Ajax - PAOK Saloniki CL Qualifier

[Orange14]

Dijks is a good LB for the Dutch league but that's it. He is a step too slow at the CL or EL level. I counted 3 last ditch tackles that he made when his winger got past him. He was lucky that he got the ball each time. I agree with Cruijff on his poor positioning at times with Casseria though Casseria doesn't look comfortable on the wing. Somebody mentioned our back four if Riedewald stays as DM. Remember we have another Colombian, Sanchez, coming in after the Copa Liberatores. I think he is very highly rated but don't know which side of the central defense he plays on. If he can play on the left then we may see Riedewald stay at DM and it's possible that Viergever moves to LB in place of Dijks or at least shares time there.

I agree with Cruijff about Klaassen; I've often pointed out that he is Siem de Jong 2.0, just a little better obviously. I wonder if Gudelj would be better suited in the MF along side Riedewald and van de Beek or maybe even Nouri. Klaassen really works hard, maybe the hardest worker of anyone on the team but he has such limited ball skills.

I like the way Bosz is setting this team up. Despite the gloom and doom about last night's result, I'm optimistic about the season.

One final note, Ayman commented about de Zeeuw. I think he was already capped by the NT so I don't think it is correct to say he was not highly rated. He saw some action in the 2010 WC and suffered a bad facial injury.

[Ayman]

de Zeeuw was always just a squad player for the Dutch national team, hardlya great feat.

[Cruijff]

Dijks is a good LB for the Dutch league but that's it. He is a step too slow at the CL or EL level. I counted 3 last ditch tackles that he made when his winger got past him. He was lucky that he got the ball each time. I agree with Cruijff on his poor positioning at times with Casseria though Casseria doesn't look comfortable on the wing.

Dijks is a back that is almost at every moment at the wrong position. Making all these tackled is caused by standing in a position that is wrong so his opponent can easy receive the ball.

Dijks is tall, not really slow, his body is stronger than most others so that he looks like a decent players but he has sometimes a good day which makes him survice against Twente, PAOK and Nicosia and often very weak days were he is not even on a level that is enough to beat De Graafschap.

When the standards for backs at Ajax used to be Michael Reiziger, Maxwell, Trabelsi, Suurbier or Ruud Krol then you hit a major problem for the current Ajax. When receiving 35 million for Milik people are only thinking about if and how to invest the money on new strikers, meanwhile accepting that at other postions in the team we sank to an awful Mitchell Dijks level.

[Cruijff]

de Zeeuw was always just a squad player for the Dutch national team, hardlya great feat.

Don't zoom in at only one detail of what I write please.

De Zeeuw was in my opinion, regarding to Ajax standards by far not a great midfielder. But it was also a guy that played on a World Cup in a semi final and managed to survive that footbal game (except this Uruguayan bycicle kick):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUmulKZqpXo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tu-I1fs1XUo

My point is that when a few years ago Demy de Zeeuw was about your weakest player and now in 2016 you accept weekly weak performances from Dijks, Viergever and a guy like El Ghazi that did not pass a ball to a team mate only one time... You will accept Ajax to sink down to a frustrating level.
And then at some time you will get mad and frustrated like SaddlerIan last evening.

[Orange14]

My point is that when a few years ago Demy de Zeeuw was about your weakest player and now in 2016 you accept weekly weak performances from Dijks, Viergever and a guy like El Ghazi that did not pass a ball to a team mate only one time... You will accept Ajax to sink down to a frustrating level.

Exactly right!!!!! Cruijff is the Oracle of Amsterdam. I was listening to a podcast this morning while out on my walk and it briefly discussed "the Numbers Game: Why Everything you Know about Soccer is Wrong" by Chris Anderson and David Sally. Their key point is that soccer unlike basketball depends on how good your weakest player is. Clubs are better off spending money to improve the weak links rather than buying another superstar. Basketball, on the other hand, is dependent on a superstar. Michael Jordan or LaBron James can carry a team to a championship on their backs while Leo Messi cannot.

I agree that Ajax need to fix the weak spots rather than spending money on another striker.

[Cruijff]

I was listening to a podcast this morning while out on my walk and it briefly discussed "the Numbers Game: Why Everything you Know about Soccer is Wrong" by Chris Anderson and David Sally. Their key point is that soccer unlike basketball depends on how good your weakest player is./quote]

Clubs are better off spending money to improve the weak links rather than buying another superstar. Basketball, on the other hand, is dependent on a superstar. Michael Jordan or LaBron James can carry a team to a championship on their backs while Leo Messi cannot.

I agree that Ajax need to fix the weak spots rather than spending money on another striker.

I've got a lot of more to add to this, because more factors matter in these discussions.
There are big differences in the influence of your best player when his name is for example Messi. And you are able to transfer Suárez to your team when you were already playing with Iniesta, Neymar and Messi. Or for example when star player/captain Johan Cruijff gives instructions to all his other team mates or for example if you are a weak side from Rotterdam and think your best player on the pitch is Clasie.

In football you are with 11 so some players can play hide and seek. If trainer Michels and star player Cruyff demand from the weakest links that they train on crossing balls with their left foot over and over again when they used to be able to only shoot with right you improve a lot.

In NBA Basketball Stephen Curry for two years in a row was by far the strongest link of his team. But during the NBA Finals he was injured, started missing important 3-pointers and got blocked by LeBron James many times so then the strongest link from the Golden State Warriors suddenly becomes their weakest link.

In current sports there is more than enough money to replace your weakest links by simply buying others. In European football there are only two clubs that own enough money that they could finance Higuain with their own sources, Bayern Munich and Ajax. So there is no rush in selling Milik already within 1 or 2 weeks. His goals and his fighting spirit are important. Dolberg yesterday with his right foot scored an exact similiar goal that Milik always scores with his right foot.

[Ayman]

de Zeeuw was always just a squad player for the Dutch national team, hardlya great feat.

Don't zoom in at only one detail of what I write please.

De Zeeuw was in my opinion, regarding to Ajax standards by far not a great midfielder. But it was also a guy that played on a World Cup in a semi final and managed to survive that footbal game (except this Uruguayan bycicle kick):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUmulKZqpXo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tu-I1fs1XUo

My point is that when a few years ago Demy de Zeeuw was about your weakest player and now in 2016 you accept weekly weak performances from Dijks, Viergever and a guy like El Ghazi that did not pass a ball to a team mate only one time... You will accept Ajax to sink down to a frustrating level.
And then at some time you will get mad and frustrated like SaddlerIan last evening.

Nope, I always said Viergever shouldnt be in the team and always been critical of EL Ghazi