Co Adriaanse, April 2001
Co Adriaanse |
We met with Co Adriaanse, head coach of AFC Ajax
Amsterdam, in the media room of the Amsterdam Arena on
Thursday, April 26, 2001, one day prior to the Ajax-NAC match.
The room, which is equipped with a podium and backdrop for
Ajax's press conferences, was on this day arranged casually
with numerous small tables for private interviews. While we
spoke to the coach, we were surrounded by similar interviews
between members of the Dutch press and Fred Grim, Joey Didulica
and Cristian Chivu.
Co Adriaanse has a definite manager's character; strong,
no nonsense to the point of being abrupt. But he was always
very courteous to us, and as the interview progressed, it
became clear that he was making a genuine effort to understand
our questions and respond in a meaningful way. He took his time
with his answers and responded thoughtfully to every question
we posed.
[Photos: Monique Janse/Ajax.nl]
Ajax USA: What should we look forward to tomorrow night
(against NAC)? What kind of a match will it be?
Adriaanse: Well, I think Ajax is much stronger than NAC.
Ajax has to win because we have to gather points for the
international football possibilities. NAC has a rather good
team, they are for the first year in the highest division now,
but they are doing well. And especially in away games, they can
defend very good. Especially against Feyenoord they played
very, very well in Rotterdam, and they lost the game in the
last minutes. But we are going to attack, with high pressure,
and we hope to score a lot of goals.
Ajax USA: Great. We would appreciate it.
Adriaanse: Yes of course! It's a long journey. I don't hope
it will be zero-zero. A lot of money for no goals.
Ajax USA: What about the fitness of Chivu and Machlas?
Adriaanse: Chivu was injured about two and a half weeks ago,
in his hamstring, and we already took a lot of risks, let him
play too early, and two times in games he stepped out. I think
it's too great a risk to let him play tomorrow, so I hope to
get him fit for the next game, next Thursday against RKC. So,
he doesn't play.
Machlas has an injury in his ankle. It happened in a
friendly game with Greece, against (under 21) Greece. This
morning he was at the pitch, and he had some running sessions
with Laslo Jamborg. But he's not fit for tomorrow, because he's
been out for three or four weeks, so his physical condition is
also not so good. So I think for next game, next Thursday he's
also not ready. Hopefully the game after; RKC.
Ajax USA: What is the effect on the team when the schedule
changes suddenly? Vitesse is on, it's off, it's on, it's off...
How difficult is it for the team to respond to that?
Adriaanse: Yeah, we worked toward the game with Vitesse, and
I got a phone call on Wednesday that it was cancelled, so it
was a great disappointment for us. But we are used to fitting
our training sessions to the schedule of the league. About
twenty, thirty years ago, we always played Sunday, Sunday,
Sunday. But because of the influence of the media, especially
broadcast television, we're playing on Thursday, Friday,
Saturday, Sunday. So I already have to fit my schedule to the
schedule of the competition. So in Holland, we are quite
creative with such things.
Ajax USA: I'm curious about the role of Leo Beenhakker, in
working with you. How do you collaborate on the future of
Ajax?
Adriaanse: Leo is the Technical Director. He's not involved
in the training sessions or the games, but he has to protect
the typical Ajax culture, the concept. But also he is very busy
with buying players, with selling players, in a very close
cooperation with me, of course. And he's also the man who has
to stimulate the cooperation between the director of the youth
development program, Kees Zwamborn, and me.
Now it's not a problem, because I'm a typical Ajax man. I
already worked for five years as a director here at Ajax. But
maybe in the future, when I'm gone and there's a new man
coming, he's not aware of the typical culture of Ajax. He
(Beenhakker) has to protect that philosophy.
So that's why Leo is here. Because the coach is as good as
his last three games. If you are losing three or four games,
you're out. But Leo, he has to stay to protect the Ajax
culture. Otherwise, there comes a new coach and he says, "Oh I
want to buy him and him and him." In that way you are (wasting)
a lot of money on players. And that's the main reason... It was
my idea. When I came, it was my idea (to establish a Technical
Director) in the organization.
Ajax USA: So, for example, with a player like Ibrahimovic,
who was just bought, who has the final word on whether to buy
him?
Adriaanse: Three people. The first man is the General
Director Arie van Eiden, because he has to ask, "Do we have the
money to buy such a player?" If there is no money, we can't buy
players.
And Leo and I, the Technical Director and the Director of
Professional Football, each give 50%. So if I'm saying, "I
don't like the player," he doesn't come. If I like a player,
but Beenhakker doesn't like the player, he doesn't come,
either. So we both have to agree. And we also have the advice
of the scouting team of Mr. Pronk (Tonnie Pronk, Director of
Scouting), and also the advice of my assistants, Peter Boeve
and John van T'Schip.
So we have a lot of people, with a lot of knowledge of Ajax
football, who can judge the qualities of the player.
Ajax USA: Have there ever been any strong disagreements
about a player?
Adriaanse: Yes, it happens. We had money to invest after we
sold Gronkjaer, and we have looked at a lot of players.
Sometimes I disagreed; not good enough. Another time, I agreed,
but Beenhakker, he didn't. So, that can happen.
Ajax USA: In looking forward, for Ajax to become champion of
Holland, and competitive in the Champions League, what are the
things that aren't there now but need to be there, in the
team?
Adriaanse: First, I have to develop the physical condition
of the players next season, to be physically stronger. I had a
lot of injuries last season, because, I think, their bodies are
not used to working hard, and (with) a lot of training sessions
during the week.
Second, I have to develop the young players further. They
can be better next year because they are older.
Third place, I have to make a better team, with better
concepts, so that they can view each other better than this
season.
And the main (method) is to buy good players. We bought a
good player, Ibrahimovic. But I think we have to buy one, two
or three players more, to make our team stronger. Because I
sent a lot of players away, and I didn't buy any players.
So, these are the four points to make my team stronger.
Ajax USA: Do you have anything new or different that you
have been using, or will be using, for the physical
conditioning, to make the team physically stronger?
Adriaanse: No. I think if you want to swim, you have to
swim. If you want to be a cyclist, you have to get on the bike.
To be a good player, to play a lot of games, (you need) a lot
of training sessions with football. I don't believe in power
training for football players. No supplements, no dope... Sleep
good, eat good, have a good mind, and a lot of work on the
pitch.
Ajax USA: But in the recent game against Roda, for example,
it was obvious that Ajax's defense was physically weaker and
smaller than the Roda strikers. Are you looking for big
defenders?
Adriaanse: Normally, Chivu and Pasanen are playing there.
And they are not so big, but they can jump and they are
physically quite strong. But they are young. If you look at the
past, Ajax always have technical players. But not tall players,
body builders. We have to play football with our feet.
Ajax USA: I want to ask you about America. Do you think
there will be a time when Ajax will turn to either scouting, or
even actively developing, youth in America?
Adriaanse: We already have some clubs abroad, in Belgium,
South Africa, Ghana. It's a new policy and costs a lot of money
and a lot of energy of the organization. So I think at first we
have to observe this new philosophy. And maybe after one or two
years we can judge if we are going through with the policy, or
if we are opening new clubs abroad, just like in America.
Ajax USA: Speaking of which... John O'Brien: how is he doing
now? What needs to happen for John to re-assert himself into
the Ajax first team?
Adriaanse: I think John is a very, very good player, a
typical Ajax player. And I have known him since his fifteenth
birthday. Of course, I was the man who brought him to Ajax.
But he was unlucky. The last three years, he was injured...
Half the year at FC Utrecht. Last season with Jan Wouters, also
injured. This season I couldn't use him in one game! He did a
very good preparation, he was one of the best players in the
Amsterdam Tournament. But three years he's always injured, so
that's a problem. I couldn't put him in my team.
Now he's fit, and maybe tomorrow he is with the first 18
players. I have to think about it because if I take him in,
another has to go out, and that's a problem for me. But
normally, if John is fit, keeps himself fit, I think he is in
the team. Because he can also play on different positions. Left
defender, left midfield, center midfield, (anywhere) in the
defense. He's left-footed, right-footed. You don't see any
difference. He's mentally good. He's a good boy.
