Ajax wins at RBC, but poor form worries Koeman
0 (0) - 1
(1)
Holland Casino Eredivisie
Vast & Goed Stadium,
Roosendaal
Saturday, 23 August, 2003
After last week's win in Gelredome several Dutch journalists
suggested that the game in Gelredome was Ajax's poorest since
the arrival of coach Ronald Koeman. This Saturday, after the
Eredivisie match at RBC Roosendaal, Koeman had to correct them:
"Not last week's game, but this game was the
poorest." Yet a single, rather lucky goal by Tom Soetaers (his
first for Ajax) was enough for an all but convincing win (0-1)
- and the pleasant situation that after two Eredivisie
matchdays Ajax is the only of the 'Big Three' with a 100%
score. After PSV's draw at Roda JC last week, Feyenoord
stumbled in Heerenveen this weekend.
Ajax's current poor form is unexpected, given the team's
fine pre-season campaign, with its highly promising climax
at the Amsterdam Tournament. However, ever since it's 'for
real' the team has been scraping and struggling, booking fine
results in a rather fortunate way.
Tom Soetaers celebrates his first
goal for Ajax. [Photo: Louis van de
Vuurst/Ajax.nl]
That story continued in Roosendaal, where Galásek,
Litmanen, Pienaar and O'Brien were absent as expected
and Ibrahimovic was kept on the bench due to a minor
injury. Hatem Trabelsi surprisingly belonged to the
starting eleven. Just like Steven Pienaar the Tunisian was
granted a week off, but after treatment by the medical
staff of the Tunisian national team the right fullback phoned
Ronald Koeman up voluntarily to offer his services.
The RBC Roosendaal game had a lot in common with the recent
fixtures in Graz and Arnhem: the Amsterdammers had a weary and
slow start, of which the hosts could well have taken advantage
in the opening minutes of the game. Striker Sammy
Youssouf had an open chance to score, but found Lobont on his
way. A diagonal shot of Ajax loanee Pius Ikedia was pushed wide
by Lobont, who saved his team in the opening phase.
It was, indeed, the same old story: the opposition was
simply more determined, more accurate in its passing, more
creative - yes, simply better than Ajax. Once again Julien
Escudé was the only positive exception: the Frenchman
built up stylishly, was well concentrated and kept the Ajax
defense upright throughout the game. Zdenek Grygera and Wesley
Sonck had fairly good games as well, although the latter seemed
to let his head hang down in the final half hour, in which the
- once again - selfish, slow and arrogant Rafaël van der
Vaart ignored him completely, even when Sonck was standing
as free as a bird right in front of goal.
Ajax's first moment of danger was in the 16th minute as
goalkeeper Aerts couldn't hold on to a Soetaers header and
Sonck was half an inch too short to convert the rebound. It
took Ajax 35 minutes to show the crowd its first fast,
accurate attack. It had the maximum effect immediately:
only two minutes after RBC's Sidney Lammens almost surprised
Lobont with a 'banana shot' into the near post's upper ninety,
Tom Soetaers set up a speedy attack, got the ball back from
Maxwell and released a hard, low cross from the left
flank. The Flemish newcomer saw the ball take a
decisive deflection off goalkeeper Aerts' leg - and
hit the back of the net: 0-1 (35').
One of the very few Ajax
players whom Ronald Koeman
thought had a good game: Zdenek Grygera. [Photo:
ANP]
Ajax's play seemed to improve in the second half: there was
a better spirit and combinations were faster. But good
football? Or chances? Not really. The only exciting moments
from an Ajax perspective were three moments on which Ajax
claimed a penalty, albeit rightfully so on only one occasion.
Victor Sikora fell over too easily and Hatem Trabelsi took
a dive so obviously that he was booked for it. However, referee
Wegereef should have seen that Nigel de Jong was mown down. He
did deserve a penalty.
RBC Roosendaal, generally regarded as a candidate for
relegation, did not give up and came close to equalizing on a
Youssouf header and a Lammens free-kick, which grazed Lobont's
fingers and hit the delicate spot where cross-bar and
post meet each other. Ajax, quite typically, got its only
chances on counter-attacks: Wesley Sonck was unlucky as he
resolutely fired past Aerts, but hit the post full-on. However,
the second goal of the night could also have easily fallen on
the other end, especially as Brazilian midfielder Tininho's low
free-kick grazed the Ajax wall and trickled inches wide, our of
Lobont's reach, in the last minute.
During the post-game press-conference Ronald Koeman shook
his head in dissatisfaction: "Tom Soetaers was okay and Julien
Escudé and Zdenek Grygera had a good game. The rest were
well below their usual level of play (...) We did not live up
to our own quality standards in many ways. Grazer AK lost this
weekend, so they will be well awake again on Wednesday. In a
way it would have been better if we'd lost last week or this
week. Perhaps that would have brought our sharpness back. The
players will really have to see the point now, otherwise it's
too late. I am extremely dissatisfied about this game. It
worries me."
The Ajax coach will have three days of training to bring
this message across. (MP)
GOALS
Referee: Wegereef
Yellow cards: Trabelsi (Ajax)
Attendance: 5,000
Ajax line-up: Lobont; Trabelsi (59.
Pasanen), Grygera, Escudé, Maxwell; De Jong, Van der
Vaart, Sneijder (90. Van Damme); Wamberto (46. Sikora), Sonck,
Soetaers.
RBC Roosendaal line-up: Aerts; Hellemonds,
Molenaar, Hesp, Lammens; De Graaf (90. Razic), Oliseh (72.
Daelemans), Tininho; Ikedia, Youssouf, Niño (72.
Hertog).
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