Scouting kings Ajax have made ten disastrous signings this season. The team from Amsterdam lost 3-0 to PSV and thus gave away second place in the Eredivisie. Marco van Basten is critical of the club’s policy, Winston Bogarde does not recognize any of his own work in the current team.
Ajax is being ripped apart: “Ten purchases, ten disasters”
Bogarde worked at Ajax until the end of last season as an assistant to Erik ten Hag. Under that coach he spent a lot of time with the defenders of Ajax. “I don’t recognize much of the team I left,” he said on the Ziggo Sport program Rondo. Bogarde does have an idea where things go wrong at Ajax. He added, “Players like clarity and consistency. You won’t see that again. Of course you may have a lesser phase, but as a team you have to be able to fall back on something.”
Van Basten cracks the policy of the still reigning national champion. “Ajax is really a unique club at the moment. Ten purchases and all ten are disasters. Then you have done your homework well,” the former striker of yesteryear is sarcastic. “Of all ten you cannot say that it has been a good purchase, that they are worth the money. It is special that you manage to create such a bad team.”
The defence of Ajax has turned out to be an Achilles heel
Van Basten takes an example with Jurriën Timber. “He is just a good player, he is now in a team with quite a lot of suckers around him. And he’s getting bad too,” he said. The defence of Ajax has turned out to be an Achilles heel this season, there has often been talk about the footballing ability of acquisition Calvin Bassey.
“It’s not that the boy can’t play football, he has qualities,” says Bogarde. “You have to work with a boy like that. For a new player it is difficult in the first six months to a year. There are only a few players who immediately hook up. I think he is not helped in the field by his fellow players. If you know that he is less in the build-up, you have to make it as simple as possible by giving him several playback options.”
Ajax will have a chance on Sunday to add a little shine to the season, when it faces PSV again. This time winning the TOTO KNVB Cup is at stake.
