26 Feb 2009: Ajax - ACF Fiorentina

[Philippe]

Fiorentina are easily a better football team than Ajax.

K.

Weird comment IMO (how many times were Italian sides notoriously lucky to eliminate us ?). Anyways, that's a great result for Ajax.
Clever coaching too, with Leonardo as our not-so-secret weapon.

Now Marseille, and this one should be easier.

[Kowalczyk]

Fiorentina are easily a better football team than Ajax.

Weird comment IMO

Not so weird, in my opinion...

Even though they beat us at the time, I still believe Ajax are essentially a better football team than Slavia Prague. In the same way I have to admit that Fiorentina are normally a better football team than Ajax. More individual quality, more physical power, more capable of 'dictating' a game and putting an opponent under pressure as a team, etc. etc.

If this Ajax team plays this Fiorentina team ten times we'll win once, get a couple of draws and lose seven.

But that doesn't make this triumph undeserved or anything like that. Fiorentina failed to deliver. They blew it, they had it coming and they only have themselves to blame. Absolutely fantastic achievement from Ajax.

K.

[Manneken Pis]

Great result.

As Ko says, Fiorentina were superior in various respects, but in the end they couldn't convert it into many concrete chances.

Leonardo did great, with the help of a defender's one-two bounce, but his finishing was superb. I can see why there's reticence to keep him though as he seems to charge head down straight at goal without looking for the incisive pass (i.e. it's not "clever" in the "Ajax way"). Never-the-less in the last 15 minutes his speed and directness creates opportunities ... so, I'd keep him as a "none too secret weapon" as someone called him earlier on the forum.

Over all a GREAT battling performace. the Italians were, as the cliché goes, clever, dirty, and technicaly strong, but in the end everything they do depends on the two strikers, the rest are nothing special. Guts kept us in it, and then we got the lucky break that wasn't underserved.

Bring on Marseilles!!!

[Kowalczyk]

Highlights!

http://ajax.aegon.nl/index.php?id=1&video=18675

K.

[Philippe]

The funny story of the evening is that Werder Bremen and our good friend Markus Rosenberg eliminated AC Milan.

Highlights of our we-fought-like-lions game :
http://www.ajax.tv/index.php?item=cat&type=new

[bluedaddy19]

The funny story of the evening is that Werder Bremen and our good friend Markus Rosenberg eliminated AC Milan.

every serie a club took a crap this week: all UEFA sides are O.U.T. and all 3 CL teams had poor results

i love it!

[Kowalczyk]

Well, Udinese advanced and are still in it.

But your point is right: a really shit week for Italian football.

K.

[Philippe]

Italian clubs are now experiencing what others once felt about them (not so long ago) : they do not have the financial means to compete with the wealthiest clubs which are the English and Spanish ones.
There is a huge gap between England and Spain, and all the others.

Vae victis.

[LucaS]

That might be true, and I know you can't judge on one game, but nr 4 of Italy (Fiorentina) was much more impressive than the nr 4 of England (Aston Villa when we played them)

[ZoefdeHaas]

But your point is right: a really shit week for Italian football.

K.

And Spanish.

Good job Ajax

[Orange14]

The most amazing thing about the starting 11 yesterday is that only one player (I think) is over the age of 25; that being Oleguer (Leonardo is the other one who ended up finishing the match who is also older). this is a very young team and the fact that they were able to hold there own with a veteran Serie A squad is grounds for further celebration!!!

[Cedric]

You forgot Gabri, 30. According to De Telegraaf, the average age was 23.2. Nice.

[DanK]

The most amazing thing about the starting 11 yesterday is that only one player (I think) is over the age of 25; that being Oleguer (Leonardo is the other one who ended up finishing the match who is also older). this is a very young team and the fact that they were able to hold there own with a veteran Serie A squad is grounds for further celebration!!!

This is part of the reason we need to hang on to our coaching staff for at least a few years. Let them truly develop this squad into something great.

[Kowalczyk]

'Atmosphere video'...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgzOmUxourU

K.

[Philippe]

nice video

[DanK]

Brilliant. Bloody brilliant. Especially @ 1:49

[aveslacker]

Listening to Marco after the match, it occurs to me that this is match served a useful lesson for Ajax. Ajax should not be afraid to take risks. We played defensively early on, but once Fiorentina scored, Marco took a risk (as he himself said in his comments) by inserting Anita and (most importantly) Leo.

The upshot is that Ajax is not meant to play cautiously. They need to be bold and take risks. Obviously doing so means that you might lose, but if you play with commitment and back yourself, you'll do better in the end.

[SPL]

I did notice we finished the game with only 1 player over 25 ( Leo is 25)
a very young squad.

[bluedaddy19]

Well, Udinese advanced and are still in it.

But your point is right: a really shit week for Italian football.

K.

ooops! that's right, they got a stoppage time decider