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Match Report: Ajax loses against Roma, but is 'ready for the league'

	Ajacied Maxwell battles with Gabriël Batistuta of AS Roma. [source: ANP]

After the terrible defeat against Celtic last Wednesday, coach Adriaanse drastically changed his defense in today's friendly match against AS Roma. With no less than 5 defenders he tried to take less risk against the Italian champions. Still he couldn't prevent them from scoring two goals, losing the last match of the preparation 2-1.

Two weeks ago when Ajax lost their match against AC Milan at the Amsterdam Tournament, technical manager Leo Beenhakker in public criticized the tactics of Ajax coach Adriaanse, stating that it's 'suicide' to play in an international match so offensive as Ajax did with 4 strikers and only 2 midfielders. It is not unlikely that Beenhakker this week again complained about Co's tactics after losing the match against Celtic with the same offensive play style.

The line up for today was totally the other way round. Chivu played as a libero behind the defense in which Pasanen and Bergdølmo were the central defenders. Next to them Maxwell on the left and Trabelsi on the right were the backs. A defense of 5 strikers is very unlikely in the Ajax system and one can wonder if Adriaanse actually still knows how he wants to play. Not only has he changed the players in the defense all the time (for example did he move Chivu from the center to the left side and back again), he now changed the system itself too.

But with a poker attitude of someone who knows what he does Adriaanse stated after the match that it is very important that Ajax can play in different play styles. 'Last season we lost a lot of top matches against PSV, Feyenoord and Vitesse. We have to lay the stress more on the defense. In top matches we will play this system more often'.

This is rather remarkable since the trainer from the very start of his career at Ajax claimed that he wants Ajax to play like Ajax again, which is with an offensive 3-4-3 system. A week before the season starts he suddenly changed this idea and tried an entire new play style. Although this was the first test case of this new system, Adriaanse said today that he thinks that his team is 'ready for the league'.

In today's match however Ajax had a flashing start with Arveladze scoring after only 4 minutes. The Georgian player fired the ball from a 25 meter distance behind goal keeper Pelizzoli. Arveladze hereby underscored his importance for the team. In the negotiations that will be reopened this week Ajax seriously have to think for themselves whether a rift with Arveladze is good for Ajax at the moment. Since Arveladze is the only Ajacied who scored in the last two matches.

After 15 minutes Roma got better and after half an hour they almost scored the equalizer, but Siviglia headed on the post. A few minutes later Roma did score the equalizer. After a corner of Roma it was Mido who couldn't get the ball out of the penalty box with his head. Assunçao got it and fired the ball behind Grim ('33).

Due to the defensive play Ajax had problems to reach their strikers. Only Wamberto, substituted for Mido in the second half, got a small scoring chance, but the Italian goal keeper had no big problems with it. Although Ajax played a decent second half it was Roma who got stronger in the last 15 minutes of the match. A draw would have been a nice result against the strong Italians, but unfortunately Roma managed to score the 2-1, three minutes before time. From 20 meters Cassano fired the ball behind Grim.

Next Sunday Ajax will start the league with a match against Roda. After today's match it's absolutely unclear what the line-up in the defense will be this time. No one seems to know, only Co. Or perhaps Leo Beenhakker. (BV)

(source: ajax.nl, ANP)

Goals:

• 4' 0-1 Shota Arveladze
• 33' 1-1 Marcos Assunçao
• 87' 2-1 Antonio Cassano

Attendance: 2607

Ajax line-up: Grim, Chivu, Trabelsi, Maxwell, Bergdølmo, Pasanen, Yakubu, Van der Vaart, Arveladze (77. Zlatan), Mido (69. Knopper), Machlas (60. Wamberto)

AS Roma line-up: Pelizzoli (46.Antonioli) Zago, Lima, Fuser (63. Balbo), Assunçao, Montella (46. Cassano), Zebina, Tommasi, Batistuta, Siviglia, Candela

Related Links:

• Discussion: Ajax current form