30 Dec 2007: VVV-Venlo - Ajax

[Kowalczyk]

So, Ajax once again tumbled into the 'pitfall' that is De Koel stadium in Venlo. And they can't say I didn't warn them in my VVV-Venlo club profile on Ajax USA...

Anyway: the Sportgeschiedenis.nl ('Sports History') website published goals from VVV's two most famous wins over Ajax at De Koel, both in 1987. Quite cool... Check the famous 'snow game' from February 1987 and Ajax's next visit to Venlo, in December of the same year.

Yesterday's result was actually not that bad...

K.

[aveslacker]

I've always said that Adrie deserves a chance to do his thing. I suppose that includes judging him after the season's end, including whatever purchases he makes in the winter transfer window.

But as of now, I'm thinking the club should be looking elsewhere for a coach after the season is over.

[Philippe]

it seems very likely that the title race is over for Ajax, we should use the second half of the season to build a new team, with players from Young Ajax, after getting rid of the ones willing to leave asap

[bryan]

We're only three points behind.

The last thing we need is six more months of watching lightweights from Young Ajax get pushed out of the way.

[aveslacker]

What this team needs is some fucking balls.

[Blind3]

Sounds like the footballing version of The Wizard of Oz. If Ajax only had a brain , a heart , and courage ...and balls ( okay an X-Rated Wizard of Oz) .

[Kowalczyk]

Jim dropped me an e-mail yesterday, in which he wrote: "Hopefully you don't think my match report is too cynical[/i]." Very cute: He thinks I'm the authority and whenever he writes a match report he always asks me "did I do a good job?"

Yes, mate: you did do a good job. An excellent job, in fact. Your report is a great read, a very fair summary of the game and it's not too cynical, but very realistic.

There's only one thing I disagree with: the "no chance of a title" bit. Somewhere in this thread Philippe wrote that the title race is probably over for Ajax.

Pardon my French, but that's bollocks. Of course the title race is not over. The 'gap' is three points, so there is - in fact - no gap at all. It's tight as fuck at the top of the table. Even the statement that Ajax can forget about the title because of the terrible football they play is incorrect. I watched a couple of PSV and Feyenoord games in recent weeks and believe me: they are just as poor, sometimes even worse.

It's been said many times in the past, and in many cases I disagreed, but this season there is no other option: the Dutch league is absolutely, totally and utterly shit at the moment. None of the 'Big Three' would stand a rats' chance in hell against the average Champions League participant at the moment. It's not just Ajax who play absolutely shit football. This goes for all three of the 'top' (?) sides.

I've been thinking about Ajax's title chances - and I'm actually quite optimistic. Why? Financially, PSV are still in dire straits. They hardly have a budget to spend in the January transfer window. Feyenoord? They had no cash last season, managed to get loads of sponsor money this summer and bought a proper team, but they can't afford any more major purchases.

Out of the 'Big Three' Ajax are the only side who have shitloads of cash. We can buy. A big, strong central defender? A good fullback? A number 10 (Perez)? We have the money and there's a fair chance we'll get them. Meanwhile, Vermaelen will return. Davids will return.

In other words: if one of the 'Big Three' can become a considerably stronger team this month, it's Ajax. Season over? No way! It's about to start. Anything can happen and we have our fate in our own hands.

K.

[Cedric]

There's only one thing I disagree with: the "no chance of a title" bit. Somewhere in this thread Philippe wrote that the title race is probably over for Ajax.

Pardon my French, but that's bollocks.

I didn't dare to break the "pessimistic atmosphere", so I'm glad you did.

This situation just reminds me last season, when Ajax was [s]shit[/s] bad and completely lost in november/december. But at that time, Ajax were 10 or 11 points behind, PSV and AZ seemed to be competitive. We all know how it ended.
Now, Ajax are only 3 points behind, and PSV and Feyenoord don't look really stronger... If the defense is improved, it can still end very well.

[Van basten]

PSV are still in dire straits. They hardly have a budget to spend in the January transfer window. K.

Why is that so? I thought, that they are in pretty good position talking about the money

[Philippe]

I've been thinking about Ajax's title chances - and I'm actually quite optimistic. K.

I'm glad you are, and hope the near future will prove you right.
But I doubt it.
IMO the team we currently have plays the weakest football since the Wouters era. Defense (with the notable exception of Stekelenburg), midfield, and forwards are terrible.
We can't even beat the bottom of the table sides.
That's why I think we should give a chance more young lads, with the next season in mind.

[Kowalczyk]

IMO the team we currently have plays the weakest football since the Wouters era.

Oh, the irony... The only reason why I disagree with the above statement is the fact that we've been this terrible quite regularly in the past ten years... The Wouters season (1999-2000) was the mother of all terrible seasons, but we've been just as terrible in Ronald Koeman's last six months, and almost an entire season under Danny Blind. And today. Totally agree there.

Defense (with the notable exception of Stekelenburg), midfield, and forwards are terrible.

I think the defense is our by far greatest problem. We have the defense of a relegation candidate, and - painful as it may be - that's not even an exaggeration: our defense is almost as bad as that of Willem II and I believe the numbers 11 and 12 on the table have conceded fewer goals than Ajax. This is, by far, the worst Ajax defense I have ever seen in my life as an Ajax supporter.

Midfield? Not good enough, but this can be fixed. Gabri on the right, Perez in the middle and Davids on the left? That should be good enough. I'm convinced of that. I think Urby Emanuelson must be regarded as a midfielder. We have Maduro. We have Delorge. We have youngsters such as Anita, Sarpong, Vertonghen and Schilder. All midfielders. There is enough quality (when Davids returns), especially now that we have a real, high quality number 10 (Perez).

Forward line? No complaints there. Our forward line is not just 'okay'; it's pretty great, actually... We have the most productive striker couple in Holland and plenty of alternatives.

So, really, I think we can turn the current Ajax squad into a pretty good team by purchasing three defenders: a right fullback, a left fullback and a big, strong central defender.

That's why I think we should give a chance more young lads, with the next season in mind.

No. I don't even want to think about next season. That's the number one mistake this club has been making for ten years now: we're always building, always looking forward. Why build, if the building is guaranteed to collapse before it's even finished? I want a championship and I want it now. We have the top of the table in sight (it's a matter of one game) and I want to be in the Champions League next season. Not with this team, but hey: we won't have this team next season. It's gonna be a different team anyway and it is possible to buy a good team in one summer. We had an ordinary team in 2000-2001, but then we bought Trabelsi, Maxwell, Zlatan and Mido - and off we went. Title in 2002 and a bloody great Champions League run in 2002-2003.

That's not impossible. In fact: I'm starting to believe it's the only way to go. Perhaps it's the "building a team" philosophy that's impossible. This is modern football. Two words: instant success.

K.

[Philippe]

Midfield? Not good enough, but this can be fixed. Gabri on the right, Perez in the middle and Davids on the left? That should be good enough. I'm convinced of that. I think Urby Emanuelson must be regarded as a midfielder. We have Maduro. We have Delorge. We have youngsters such as Anita, Sarpong, Vertonghen and Schilder. All midfielders. There is enough quality (when Davids returns), especially now that we have a real, high quality number 10 (Perez).

Forward line? No complaints there. Our forward line is not just 'okay'; it's pretty great, actually... We have the most productive striker couple in Holland and plenty of alternatives.
K.

I agree with you about the midfield. And we have to do without Davids and Perez, and even Sarpong and likes so far...

The forward line seems very weak to me. How else can you explain that we need so many goal chances to score one goal, and that we are just unable to beat very poor sides in spite of 70% ball possession ?

[SPL]

Ko is talking sense as usual. (In your list of midfielders you missed out De Jong and also VdHeijden who plays midfield as much as defense)

I felt down after December but we are only 3points off the top and had we not let in those 2 late goals v Twente and VVV we would be top.

The main point is of course that PSV and Fword are playing no better (my cousin,who lives just outside Amsterdam, said in an email the other day all the big 3 are playing crap)

We will have to wait and see what defenders are purchased this month as only Heits is good enough.

[Kowalczyk]

The forward line seems very weak to me. How else can you explain that we need so many goal chances to score one goal, and that we are just unable to beat very poor sides in spite of 70% ball possession ?

We fail to beat poor sides. That's a correct observation. But your suggestion that this has to do with the lack of efficiency upfront is invalid. Ajax have scored 46 goals in 17 matches. That's a lot (we're headed for a total of 92 at the end of the season) and it's not that we score six goals in one game, but zero in the next game. We score very steadily. Ajax score two or three goals almost every game. Problem is: in no less than 10 out of 17 matches, we've conceded two goals or more, too...

This must be very frustrating to the Ajax strikers. Goals aplenty, but they happen to play in a team that requires three goals for a win...

Really: 46 goals in 17 matches is more than enough. It should be, anyway.

K.

[Philippe]

I don't think two against sides like Excelsior or VVV is enough.

[Cedric]

It is. Those teams should never be allowed to score a single goal against Ajax.

[Kowalczyk]

I don't think two against sides like Excelsior or VVV is enough.

Every team had good days and bad days. In a season, every team has good stretches and bad stretches. Ajax are having a bad stretch at the moment. They can't score six or seven goals against anyone right now.

In periods like this, however, two goals against a poor side should be enough for a 2-0 or 2-1 win. But it's not. That's a defensive problem.

Even in bad periods Ajax score two goals against every team in the league. In times like these it should then be possible to close the shop and secure the win in a business-like way.

Nothing wrong with our forward line. Definitely good enough. I wouldn't want to swap Huntelaar and Suárez for any other striker couple in Holland.

K.

[Philippe]

all right then, Ko, but don't you think we need wingers ?

[Kowalczyk]

all right then, Ko, but don't you think we need wingers ?

The crosses from the wings are crap, so yeah, you could say that. You definitely have a point there, if you regard the Ajax formation as a traditional 4-3-3 formation, with 'classic' Ajax wingers. I've stopped doing that a while ago. Ajax still play 4-3-3, and they still use the flanks a lot, but they no longer do it with traditional winger, 'glued to the sideline'. We play with three forwards, who move a lot and 'circle around each other', which is a modernized version of ye olde Ajax system.

A couple of good, traditional Ajax wingers would be nice (more quality crosses!), but it's not my top priority. My number one priority is to stop the bleeding at the back. Our defense is absolutely fucking terrible and something needs to be done. If Ajax can buy three more players, I'd say: get a central defender the size of a grizzly bear, plus two fullbacks who can actually mark a winger.

We need defenders who are prepared to do things the 'ugly' way. A defender has to kick the ball out of the stadium every once in a while.

Or the winger.

K.

[DanK]

I don't think two against sides like Excelsior or VVV is enough.

It should be. Even in our 'great year' of 95 we didn't always destroy teams. 2 goals against a supposed crap opposition should be enough, provided you don't gift them goals at the back. Simple as that IMO.

We need someone with the toughness of (I hate to say it) a Muscat or someone similar. Someone who might get a red every now and then, but someone who CAN defend and scare the living shit out of an attacker in the process.

A better defense and we win the title. Thats my belief.

[LucaS]

Defending is never a job for just 4 guys of the team

[gordonvandekamp]

As I have been saying pretty much all year, and in agreement with Ko, it's the defense that's killing us. I was going to compare goal totals over the weekend, but never got around to it. It light of Ko's post here's what it looks like.

First, here are last year's final goal totals and something I posted in August saying that our defense needed improved this year:

Code: Selecteer alles

        Against  For
PSV     25       75
AZ      31       83
Ajax    35       84
Roda JC 36       47
Twente  37       67 

And here is this year's totals as of today (sorted by fewest goals conceded):

Code: Selecteer alles

Standing	Team						GP	GS	GA
2	    	Feyenoord Rotterdam	17	34	13
1	  	  PSV Eindhoven			17	39	14
5	  	  Twente Enschede		 18	28	14
9	  	  AZ Alkmaar				16	29	18
10	  	 Vitesse Arnhem		  18	23	24
3	  	  Ajax Amsterdam		  17	46	25
7	  	  Heerenveen		      18	42	25
11	  	 NAC Breda				 17	22	25

So looking at this year, at 46 goals we have by far scored the most goals. As I've said before I don't think our attack is the problem at all, and I think this shows it. Feyenoord and PSV have scored 34 and 39 respectively (6th and 3rd in the league for goals scored overall).

However looking at goals conceded, we are tied with Heerenveen and Breda, while the 10th, 9th and 5th place teams have all allowed fewer goals (as well as PSV and Feyenoord). I think it's looking to be the same as last year unless we can get some strength defensively. We don't have problems scoring, but we do have problems outscoring our opponents (and therefore winning games) because we are letting the opposition score too much.

I don't know how Ajax can't see this and try and purchase some defensive help. But they didn't do it in the summer, so I'm not too optimistic now.

[Philippe]

Our defense is our most serious problem, especially since Stam's early retirement, it can't be denied.
But I do think we have a scoring problem too.
That's why we can only score two goals against number 17 of the table in spite of a 70% ball possession.
Maybe this is also due to our midfield which can not create enough.

[Jesse]

46 goals in 17 matches isn't that bad. That's 92 goals in a whole season.

[Over Pasanens Head]

Our defense is our most serious problem, especially since Stam's early retirement, it can't be denied.
But I do think we have a scoring problem too.
That's why we can only score two goals against number 17 of the table in spite of a 70% ball possession.
Maybe this is also due to our midfield which can not create enough.

Are you sitting down Philippe? I agree with you 100% - the current midfield lack the creativity of a playmaker or two. I think that as Ko says the players we have up front are good (if only Huntelaar stops playing statutes and moves around more) but they are fed pitiful amounts to feast on. That we have scored 46 goals is testament to these guys and not the midfield. Get a decent playmaker (plus a couple of defenders)and watch us bust the 100 goal mark and march on to the championship.

I hope my agreeing with you Philippe hasn't caused you to feel faint etc.