29 Aug 2007: SK Slavia Praha - Ajax
Moderators: ajaxusa, Kowalczyk, mods
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Monkey Tonk
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Underestimating this opponent is what got us in this shitty position in the first place, so why is it still so prevalent? It will not be easy at all to score against this team. This is their 'final'. The stadium is sold out. If Ajax can't match the fighting spirit that this type of game tends to bring out in the underdog, we could be in for a long ugly night.
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Monkey Tonk
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ZoefdeHaas
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- Lid geworden op: ma mei 09, 2005 10:47 am
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Kowalczyk
- Moderator English Section
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Some pre-match reading... UEFA.com published a match preview (see link under 'News Links' on the Ajax USA homepage) and here is an interesting background analysis from today's issue of de Volkskrant.
K.
Time for a quick bite and then I'm off to my mate's place. Good luck everybody. Fingers crossed.Henk ten Cate's reputation at stake in Champions League qualifier
TRIUMPH OR TRAGEDY IN PRAGUE
* No Dutch club ever won on Czech soil
* Suárez to play behind Huntelaar in 'free role'
The second leg of what was referred to by Ajax as the 'encounter of the year' has everything to become a nerve-racking apotheosis. Slavia Prague's cosy Evzena Rosického Stadium will be the theatre of either triumph or tragedy this evening. There are only two options for the Amsterdammers: the club's reputation will sustain further damage or they will return to Europe's most prestigious football competition.
"Shall we quite this conversation?" head-coach Henk ten Cate says grumpily, as a Czech journalist tells him that no Dutch football club ever won a game on Czech soil. He wants to talk about triumph and the increasing confidence of his troops. "We never discuss doom scenarios."
Ajax netted twelve goals since they lost the first leg to Slavia (0-1), but qualification may definitely not be taken for granted. Millions are at stake today. Fame. Future transfer fees of players. And also: Henk ten Cate's reputation as a succesful football coach.
"No," he says, "this is not the game of the year. We are not going to put ourselves under even more pressure. I'm sure you journalists will take care of that. Winning the Dutch title is of great importance, too."
Ten Cate left for Spain in 2003 as a succesful head-coach of a string of smaller clubs. Three years later he returned as an experienced, succesful man, winner of the Champions League with Barcelona, where he was Frank Rijkaard's assistant. The cunning tactician, the Amsterdam street kid, was the man to bring Ajax new domestic and international glory.
He surely has accomplished something. Ten Cate has the courage to ignore the Ajax system with wingers, which seemed to be an almost holy thing in the past. He made Ajax stronger, physically as well as mentally, although there is criticism of the sometimes unusually mean actions of certain Ajax players. Ten Cate made Ajax a more entertaining and attractive team. And he deserves part of the credit for last season's development of Babel and Sneijder, who had such a fine campaign that they could be sold for spectacular fees.
But: Ten Cate did not win the Dutch title, although it was a matter of just one goal, and for the second straight year there is a serious chance that his team will miss out on Champions League football, after the dramatic 2006 stumble against FC København. The title and Champions League participation... they are Ajax's most important annual targets, no matter how you look at it.
"Ajax won't continue to waste scoring chances," he said two weeks ago, after the home leg. But that was exactly what happened against Copenhagen last season: there were chances, but Ajax failed to convert them.
Perhaps the arrival of Luis Suárez marks a turning point. The Uruguayan was landed only recently, but is developing into a key player unbelievably quickly. His sassiness and his individual class make him a more of Ajax player than many Ajax players trained and developed in Amsterdam.
Suárez already appears to be the life and soul of the squad. He put on goalkeepers' gloves during training yesterday, seemed to be everywhere at the same time and was the only one to wear a blue training jumper. He will be Ajax's 'number 10' in Prague: the man with a 'free role', in Klaas-Jan Huntelaar's back.
Suárez had three appearances for Ajax so far, and he was the most remarkable player in each of those games, even in the home game against Slavia, when he had only trained with Ajax a few times. He scored three goals, gave four assists and won the penalty that Huntelaar would miss, against the Czechs.
Purely looking at his efficiency he is more valuable to Ajax than Ryan Babel was. Looking at his class, and the qualities of the others, Ajax simply must brush the Czechs aside.
But football is not the same as mathematics. Henk ten Cate could point out that several of his players (Davids and a few others) are injured. He deserves respect for not bringing it up. He could point out that Wesley Sneijder has not been replaced, but he doesn't.
He could point out, with apprioprate pathos, that the 40 million euros in Ajax's bank account (the sum raised by the transfers of Sneijder, Babel, De Mul and Perez minus the transfer fees paid for Kennedy, Suárez and Luque) underscore the fact that his team has lost quality - and use that as an excuse for disappointing results. He has not done it (yet).
"Once has to be the first time," he told the Cech journalist in the press room, who had told him about the poor results of Dutch clubs on Czech soil. And the he walked off. To the pitch. Time for training. The Ajacieden fired on goal a lot. They scored many goals.
But it's all about tonight.
K.
Still alive...
Very good article but...
I have some doubts about that... I still think this team hardly knows how to deal with the pressure (FCK, RKC, Willem II, Slavia...). The only exceptions were the return legs of the play-offs. Hopefully, there will be another one tonight. [/b]He made Ajax stronger, physically as well as mentally
"Geef Ajax z'n goede reputatie terug!"
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cdnajaxfan
- Berichten: 264
- Lid geworden op: do feb 03, 2005 2:44 pm
Start praying boys and girls! Our whole season internationally and domestically rests on this one game! If we win, we keep KJH and get money. If we lose, we lose KJH and get money and kiss the Domestic Championship goodbye as well. This could be one of the most important games in the Club's history, for both now and the future.
One note of hope, Slavia are 0/6 tries to get into the Champions League and the last time they almost made it, they were beaten by a late minute strike and then lost in Extra Time. Let's hope that history can repeat itself if needed.
Go Ajax!
One note of hope, Slavia are 0/6 tries to get into the Champions League and the last time they almost made it, they were beaten by a late minute strike and then lost in Extra Time. Let's hope that history can repeat itself if needed.
Go Ajax!
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bluedaddy19
- Berichten: 1210
- Lid geworden op: do apr 07, 2005 6:57 pm
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aveslacker
- Berichten: 2925
- Lid geworden op: do feb 03, 2005 4:33 pm
- Locatie: Hong Kong!
That's serious exagerration. We will lose KJH next summer no matter what. And a bad result in August has no bearing on what happens in the Eredivisie.cdnajaxfan schreef:Start praying boys and girls! Our whole season internationally and domestically rests on this one game! If we win, we keep KJH and get money. If we lose, we lose KJH and get money and kiss the Domestic Championship goodbye as well. This could be one of the most important games in the Club's history, for both now and the future.
Go Ajax!
AFC Ajax
Landskampioen 2013-2014
Landskampioen 2013-2014
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aveslacker
- Berichten: 2925
- Lid geworden op: do feb 03, 2005 4:33 pm
- Locatie: Hong Kong!
www.myp2p.euphilippe schreef:Impossible to watch on tv here, does anyone know if it's possible to get it on the internet ?
download and install sopcast .... then find the weekday option in the myp2p.eu site and click on it. Navigate down to the Ajax game ... click on one of the sopcast match links. Will take a few seconds to load and buffer ... then you can enjoy the match.
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aveslacker
- Berichten: 2925
- Lid geworden op: do feb 03, 2005 4:33 pm
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K.J. Huntelaar
- Berichten: 99
- Lid geworden op: zo feb 04, 2007 3:55 pm
