05 OCT 2023; AEK - Ajax; EL Group Match 2

[Orange14]

Second Europa League match comes up this Thursday against top of the table AEK away in Athens. This could be a really difficult match but right now every match is difficult for this team. Remember that Vos is suspended for picking up a second YC in the Marselle match and being dismissed. No real good choices here for a substitute. I assume that Bergwijn will be healthy enough to play.

[Dubbel]

Not sure if EL is a priority for us given the situation we are in right now. I'll be happy if the team is able to gel a bit further and come home without injuries and without an embarrassing result.

[zeux]

Ending 3rd in the poule will take Ajax to the Conference League, right? Fitting competition to rake up some points to get ahead of France and 3 tickets CL. No business in CL of course, but the money is good.

[Orange14]

Ending 3rd in the poule will take Ajax to the Conference League, right?

Correct, 3rd place team drops down.

[souras84]

I'm afraid that AEK has the potential to score 3-4 goals against us. If you look at our defensive tactics. They usually press high and get the opponent to make mistakes, which isn't hard for us, then steal the ball and go on the counter. Let's hope we don't get humiliated

[SPL]

Talking to my Brighton pals this week we all agreed AEK are a strong side and could even win the group. Bayer Leverkursen are in a group with 3 minnows .

I see Ajax finishing 4th in the group but lets see how we go this week. a draw would be a minor miracle.

[Dubbel]

What are your thoughts on starting line up for the match in Athens? 5-3-2 or stick to our signature 4-3-3? Defensive it's been somewhat of a mess lately so I wouldn't mind experimenting in this tournament.

Three full backs, two wing backs? Bench Forbs who has been playing quite well? Could look something like this:

Rensch - Sutalo - Hato - Avila - Sosa
Berghuis - Vos - Taylor
Bergwijn - Brobbey

[Orange14]

@Dubbel - Vos is suspended for this match so he can't be in your lineup

[Orange14]

I saw a report yesterday where Akbom and Miautadze are now complaining about not being used properly. These two guys need to go ASAP. We overpaid for both and they just are not very good.

[Dubbel]

@Dubbel - Vos is suspended for this match so he can't be in your lineup

Oh, right, double yellow versus OM...

Mannsverk is injured so that would insert Tahirovic.

[Orange14]

Just saw that AEK have an away match scheduled for today against Crete. Pretty weird.

[Dubbel]

TV schedule above all? Greece is no exception by the looks. Doesn't hurt our chances.
Their star forward Levi Garcia will be out come Thursday, that could be a bit of a break for us also.

I went ahead and (google) translated this interview with AEK player Nouradin Amrabat (former Jong Ajax player) with Ajax Life magazine.

"Unrest at Ajax is an advantage for us'
Nordin Amrabat (36) will meet the club where he briefly played football in training in Athens on Thursday. The attacker is having a great time in the Greek capital and is looking forward to the Europa League match with Ajax.

While Ajax has to settle for a 3-3 draw against Olympique Marseille in the Johan Cruijff Arena, exuberant Greeks hug each other in the catacombs of the AMEX Stadium, after the away match against Brighton & Hove Albion. What should have been a historic evening for the Premier League sensation ended on a British note. The visitors ruined the Seagulls ' Europa League debut by taking full advantage in the first group match: 2-3.

While Joël Veltman - without playing minutes this evening - tells his story a few meters away in front of the Ajax Life camera in the mixed zone, AEK player Nordin Amrabat reports to the undersigned's notepad with a grin, and of course with a broad smile.

Congratulations man! Self-confidence for this match was high in Brighton. Have you given those English people their due?
“Well, I thought it was a really difficult match. Our trainer had analyzed them well. When I saw images beforehand, I thought for a moment: wow. I had watched their match against Manchester United live on television. At Old Trafford, Brighton set the pace and had more ball possession. They have a good team. We wanted to put pressure here from the start, but we quickly saw that this did not work. That's why we switched to plan B with a… How do you say? Center-middle block: play compactly, wait in midfield and become dangerous from there. In the end we win here 3-2. A very good performance.”

You played a little hanging on the right. Defensively disciplined and constantly looking for quick transitions as soon as possible. That resulted in a front assist for the winning goal. How do you look back on your playing?
“Pervis Estupiñán, their left back, always went deep. I thought I was being smart by standing three or four meters behind him, so I could always see him coming. If you have a moment to sleep with a boy like that, you have to run after him. That takes a lot of strength. Now he stopped earlier. So that turned out well. He didn't become dangerous.”

Are you surprised by this result?
"I did not expect it. Our coach Matías Almeyda said before the match that we came to Brighton to win. Logically, he of course wants to radiate positivity, but what he says often comes true.”

What type of trainer is he?
“First of all, a fantastic guy. A friend of the players. A nice guy, a people manager . He is tactically strong. Sometimes he comes to the club in the morning with big bags under his eyes. Then you know that he has been analyzing images all night. He is honest, doesn't tell you bullshit and doesn't promise things he doesn't keep. The players will go through fire for him.”

What is his signature in your game?
“We are a fighting machine. Tactically strong and respond well to our opponent's weaknesses. Last year we won the double with him. We are now beating Brighton, but were still missing two central defenders.”

This is your third season in Athens. Your extended pass leaves your contract. How do you like it?
"Do you know what it is? My children live in the Netherlands and I thought it was a bit selfish that I played football here. I'm trying to go home during the international break. That's two days a month. The trainer is an emotional person. He knows that I want to go home to my children, but I still stayed in Athens. Sometimes he gives me an extra day off. You would go through fire for a trainer like that. I'm having a good time here. I am appreciated, respected, receive a good salary and play in a beautiful stadium for fanatical supporters.”

You were eliminated in the Champions League preliminary round by Royal Antwerp FC.
“Yes, but actually we were better. We had many more chances than Antwerp. The round before, Dinamo Zagreb was actually better than us. Fair's fair. Josip Sutalo played like a boss against us twice. Just write that down. You've seen our forward Levi Garcia. He's not the easiest to play against. ”

On his own: “And of course we have the winking Croatian Domagoj Vida. He was now injured. The first time I met him, I immediately asked what was going on. He often gives a wink, he said. That's his trademark. A fantastic guy.”

You will receive Ajax at home on Thursday. What can we expect?
“A witch's cauldron, haha. We play in front of 35,000 fans in a new stadium since last season. It's always full. The fans are close to the field. The atmosphere is great, although I honestly think the atmosphere during our derbies is even better than during European matches.”

You played briefly in the Ajax youth team. Does that make Thursday's match special for you?
“Yes, Ajax continues to hold a special place in my heart.”

After your departure, were you ever approached about returning to Ajax?
"Not really. When I went to PSV in mid-2008, Ajax showed no interest.”

Do you still have contact with Ajax players?
“Very occasionally with Steven Berghuis. We know each other from Watford.”

You are now 36 years old. What do you do to stay fit?
“I take good care of myself in terms of nutrition, get enough rest and get a massage often, haha. Other than that I don't do much for it. It just bothers me. If you don't smoke or drink, that certainly also plays a role.”

It is one big chaos at Ajax at the moment. Is that an advantage for AEK Athens?
“Of course the unrest at Ajax is an advantage for us. If there is chaos at the top of a club, it trickles down to the dressing room. You feel that and you take it with you onto the field. When you're older, it's better to shut it down. It's more difficult when you're younger.”
https://www.ajaxlife.nl/articles/2023/o ... l-voor-ons

[Amol]

I saw a report yesterday where Akbom and Miautadze are now complaining about not being used properly. These two guys need to go ASAP. We overpaid for both and they just are not very good.

I still am 100% clueless about the Mikautadze transfer. Seems like a money laundering scheme of some sorts.

[Orange14]

I saw a report yesterday where Akbom and Miautadze are now complaining about not being used properly. These two guys need to go ASAP. We overpaid for both and they just are not very good.

I still am 100% clueless about the Mikautadze transfer. Seems like a money laundering scheme of some sorts.

I think there was a bunch of dodgy dealings going on. There was an article where some Stuttgart representatives were stunned that a team such as Ajax would hire Mislintat. The Board members who recently resigned were right to do so.

[Amol]

Yeah all our Twitter Ajax kids were jumping up and down celebrating each transfer as though we were signing Riijkaard and MVB in their prime.

[SPL]

Sounds like Akpom deal was a bit dodgy .Middlesbrough saying we did not need to pay so much and talk of the agent making extra.

[Orange14]

AEK lose away to Crete 0-2. I don't know how many of their regulars played in this match.

[Dubbel]

Definitely made some changes since the previous match.

Starting line up today at OFI

Stankovic; Rota, Mitoglou, Callens, Mohammadi; Szymanski, Eliasson, Galanopoulos; Pizarro; Zuber, Van Weert.

Starters in previous match vs Atrimitos

Stankovic; Sidbe (red card); Mitoglou; Callens; Hajisafi; Amrabat; Jonsson; Mandalos; Pizarro; Araujo; Ponce.

[Dubbel]

AS (Brent Tomassen) analyzed our Greek opponents and sees a path to victory. I kid you not! Here is the translation.

Ajax will play in Greece on Thursday for the second group match of the Europa League against AEK Athens . Maurice Steijn's team is hunting for the first victory in the group, after the 3-3 draw against Olympique Marseille. AEK Athens won the first group match 2-3 against Brighton & Hove Albion. Ajax Showtime analyzes Ajax's upcoming opponent, who excels in standard situations and the counter-attack.

AEK Athens is last season's champion in the Greek league. The Greek top club won its thirteenth national championship in the 2022/23 season. Matias Almeyda has been the head coach in the capital of Greece since 2022 and has a number of former Dutch League players under his wing. For example, former Ajax youth player Nordin Amrabat , striker Tom van Weert (including Excelsior and FC Groningen, ed.) and right back Lazaros Rota (ex-Fortuna Sittard, ed.) play at AEK Athens . Levi Garcia, who played for AZ in the past, will have to miss the home match against Ajax due to an injury .

AEK Athens surprises Brighton more strongly with standard situations
AEK Athens surprisingly won the away match against Brighton & Hove Albion 2-3, despite the fact that the English had 75 percent of the ball. This was not expressed in the number of goal attempts, because this remained virtually the same: six out of seven shots between the posts. AEK took the lead three times and the first two times this happened through a standard situation. Below you can see the situation prior to the 0-1 from right back Djibril Sidibé.



Brighton chooses to defend from zone coverage in standard situations, but mainly looks at the ball. Sidibé takes advantage of this by getting behind the back of his direct opponent and heading the corner kick from the edge of the penalty area into the far corner.

AEK Athens surprises with counter-attacks after a long ball
Both the winning goal against Brighton and against Panathinaikos a few days later were achieved in the same way. The long ball is played from the back, the game is won up front and the AEK Athens attackers take advantage of the space available to play out the attacking situation and score. The 1-2 against Panathinaikos is a good example of this.



After winning the long ball game, AEK Athens has five players in the opponent's half. Visitors take full advantage of the space behind the last line of Panathinaikos. Two seconds after winning the duel, Jens Jönsson is launched on the left. The Dane's cross is shot in by the sprinting Orbelín Pineda.



AEK Athens is extremely vulnerable to through passes by the defense
While AEK Athens always came out on top in the matches against Brighton, Panathinaikos and in the diptych with Dinamo Zagreb in the third qualifying round of the Champions League, there will be great disappointment among the opponents about the missed opportunities. AEK Athens is given a considerable number of chances in these three games after the static defense of the Greeks is outwitted with a single through ball straight through the last line.



Panathinaikos opens the score against AEK Athens from a similar situation to Brian Brobbey 's goal against RKC Waalwijk. An attacker comes in from the right and a clever through ball reaches his deep teammate. The shot is well-hit from a difficult angle. The assist was provided by Carlos Forbs , who proved that he can maintain an overview at speed and play the ball between the defense at the right time. Against Olympique Marseille, the attacker also gave such a pass to Kenneth Taylor, who failed face to face with the goalkeeper. The resulting corner was shot in by Steven Berghuis.

The fact that the Greeks do not concede goals more often from these types of situations is thanks to good goalkeeping work from Cican Stankovic. Against Dinamo Zagreb, Josip Šutalo released an attacker in front of the goalkeeper. With this, Ajax seems to have brought in an expert against AEK Athens.



The clearest case of a static, disorganized defensive line can be seen against Brighton. Defender Jan Paul van Hecke is given plenty of time to dribble and choose the fastest route to the goal. The last line is not aligned, causing offside to be canceled and two attackers behind the defense to have a meters lead. Once again, goalkeeper Stankovic proves to be worth his weight in gold, so the English cannot capitalize on the opportunity.



Ajax has been warned in standard situations from AEK Athens. In Waalwijk a goal was given away twice due to poor defensive work on crosses from the side. On the other hand, Brobbey's 0-1 was a textbook example of how AEK Athens seems easy to beat. It is very important for Ajax that there is a lot of movement without the ball to lure the Greek defenders and create gaps. With Forbs, Steijn has a real hand tie at his disposal, but the rest of the team will have to be on the move to offer the Portuguese opportunities to take his own chance or opt for a pass to a fellow player. The latter can especially be improved at Ajax this season, but it is the way to break up Thursday's opponent.
https://www.ajaxshowtime.com/hoofdnieuw ... te-kloppen

[Dubbel]

Check out this AEK football fan forum. Looks like the AEK supporters are just as dismayed on their team's performance as we are on Ajax'.
What a group we are in.... AEK, Ajax and Marseille all flat on their asses

http://forum.aek.com/viewtopic.php?f=34 ... 871a239631

[Amol]

Up 0-1 away in Athens. Scored on a PK. We're playing better, but I don't think much of this is attributable to any coherent tactics.

[Orange14]

Better play but still too many poor passes. Defense is holding on just barely. Ideally we need at least two more goals to feel comfortable.

[Orange14]

A draw is a fair result for what was a very physical match. the Slovenian CR let the players play rough and tumble football, only issuing YCs for pretty severe actions. Ajax goal came from the spot and what looked to be a scuffed penalty by Bergwijn but it was placed just right. Vida got the AEK goal on a set play late in the second half. Steijn had the team set up to defend well with everyone except Brobbey tracking back all the time when the ball was with the home team. There were still too many soft and errant passes that could have punished Ajax but poor finishing from AEK made Gorter's life a little easier. Brighton and Marseille tied in the other game so Ajax and Marseille are even on point and second to AEK in the group. This will go down to the final match day and perhaps goal differential will decide things.

Player Ratings:

Gorter (7) - several very good games and of course no chance on the wicked header
Rensch (7) - kept his head in the game and defended exceptionally well (never thought I would say those words); didn't go forward much at all, probably by design
Sutalo (6) - I think Vida was his responsibility and he let him get too much space for the tying goal
Silva (6) - one of those whose passing was suspect but otherwise decent
Hato (6) - really pushed around in the first half by Amrabat but adjusted and played well in the 2nd
Tahirovic (6) - decent enough but still too slow in his play
Taylor (7) - defended well and had a wicked shot late in the match that was saved
Berghuis (7) - really played well defensively and had a couple of shots that were too weak to trouble the AEK keeper
Forbs (6) - stood out defensively but offensively still tries to do way too much when a simple pass is the best solution
Brobbey (6) - provided a good target for passes in to the attacking half and there was a constant pushing and pulling with whoever defended him; lost his temper and picked up a stupid YC
Bergwijn (7) - slotted home the penalty after being pushed down in the box and defended well
Akbom (5) - got his chance to play striker as Brobbey was withdrawn and had two touches
van den Boomen (NR) - on at the 80th minute for Tahirovic and a non factor
van Axel Dongen (NR) - on for Forbs and a non factor

Home to AZ who are also playing today this Sunday. Let's hope the match is completed on the day it starts!!!!

[Amol]

Agree with Orange14. 1-1 was a more than fair result for what we brought on today. I was pretty sure that we would end up giving up the 2nd, but we survived.

[Tom_]

What a dreadful game. They were lucky to come up against an equally crap opponent but even so they could easily have conceded more goals. Only positive thing for me was Brobbey, who I thought did really well, but if the ref decides he is going to call soft fouls against him he’s of limited use.

Avila is the latest summer signing to prove he’s nowhere near good enough. I would give him a 2 or 3. He gave the ball away maybe 15 times? Sutalo also can’t pass and Hato, who is normally good, had a shocker.

I think this could be the worst Ajax I’ve seen. There’s no way they can compete against PSV or AZ. Feyenoord is another level entirely. I’m starting to wonder if they’ll even be able to make the positions that qualify directly for Europe next season.