24 AUG 2016 Rostov - Ajax CL Qualifier

[Orange14]

An ignominious loss to Willem II and the worst league start since 2008-09 season. Ajax travel to Russia for the return tie in the CL qualification match. What will Peter Bosz do to pull this team together? Right now they look like a train wreck with more holes than a piece of Swiss cheese.

[souras84]

I guess we must get eliminated. Playing the way we did today in a CL group will end up as a humiliation

[SPL]

We cannot expect a bunch of kids to perform in Europe when they are not good enough to play in Holland.Thursday nights Europa Cup coming up .

[Orange14]

The only consolation is that Liverpool lost to Burnley today 2-0!!! They don't even have European football to worry about.

[Ayman]

Rostov won their domestic game 3-0.

[SPL]

Seems like Cillessen is going to play.

[saddlerian]

Seems like there has't been a mass exodus!!!!
Jasper Cillessen, Kenny Tete, Joël Veltman, Jairo Riedewald, Davinson Sánchez, Riechedly Bazoer, Anwar El Ghazi, Daley Sinkgraven, Bertrand Traoré, Davy Klaassen, Amin Younes ,Heiko Westermann, Mateo Cassierra, Lasse Schöne Andre Onana, Kasper Dolberg, Nick Viergever, Nemanja Gudelj ,Donny van de Beek, Diederik Boer, Mitchell Dijks

Still, at least it'll be a full plane!!! Wonder what "system" he'll be playing???
Wonder if he'll play a team who know each other...
Cillessen, Tete, Veltman, Viergever, Dijks, Reidewald, Youness, van der Beek, Schone, Klassen and Cassierra?

If he does play that, I can be proved wrong....if not, I can say that Thursday night's will be "Ajax nights again!!!

[Orange14]

Still, at least it'll be a full plane!!! Wonder what "system" he'll be playing???
Wonder if he'll play a team who know each other...
Cillessen, Tete, Veltman, Viergever, Dijks, Reidewald, Youness, van der Beek, Schone, Klassen and Cassierra?

If he does play that, I can be proved wrong....if not, I can say that Thursday night's will be "Ajax nights again!!!

I don't know if Dijks is recovered from the bad thigh hit he took yesterday. Schöne has hardly played at all this season. Do you want him in the midfield or on the wing? Not clear from how you set up the team. You really want Cassierra over Traore? van de Beek was pretty poor on defense yesterday on the two Willem II goals. I'm not sure that this is the best lineup for Ajax but there are so many poor midfielders it may be as good as it gets.

[King Litti]

Don't think the team is exactly brimming with confidence right now. Really hope that the willem loss was a wake up call and the team feels they have something to prove now.

In many respects this is a huge game. Financially we're talking about major money and getting to the CL would bring at least some feeling of success on the field (though that feeling might fade fast, if we get our asses kicked badly in the group stage, which wouldn't be that surprising given our recent form).

Think we played well against them at home. Then again the last eredivisie games have been terrible. I guess no outcome in this one would surprise me. Very hard to tell what's going to happen.

Set pieces are so important that in that sense Schöne might be useful, but it seems he is not a part of Boszs plan. Really hard to see him thrown suddenly in at a game like this even though he is experienced. If Dijks is out maybe Riedewald as the left wing back. Dijks seems a bit slow at times. Then again I guess we would have to play Viergiver as a central d. Is a Veltman Sanchez pair impossible in the middle?

[Ayman]

Don't think the team is exactly brimming with confidence right now. Really hope that the willem loss was a wake up call and the team feels they have something to prove now.

In many respects this is a huge game. Financially we're talking about major money and getting to the CL would bring at least some feeling of success on the field (though that feeling might fade fast, if we get our asses kicked badly in the group stage, which wouldn't be that surprising given our recent form).

Think we played well against them at home. Then again the last eredivisie games have been terrible. I guess no outcome in this one would surprise me. Very hard to tell what's going to happen.

Similar to the 2 legs against PAOK. In the first game Ajax played well and failed to win. In the second leg, Ajax didnt play well and won. Against Rostov, Ajax did play well and created many chances but failed to win. So who knows.

[Cruijff]

Results since Traoré came in.

Ajax-Roda JC 2-2
Ajax-FK Rostov 1-1
Ajax-Willem II 1-2

At Ajax-Roda Dolberg was on his way to a hattrick and then bringing Ajax a 3-1 (or 4-1 or 5-1 win).

Dolberg should play. Johan and I would also always play 'the Cerny card' in a match like this, but I doubt if Peter Bosz will listen to us this time.
Knowing this the attack should be Dolberg left winger, Traore striker but switching with the other attackers all the time, El Ghazi right winger.

[Ayman]

It's a done deal, Peter Bosz is stubborn, maybe not on the same wavelength as F. de Boer. but not much better. He should play Tete at right back, because Veltman is a centre back. Sanchez isn't all that ready. Ajax will be vulnerable at the flanks. If Cillessen plays? I doubt he would be motivated. Since the big move to Barcelona is on his mind.

[Orange14]

Ajax wins the match 0-2 (but of course I expect them to win every match).

I agree that we need a stiff defense and Tete should play RB. I would move Riedewald up to the midfield, play Veltman on the left middle and Sanchez on the right middle of the defense. I don't know if Dijks is recovered from the thigh injury so I start Viergever at LB. I would be very bold and pair Sinkgraven and Bazoer in the MF, sitting el Capitan (that will never happen). Younes, Traore, and el Ghazi up front.

[Ayman]

The difference between PAOK and Rostov, is that Rostov are more clinical in front of goal. This game is predictable in certain respects. Here is what we know WILL happen.

1. Ajax defence/goal keeper will commit a howler
2. Rostov will score the first goal
3. Ajax will play poor, unlike the return leg with PAOK, it won't work with the Russians, they will punish Ajax, guaranteed, remember the coach that left, still gives advice to the interim coach at Rostov, despite moving on to Spartak Moscow.

[Amol]

We need to put Riedewald at DM. We played really well when we had him play there the first couple games of this season. I hope Bosz sees that as well. I don't want Bosz to make the same mistakes with #6 as De Boer did with Anita.

Trouble is that all our midfielders seem to move up or down and join the front line or the back line. This leaves us with no one in midfield. In my observation Klassen, Bazoer, Sinkgraven stick to the front line and Gudelj sticks with the back line. We essentially play with 2 lines of 5. We only saw this change when we had Riedewald playing #6 since he has great positional sense to stay in his DM spot and enough vision to pass the ball, play through balls etc

Another problem with Klassen, Bazoer, Sinkgraven sticking with the forwards is that the opposition midfielders happily track back with them and then double team Younes and El Ghazi.

Even with Dijks injured, I would set up the team like this -

-----------------Cillessen/Onana
--Tete----Sanchez-----Veltman-------Viergever
--------------------Riedewald
---------------Klassen-----Sinkgraven/Bazoer
El Ghazi/Traore---Dolberg/Traore---Younes/Cassierra

[Amol]

Just found out that the game is going to be televised in the US on ESPN Deportes!

[Ayman]

For the past 5 years, Russian teams always managed to qualify for the CL via the playoffs. And for the past 5 years, no Dutch team has qualified for the CL via the play off.

[Orange14]

Just found out that the game is going to be televised in the US on ESPN Deportes!

Fantastic!! I would not have thought about looking.

[SPL]

I will have to watch on a stream again.Expect a 2-1 defeat but lets see

[Ayman]

Line up confirmed. Cillesse. Tete veltman Riedewald Viergever Klaassen Bazoer Gudelj Younes El Ghazi Traore

[SPL]

Glad Tete is back ,still our best defender .Viergever for the injured Dijks is no problem. Gudelj back is bad news.

[Orange14]

No courage on the part of Bosz. Since he is not using my lineup, I'm not bound by my earlier prediction. It's going to be a boring 0-0 draw.

[Amol]

Just found out that the game is going to be televised in the US on ESPN Deportes!

Fantastic!! I would not have thought about looking.

....and on Fox Sports 2 in English!! I can't remember Ajax being showed live on tv on 2 channels ever.

[Ayman]

Thta was so close, He got goal side of Riedewald, and Cillessen saved it.

[Tom_]

Unconvincing start. But Rostov also don't look great