09 FEB 2019; Heracles - Ajax; Match Day 21

[Orange14]

Ajax are on the road Saturday against Heracles and still five points adrift of PSV. PSV have a tricky fixture this week at Utrecht and maybe Ajax will get a bit lucky IF they take care of business in Almelo (though remember they are playing on another artificial surface).

[Amol]

Only saw the last 10 minutes of the 1st half. We were only able to create a couple half chances. Heard that we gave up the goal on an error by Onana.

[Orange14]

Just disgusting football from Ajax. They maybe played three minutes of decent football the remainder was just trash. This team thinks they are so entitled that every other team in the league will roll over. Heracles have a good game plan with lots of high pressing the seems to have caught Ajax by surprise. Nobody is coming to help out and passes are just too slow and aimless. I don't know if Onana got a touch on the PK but his blunder on the goal smacks of Vermeer. Just stupid play from the keeper. Real Madrid would have put 4-5 into the net the way this team is playing.

[Orange14]

Heard that we gave up the goal on an error by Onana.

Didn't even look up and kicked the ball slowly that was easily intercepted and put away clinically.

[SPL]

Shambolic, Onana looks like Vermeer. My wife was talking and watching over my shoulder even she couldn't believe what Onana did.

[Tom_]

Ajax look like they’ve given up on the title.

Bad mistake from Onana, but de Jong and Kristensen both did the same thing several times. MF was awful today.

[Amol]

I don't understand this at all really. I think the surface has to do a little with this as well. Most first touches from Ajax players aren't clean and ball seems to bob away further than they're used to.

[Tom_]

I don’t buy that excuse. They have de Toekomst to train on.

[Amol]

I don’t buy that excuse. They have de Toekomst to train on.

I know - I'm just trying to explain this to myself. Couldn't come up with anything else really. The other reasons being - 1. players thinking about the Madrid game
2. assuming that the Heracles team would just fold over
3. not caring....

[SPL]

Utter rubbish , when PSV win and go 8 points ahead in Utrecht the title is over .Real are not going to beaten over 2 legs.

Maybe win the cup because thats all we can win now. If indeed we can beat Feyenoord in Rotterdam and I wont put money on that.

[Orange14]

Another disappointing match. Nobody seemed to show up and play in Alemo; it's as if they were all trying to phone the match in. Heracles played a decent match but couldn't put any shot on frame other than the match winner that was gifted to them by Onana. As much as it pains me to say this, Real Madrid have nothing to fear from this team. The defense was again a shambles and the MF too slow yet again. The front three could not do much at all and when one of your best players on the pitch is Kristensen, you know that the team is in trouble. Maybe they are getting tired from the long season, I'm not sure but ten Hag shows no signs at all of rotating players. I think questions about ten Hag are going to resurface. He has Neres consigned to the bench and it was he who wanted to bring in Labyad and he finally gets some playing time but has no impact. Unless PSV stumble in Utrecht tomorrow the title is as good as sealed.

Player Ratings:

Onana (3.5) - gifted the match to Heracles with the terrible blunder in the first half
Tagliafico (5) - fought hard but could not have any impact
Blind (3.5) - lucky Herales didn't score off the penalty he conceded
de Light (5.5) - he's probably thinking about next season in Turin
Kristensen (5.5) - had some good movement in the offensive zone
Schöne (4) - too slow on the day and thankfully subbed off
de Jong (3.5) - another sub-par performance
van de Beek (4) - too few touches and no impact
Tadic (4.5) - showing the effects of the long season
Huntelaar (4) - really lucky not to have been sent off and I'm sad to say he's looking really slow these days
Ziyech (4) - alternately hot and cold but cold much more often
Mazraoui (5) - didn't do anything wrong but had little chance to have an impact
Labyad (5) - had the same quality as Mazraoui on the day
Dolberg (5) - had a good hard shot in the final 10 but unlike last week, it was saved

Real Madrid on Wednesday and I think it's going to end up the same as in the past several CL matches this decade, a realtively easy wind for the Spanish side.

[Orange14]

The other reasons being - 1. players thinking about the Madrid game
2. assuming that the Heracles team would just fold over
3. not caring....

2 & 3 for sure!!

[SPL]

At least with half the team wanting out ETH can go and so can Overmars and v d Sar .This season is headed for failure and these 3 must go.

Why did Donny go off when Frenkie was doing nothing as usual and is carrying an injury!!.

[Orange14]

Why did Donny go off when Frenkie was doing nothing as usual and is carrying an injury!!.

ten Hag is just weird when it comes to playing favorites. The same question could be said about either Tadic or Ziyech; subbing one of them off for Neres.

[Orange14]

One final thing that really bugs me is that ten Hag never goes up to the other trainer after the match. He should have congratulated the Heracles trainer on a match well played.

[SPL]

First person to go is Overmars.He said no transfer talk until the season ends. We are in this mess mainly because of his winter in selling de Jong ,Wober gone when Magallan is not ready.Neres told he can go if we buy a replacement but Overmars cannot be bothered to catch a plane to Mexico.

ETH use of subs is a joke.Labyad is nowhere near an Ajax player and why no Neres.