

Gudelj (5.8) – had a very rocky start to the season but grew into his role as the matches piled on. He became the choice free kick taker when Schöne was relegated to a substitute’s role. His defense was spotty at times when he was more of a spectator than a player. Ajax are the pinnacle for him as he doesn’t have the handling speed to move on to a higher level.

Bazoer (5.4) – what an enigma!!! Here is a player who aspires to play in Barcelona but right now he would have trouble making the Espanyol starting 11. He lingers too long on the ball and his field awareness is cloudy. However, he can display moments of brilliance. Already capped by the NT he is still only 19 years old. He needs to stay at this level for at least two more years and work on basic skills. However, his outburst in the tunnel following the final game where he was on the bench for the whole match, while understandable, might suggest an earlier move than is wise. At present he is not nearly worth all the €s that have been mentioned. He certainly cannot play at Arsenal or Barcelona levels at present.

Klaassen (5.6) – a tireless runner and another player who has been valued highly by some higher level clubs. He had the highest single game rating this year, a ‘9’ against AZ in the return match. He has a very poor first touch and is not an incisive passer of the ball. As with Bazoer, he was poor in the final matches yet still started and played in every one of them, a clear manager’s favorite. He collapsed in tears when Ajax could only manage a draw on the final match day where he was the poorest performing player on the pitch. He does have a nose for goal and maybe that is why clubs like Napoli fancy him. If I were Ajax, I would sell him this summer for as many €s they can get. There are better players coming up.

Younes (5.7) – more often than not the tricks worked. Here is a player who came out of nowhere to lock down the left wing position over Fischer who some thought was destined for big things this season. Younes was able to beat players to the goal line and deliver crosses as well as cutting into the middle. Early on he did not track back very well putting more pressure on the left side of the Ajax defense but he matured as the season went on. It’s not clear whether he has the tools to move to a higher level; his German club appeared to give up on him to Ajax’s benefit. He should be a solid contributor next season.

Milik (5.6) – blew hot and cold. When he was good he was very good, when he was bad, well let’s just say you didn’t want to watch him. He is a starter alongside Lewandowski on the Polish NT and he can score goals. His hold up play is mediocre and maybe he is better in a two attacker formation rather than a 4-3-3. He could move on this season if he has a good Euro championship campaign but I suspect he’s no better than a mid-table striker in a higher league.

El Ghazi (5.4) – you sir are no Christiano Ronaldo (the player he most fancies). He is another player who is quite young, big and strong. It’s worth remembering that Ronaldo was starting at ManU at his age. El Ghazi is not the quickest of wingers and often dribbles into double teams (but of course this being Ajax, there is seldom a midfielder around to pass the ball to and Tete doesn’t come up to help out). He scored some very nice goals. Personally I think he’s better suited to playing as a central striker. It’s still unclear whether he can move to a higher league. I have my doubts.

Viergever (6.3) – ably filled in when Riedewald went down. Last season he played mostly LB and some DM when his real position is in the central defense. He’s an adequate defender but one who is not going to play beyond the Eredivisie. While he’s an extremely valuable utility player, I suspect he want to play every game ad that won’t likely happen at Ajax

Van der Hoorn (6.2) – a player who always struck fear into Ajax supporters because of his foolish play turned that tables on all of us. After Tete went down and Veltman moved to the RB, van der Hoorn came in and played extremely well. It was sad to see him pushed up front for the final 20 minutes against de Graafschap in the last match of the season as he was clearly gassed and though he tried his best, this was not the solution that FdB should have tried. Here is another player who is not quite good enough to be a starter at Ajax but likely could start for other Dutch clubs. He came over right when Alderwiereld left but Veltman proved the better defender.

Fischer (5.6) – from promise to the bench. It’s unclear whether he has fully recovered from the hamstring injury that sidelined him for so long. At times he does not look like he has the break away speed displayed prior to getting hurt. He is relegated to second choice on LW to Younes. Maybe a new manager will see more promise there but I won’t be surprised if he moves on this summer particularly because Cerny and Muric are ready for first team football.

Schöne (5.7) – no more than a spot substitute these days. Never the fastest player he seems to have lost a step as he nears 30. He cannot play on the wing any longer and FdB didn’t use him at all in the MF.

Sinkgraven (6.0) – yes, he has a high rating but he was also hurt a lot and only played in 14 matches. He demonstrated early on that he is not really a proper winger but was forced into the position when Fischer and Younes were hurt. Worrisome to me is that he appears to be a one footed player and rarely passes with his right foot. He has probably the best field awareness of any Ajax midfielder (damning with faint praise). I think he will get lost in the shuffle as de Jong, van de Beek and Nouri come into the first team. He is capable of starting in the Eredivisie but maybe not for Ajax.

Serero (5.8) – the rating flatters him as he seldom commits mistakes but his reluctance to press the attack limits him to spot duty. Even so, he took Bazoer’s place in the final three matches of the season and as with others did not distinguish himself on the final match day. His one ‘quality’ is the ability to draw fouls; because of his slight frame he goes down from the lightest touch from an opponent. With the quality of young midfielders coming up there is no place on the roster for him and he is certainly not as good as Sinkgraven.

Van Rhiijn (5.3) – Tete’s emergence as a high quality RB consigned van Rhijn to mop up duty and when Tete went down with a foot injury Veltman was preferred at RB. Remember when we were all happy to see him in the starting lineup when van der Wiel left for PSG? Those days are long gone and there is no future at Ajax any longer though he is capable to start for many other Eredivisie clubs.

Cerny (5.5) – showed both quality and naivety coming into the starting lineup from the youth program. At right wing he is much quicker than el Ghazi though he doesn’t have quite the clinical finishing ability. He will be a starter within the next 18 months

Van de Beek (4.9) – filled in because of injuries and played in five games. His play was spotty and his field vision needs to improve if he wants to make it to the highest level. Against ADO he could not read the run of play at all and the offense was non-existent because of this. Perhaps this it harsh and with more first team experience he will settle in. He has a much better touch than Klaassen.

Muric (5.8) – is the third of the youth players to see action. He had a nice run in against ADO and was just above average in his only other appearance. He played better than Cerny at the youth level this season and is a player who stands a good chance of seeing regular first team football.

[Tom_]

Thanks for the write-up! Did you keep a database of all your ratings from the season?

It was sad to see [Van der Hoorn] pushed up front for the final 20 minutes against de Graafschap in the last match of the season as he was clearly gassed and though he tried his best, this was not the solution that FdB should have tried.

I'm surprised FdB never got grilled for this move by the media (or maybe he did?). You can understand trying it if there's 2–5 minutes left and all the subs are used up... but I think when Smeets scored FdB still had three subs left. If you want an extra attacker, take off your exhausted CB and replace him with an attacker! Unbelievable that a professional manager would make a call like that.

[LucaS]

Yes, an interesting read, thank you Orange.

Bizarre that de Boer maybe made his biggest mistakes in his last game. What was he thinking when he took Milik out?

[Orange14]

@Tom - yes, I kept all the points awarded in an Excel spreadsheet and the match reports in a word documents so that it was easy to refer to things. I agree with you and LucaS about the tactics in the final game. It was so sad to see van der Hoorn laboring in the last ten minutes of the match after being pushed up front at the 70 minute mark. He would have been better served by pairing el Ghazi with Milik up front (though that would be risky as Ajax really never played with two strikers). I think there were 2-3 matches where FdB got things right but the rest of them he did not. I hope the Board can settle on a manager soon as I suspect there are first team players who are considering moving on.

[SPL]

A very interesting and well researched post agree just about most things.

I think we all agree FDB 's tactics have been poor and subs in that last game crazy. I am pleased he has gone with his boring negative football.

Our defence has been good this year and although v d Hoorn and Viergever are not rated Ajax class both settled down and did a decent job as fill ins.

Lack of creativity in midfield has been our downfall. As I said last week the only MF I would keep is Bazoer.Gudelj has been ok but like Serero neither are good enough for Ajax . Klaassen has struggled a lot and gone missing in too many games and he now needs to be sold. Sinkgraven is not as good a prospect as de Jong or Nouri. Wim Jonk was right when he said we should not have bought him.

With our current MF I would not see KJH let alone Zlatan scoring goals. My idea of wingers are not inverted ones like Younes and Cerny. El Ghazi is more a striker than a winger. Looking at the youths Dekker a left footed left winger and Nunnely right footed right winger both use speed get down the touch line and cross balls into the area.They are my idea of wingers.

Going into the season with one backup striker ,Sanogo ,and he came with a reputation as a joke , sums up the poor scouting and buying of recent years.

We will have to wait and see who gets the job and also if FDB goes to another club and who he buys.Veltman has been mentioned as going to Everton if he gets that job.

[Sandro]

Yes, an interesting read, thank you Orange.

Bizarre that de Boer maybe made his biggest mistakes in his last game. What was he thinking when he took Milik out?

I think he was hoping for a 'moment of genius' from El G. He was as much in panic as the players were with 35 minutes to play.

[Amol]

Great job summing up the season Orange14.

De Boer inherited one of the best mid fields we've had for a while - Anita, Eriksen & De Zeeuw and piece by piece, year over year made it worthless. I for one always found his man-management skills to be very poor. You were either in the 'in' crowd or in the 'out' crowd. It was very difficult to move from one group to the other.

We all thank him for the tranquility he has brought to Ajax after many years of seeing coaches come and go. Our balance sheet is the strongest its been for a long long time. But, its time for some fresh ideas.

I'm sad about the fact that Overmars and Bergkamp are still at Ajax and there has been no talk of them leaving. Overmars is pretty clueless about signing players and Bergkamp has been creating all sorts of problems with the youth coaches and never appears to say anything during matches.