Ajax book hard-fought win as rivals lose points

The way back to the top of the Eredivisie is still very long for Ajax, but the crusade had the best thinkable start for the Amsterdammers, one week after the defeat at PSV that threw them so far back. Friday's 0-0 draw between PSV and FC Utrecht (both teams were higher on the table than Ajax) marked the start of a good weekend for Ajax. It reached its climax on Sunday afternoon. Immediately after AZ had knocked out Feyenoord (4-1) Ajax managed a hard-fought and shaky, but all in all deserved home win over NEC: 1-0.

October was a bad month for Ajax: had it only had 30 days, Ajax would have finished it without a single Eredivisie win. The last time the Amsterdammers grabbed the three points in a domestic league game was on 25 September, when a late Yannis Anastasiou strike forced Roda to their knees (1-0). The win over NEC was equally minimal and equally hard-fought. The fact that Ajax scored only twice in the past five Eredivisie confrontations illustrates the fact that the crisis is not over yet.

Maarten Stekelenburg returned from injury for his first
Ajax-1 appearance since 15 September. [Photo: Ajax.nl]

The way coach Ronald Koeman keeps shifting his players around sums it all up: he tries hard to find a solution, but is currently working with a squad of players in the middle of a collective form-crisis. Rafaël van der Vaart is Koeman's striker of preference for the time being, Mauro Rosales (on the left wing last weekend) did start on his favourite flank this time (the right), while Wesley Sonck was given the nod as Ajax's 'number ten' directly behind Van der Vaart. Goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg, meanwhile, returned from injury and was in the Ajax goal for the first time since 15 September.

The game showed that Ajax's play is still far from perfect, but the players did seem to understand that the only solution at this point is to fight. Ajax worked hard in the first half and played fairly well. The toughest opponent in the first 45 minutes was not NEC (who did not create a single chance in that period), but the linesman, who had several highly questionable off-side calls in the opening phase. The F-Side replied with irony, distributing little plastic flags on their stand (leftovers from the Champions League fixture against Maccabi Tel-Aviv) and collectively sticking them up in the air every time Ajax kicked the ball forward.

Ajax created their first major chance after 23 minutes, as Nicolae Mitea's fine cross from the left flank was tapped inches wide at the far post by a sliding Rafaël van der Vaart. Less than one minute later an almost identical situation did bring Ajax the opening goal. Capitalizing on Maxwell's cross was harder for Van der Vaart than it was a minute before, if only because he had to do it with his right foot, but he succeeded: 1-0 (24'). Another three minutes later yet another fine, low cross from the left (Mitea) almost led to Ajax's second goal. This time Van der Vaart tried it with his heel, but he saw Dennis Gentenaar save. Referee Braamhaar, finally, could have given a penalty as Wesley Sneijder was mowed down inside the area in a scrimmage, just before he could shoot.

Ajax were not great, yet in total control of the game in the first half. But once again the team mysteriously lost its concentration in the opening phase of the second half, which was only five minutes on its way as NEC captain Jeroen Wielaert came face to face with Maarten Stekelenburg, who came to rescue with his first great save in a series of four. He also punched a near-perfect Barreto free-kick out of the upper ninety.

The fact that Ajax also created a series of open chances (including a completely free passage to Gentenaar for Rafaël van der Vaart and an unmarked, close-range header for the same player, nonchalantly nodded over the bar) underscores that the second half of Ajax vs NEC was a lively and entertaining affair. The Amsterdam crowd, however, does not come to the ArenA for excitement in front of both goals. They expect Ajax to outclass their opponent, something the Amsterdammers are simply incapable of at the moment. It elicited sharp whistling from the stands on a few occasions, especially when coach Ronald Koeman ostentatiously chose for the defending of the lead by replacing Nicolae Mitea with defender Julien Escudé. Cowardice, according to the grumbling crowd.

The crowd was unhappy when Koeman replaced
Mitea with defender Julien Escudé. [Photo: Ajax.nl]

It wasn't Koeman's only defensive substitution. 25 minutes earlier he had brought on Anthony Obodai for Wesley Sonck, who got his chance as a 'shadow striker' (a position at which he had several promising performances in pre-season) but once again completely failed to impress. Sonck never came in scoring position and was visibly frustrated when he was replaced. The Belgian will once again be invited to Ronald Koeman's office for a talk. Will Sonck get another chance in the first team? It seems like the book is almost closed for the striker, who is now generally regarded as one of Ronald Koeman's 'bad buys'.

It's a safe bet that the future looks much better for Mauro Rosales, who had his first full game at the Amsterdam ArenA, came across as a speedy and intelligent player and was voted 'Man Of The Match' by the crowd.

Ajax should have entered the half-time break with a bigger lead than just 1-0 and (despite NEC's second half dominance in midfield) had several chances to wrap it up in the second half, but almost paid the price for failing to do so. With less than two minutes left to play Saïd Boutahar suddenly showed up in front of Maarten Stekelenburg. The Ajax goalie's reflex was superb, yet Polish substitute Andrzej Niedzielan the ultimate opportunity to level the score in the rebound. Stekelenburg was already beaten as the striker wildly volleyed over the empty goal from less than ten yards, so that Ajax could sigh in relief and pocket the first Eredivisie win in more than a month.

Match-winner Rafaël van der Vaart pointed out that Ajax are currently trying to battle their way back to the desired form. "We played fairly well in the first half and had several chances," the Ajax captain said. "I don't know why we played so poorly after the break, It seemed like nothing went right anymore. NEC increased the pressure and that chance in the last minute really scared the hell out of me. On the other hand: an on-form Ajax would have scored a few more goals in the second half."

Thanks to Niedzielan's miss a miserable month ended with a highly lucrative weekend. It was the perfect prelude to the tremendously important 4th matchday in the Champions League. If Ajax manage a win in Tel-Aviv on Wednesday the third slot in group C (and a UEFA Cup slot after the winter break) will be secured. In order to keep the hopes of an extended stay in the Champions League more or less alive, Juventus will have to book another win over Bayern München, in Germany. (MP)

GOALS

• 24'  1-0  Rafaël van der Vaart

Referee: Braamhaar
Yellow card: Heije (NEC) 
Attendance: 46,345

Ajax line-up: Stekelenburg; Trabelsi, Heitinga, De Jong, Maxwell; Pienaar, Sonck (59. Obodai), Sneijder (70. Aborah); Rosales, Van der Vaart, Mitea (85. Escudé).

NEC line-up: Gentenaar; Wisgerhof, Wielaert, Valencia, Leiwakabessy (26. Ebbinge); Heije, Van der Doelen (88. Kazlauskas), Barreto, Tininho (81. Niedzielan); Boutahar, Denneboom. 

Related Links:

• Discussion: Eredivisie Games
• Ajax.nl: Match report in  Dutch and English