26 Aug 2011: Ajax - Vitesse

[SPL]

Great second half 4 beautifully taken goals just the mistake to give them a goal. We played some very good footy and got the reward .Nice to see Lodeiro playing again after a year out

[Orange14]

Great team effort today, especially pressing all over the field. You could see Vitesse tiring throughout the match until they really didn't have any gas left at the end of the match. Silly give away by Vertonghen led to the goal that ruined Vermeer's clean sheet. Vermeer came up big on three occasions when the match was still close, two great saves and coming out of his box to kick the ball away. van der Wiel and Anita were both dynamite, coming forward to create dangerous openings and not getting beaten by the Vitesse wing players. Alderweireld and Vertonghen were solid and Toby's great clearance when the match was still 0-0 was important. Janssen didn't have to do much on defense and distributed the ball well. Eriksen got a great goal and was active throughout the match. de Jong was inconsequential in the midfield and had some opportunities as striker. Boerrigter was stellar today as was Sigthorsson. Sulejmani did everything he needed to do and was hampered only in that we seemed to prefer attacking down the left side for much of the match. Serrero, Boilesen, and Lodeiro all came on as subs.

Well done by all and this wipes away most of the egg on their faces from last week's match.

[SPL]

well sumed up there Orange.

[ajaxcolombia]

Van der Wiel is really coming up big lately. We can finally say he is no longer overrated and is actually a real star in this team. And this comes with his recent statements were he has assured his love for Ajax!!

[Ayman]

Can you guys tell me how Jan-Arie Van der Heijden played? forgive me I cant get over the fact that Ajax sold him. He may come in handy if Ajax have injury woes.

[orange goblin]

I think the same. He had a balanced game.

[gordonvandekamp]

The best thing is that we are a couple of minutes away of earning our first clean sheet. Miracle!!

I was thinking about the same thing with 10 minutes to go. Then we conceded. I like de Boer's post-match comments on it, basically some arrogance from Jan (even though why not at that point in the game), but in the end it builds confidence learning from the mistake. I'll take giving up the clean sheet with a 4 goal lead if that's the case.

Eriksen hadn't put many shots truly on goal this season, glad he did here, take note Siem. I think those two have disappointed most in finishing so far thus season, so hopefully de Jong can put some on target too (even though he really didn't in this game again). A few games in, and no complaints about the rest of the attack (ie. Boerrigter, Sigthorsen, Mickey all have been solid). Really like De kleine man (Anita) this season too, hopefully another breakout in performance that makes Oranje and other big teams notice him.

Top of the table, again, if only for a few days...

[Kowalczyk]

Good game. Very good second half. Great goals.

A few observations/thoughts...

1. I was kind of worried about Theo Janssen in the last two games. He seemed slow and uninspired. Lazy, even. Against Vitesse I thought he had a very good one. Mind you: he's in a different position than he was at Twente; he's not the 'number 10 super star' at Ajax, his role is more defensive. But he made a lot of miles against Vitesse, he defended, he passed well, he was 'in it', which was good to see.

2. Sigthórsson is the bomb. He scores goals, he's self-assured and, perhaps most importantly, he's a true 'Ajax number 9' rather than a Suárez or El Hamdaoui type. He's very good at holding up the ball. Fantastic one-touch play. Great distribution. And again: he scores. Good for him. It's been a while since a new striker had such a convincing start at Ajax.

3. Van der Wiel seems to have learned his lesson last season. Not that he's flawless (there is a lot of swagger in his play; a certain aloofness is part of his character, I suppose). But he's definitely delivering at the moment, he seems to understand that he can't afford another season like the last (major clubs will lose interest if that happens).

4. Vurnon Anita is not a real left back (he's right-footed, for starters, and he's too tiny, too), but I have to say he did do the business yesterday evening. Let's face it: had Anita ór Boilesen played at left back in all four of our league games thusfar, we would have had the full twelve points. Daley Blind, you're the weakest link... goodbye.

5. Siem de Jong is struggling a bit, but I think Frank should leave this midfield intact for a while, until it starts to gel. It might actually work, with Janssen and De Jong.

6. I think this win actually means something, as I thought Vitesse were quite good and well organized, especially in the first half.

K.

[ajaxcolombia]

Good game. Very good second half. Great goals.

A few observations/thoughts...

1. I was kind of worried about Theo Janssen in the last two games. He seemed slow and uninspired. Lazy, even. Against Vitesse I thought he had a very good one. Mind you: he's in a different position than he was at Twente; he's not the 'number 10 super star' at Ajax, his role is more defensive. But he made a lot of miles against Vitesse, he defended, he passed well, he was 'in it', which was good to see.

2. Sigthórsson is the bomb. He scores goals, he's self-assured and, perhaps most importantly, he's a true 'Ajax number 9' rather than a Suárez or El Hamdaoui type. He's very good at holding up the ball. Fantastic one-touch play. Great distribution. And again: he scores. Good for him. It's been a while since a new striker had such a convincing start at Ajax.

3. Van der Wiel seems to have learned his lesson last season. Not that he's flawless (there is a lot of swagger in his play; a certain aloofness is part of his character, I suppose). But he's definitely delivering at the moment, he seems to understand that he can't afford another season like the last (major clubs will lose interest if that happens).

4. Vurnon Anita is not a real left back (he's right-footed, for starters, and he's too tiny, too), but I have to say he did do the business yesterday evening. Let's face it: had Anita ór Boilesen played at left back in all four of our league games thusfar, we would have had the full twelve points. Daley Blind, you're the weakest link... goodbye.

5. Siem de Jong is struggling a bit, but I think Frank should leave this midfield intact for a while, until it starts to gel. It might actually work, with Janssen and De Jong.

6. I think this win actually means something, as I thought Vitesse were quite good and well organized, especially in the first half.

K.

I believe Toby is a little bit of an unsung hero, maybe because he's the lesser known half of the Flemish duo we have at the back. But lately he's been one of our most consistent players. His passing accuracy is off the charts, not just the long pass to Boerrigter for the second goal, but except for the fourth goal, all of our goal plays began with a pass form Mr. Toby Alderweireld. I truly believe he's one of the best in this team right now.

[Amol]

Here are the highlights

[Blind3]

THANKS AMOL !! Great result. The Good : Eriksen opens his account for the year. His shot which the keeper parried was nice as well. Boierrigter and Sigthorsson looked terrific. Toby's passing was awesome. The bad :Vermeer and a crossbar saving our bacon once or twice when the d failed . The Ugly : Jan , what were you doing just before Vitesse scored ? Yikes.

[aveslacker]

Good game. Very good second half. Great goals.

A few observations/thoughts...

1. I was kind of worried about Theo Janssen in the last two games. He seemed slow and uninspired. Lazy, even. Against Vitesse I thought he had a very good one. Mind you: he's in a different position than he was at Twente; he's not the 'number 10 super star' at Ajax, his role is more defensive. But he made a lot of miles against Vitesse, he defended, he passed well, he was 'in it', which was good to see.

2. Sigthórsson is the bomb. He scores goals, he's self-assured and, perhaps most importantly, he's a true 'Ajax number 9' rather than a Suárez or El Hamdaoui type. He's very good at holding up the ball. Fantastic one-touch play. Great distribution. And again: he scores. Good for him. It's been a while since a new striker had such a convincing start at Ajax.

3. Van der Wiel seems to have learned his lesson last season. Not that he's flawless (there is a lot of swagger in his play; a certain aloofness is part of his character, I suppose). But he's definitely delivering at the moment, he seems to understand that he can't afford another season like the last (major clubs will lose interest if that happens).

4. Vurnon Anita is not a real left back (he's right-footed, for starters, and he's too tiny, too), but I have to say he did do the business yesterday evening. Let's face it: had Anita ór Boilesen played at left back in all four of our league games thusfar, we would have had the full twelve points. Daley Blind, you're the weakest link... goodbye.

5. Siem de Jong is struggling a bit, but I think Frank should leave this midfield intact for a while, until it starts to gel. It might actually work, with Janssen and De Jong.

6. I think this win actually means something, as I thought Vitesse were quite good and well organized, especially in the first half.

K.

I believe Toby is a little bit of an unsung hero, maybe because he's the lesser known half of the Flemish duo we have at the back. But lately he's been one of our most consistent players. His passing accuracy is off the charts, not just the long pass to Boerrigter for the second goal, but except for the fourth goal, all of our goal plays began with a pass form Mr. Toby Alderweireld. I truly believe he's one of the best in this team right now.

For my money, Toby was man of the match. He saved a goal with a miraculous clearance, assisted on Boerrigter's goal (which, by the way, was a classy finish) and pushed the ball up in midfield regularly. In the end, we were playing more of a 3-4-3 because Toby was pushing the ball up so much. Plus he was solid in defense, playing against a forward with a bit of skill.

[Orange14]

For my money, Toby was man of the match. He saved a goal with a miraculous clearance, assisted on Boerrigter's goal (which, by the way, was a classy finish) and pushed the ball up in midfield regularly. In the end, we were playing more of a 3-4-3 because Toby was pushing the ball up so much. Plus he was solid in defense, playing against a forward with a bit of skill.

It's interesting how FdB has used his two central defenders (when Vertonghen is healthy) to bring the ball up into the attacking area. Barca do this with Pique and it may be a move that other teams begin to emulate as well. It really disguises how the offense will develop since most all teams are used to defending fullbacks coming forward. Fullbacks are somewhat easier to defend since the sideline can be used for pressure. Can't do this with someone coming up the center. Trouble is you really need to be sure the defender doesn't give the ball up since the opponent has an easy walk to the goal (witness Vertonghen's mistake).

[aveslacker]

For my money, Toby was man of the match. He saved a goal with a miraculous clearance, assisted on Boerrigter's goal (which, by the way, was a classy finish) and pushed the ball up in midfield regularly. In the end, we were playing more of a 3-4-3 because Toby was pushing the ball up so much. Plus he was solid in defense, playing against a forward with a bit of skill.

It's interesting how FdB has used his two central defenders (when Vertonghen is healthy) to bring the ball up into the attacking area. Barca do this with Pique and it may be a move that other teams begin to emulate as well. It really disguises how the offense will develop since most all teams are used to defending fullbacks coming forward. Fullbacks are somewhat easier to defend since the sideline can be used for pressure. Can't do this with someone coming up the center. Trouble is you really need to be sure the defender doesn't give the ball up since the opponent has an easy walk to the goal (witness Vertonghen's mistake).

I think it's an outgrowth of the fact that when Ajax has 70% ball possession the other team tends to get backed up into their own defensive third. So why not bring another defender forward with the ball to pile on even more pressure?

[souras84]

When we play with Real Madrid, I think we need a CLEAR defensive midfielder, with Anita in the role? Or with eriksen and de jong and janssen behind them we are going to suffer

[Philippe]

I was impressed by the number of supporters, and the atmosphere at the Arena. Janssen and Vertonghen (until '89) were rock solid. And Sigthórsson was very good, which is positive for confidence after the bad game against VVV.
Still waiting to see Ozbiliz in action again.