Concerns for feeble Ajax after Boca loss
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Amsterdam Tournament
Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam
Sunday, 31 July,
2005
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The Amsterdam Tournament, the biggest test of the pre-season
campaign, has finished and the conclusion is brutal and
unavoidable: Ajax are not yet ready. Most disturbingly,
Ajax have lost two starters to injury -- Hatem Trabelsi and
Marten Stekelenburg, as a result of today's game against
Argentinian powerhouse Boca Juniors (0-1).
Not only did Ajax lose both games in the
tournament (eventually won by Arsenal, thanks to
their 2-1 victory over FC Porto in today's other fixture),
the Amsterdammers managed to avoid collecting a single point,
no easy feat in a competition that bestows points for
wins, draws and each goal scored.
Although Ajax played marginally good defensive soccer
against Arsenal on Friday, they did almost nothing well today,
losing to a scandal-torn Boca Juniors side and looking
inept in almost every category along the way. Ajax created just
one real scoring chance in the first half, when a telling pass
from Sneijder gave Steven Pienaar some room at the top of the
box. But, almost as if to demonstrate Ajax' ineptness, the
speedy South African inadvertently pushed the ball away with
his plant foot, swung at the air and fell onto his backside.
The ball dribbled across the box to Charisteas, whose
first-time shot was powerful but straight at the Boca
keeper.
Ajax will be without Hatem
Trabelsi for a few days, or a few weeks. The Tunisian was
stretchered off with an apparent concussion in the second
half. [Photo: Ajax.nl]
Ten minutes later, Boca got their best chance -- and
made it count. Some confusion in the Ajax marking allowed
unmarked defender José Calvo to slot home from just ten
yards. There would be no more goals and precious few
opportunities for either team.
One of those rare opportunities came very early in the
second half, when the Boca 'keeper did very well to parry a
cannon shot from Hatem Trabelsi just wide of goal. Just three
minutes later came the violent and perhaps avoidable collision
that left Trabelsi concussed (he's expected to miss at least
ten days) and Stekelenburg with a shoulder injury that will
sideline the Ajax starting keeper for four weeks at
the very least.
The most obvious and most troubling conclusion from the
weekend: Ajax has no clue how to score goals. Without
Rafaël van der Vaart and Zlatan Ibrahimovic Ajax are a
team of capable passers in search of a target. Charisteas has
shown that while he's athletic and effective with his head, and
a capable shooter, he's less capable of creating any danger on
his own or even providing opportunities for his teammates. Ryan
Babel is full of promise, but can he really produce twenty
goals this season? He's only eighteen.
Hedwiges Maduro played well as an
anchoring
and distributing central defender. [Photo:
Ajax.nl]
It should be said that Ajax came out with more determination
today than against Arsenal, splashing tough tackles and chasing
down Boca players. But they were constantly frustrated by the
Argentine club's willingness to flop to the ground at the
slightest touch. Their frustration culminated in two bookings.
First, Nigel de Jong was lucky that he only saw yellow after
scything out the legs of a Boca player from behind, with no
intent to play the ball. And later, Wesley Sneijder was booked
for throwing the ball at a Boca player after being called for
what seemed a phantom foul.
There were a few bright spots for Ajax. For starters, Julien
Escudé continued his very strong form of last
season. He and Grygera seem to add stability just when De Jong
and Heitinga seem to lack it. Secondly, Hedwiges Maduro looked
confident and capable building out of the defense. His
distribution was safe and effective. And Nicolea Mitea, who
came on as a late substitute, added some desperately needed
imagination and vigor to the Amstedammers' flanking play,
taking on and beating the outside defenders and delivering his
typically mixed quality crosses.
The biggest buzz in the stadium was generated not by the
game on the field, which was a dismal and cynical affair, but
by the presence of Diego Maradona on the Boca Juniors bench.
The legendary Argentine has been brought in to calm the waters
of his much-troubled former club. The largest cheer of the
night was for the image of Maradona on the video screens above
the field.
Diego Maradona patrolled the
sidelines for Boca Juniors. [Photo: Ajax.nl]
Those fans watching the game on GOL TV in America were then
treated to this bizarre comment by the TV analyst, while the
camera dwelled on a close-up of Maradona's face: "Those eyes
have seen it all, sometimes dilated, tonight... delighted."
There was no delight in the eyes of those on the Ajax bench.
Instead, for the Amsterdammers, the near future will be one of
grim assessment and hurried rebuilding. They have nine
more days of practice and just two more matches to cure
what ails them: one last friendly against FC Omniworld and the
Johan Cruijf Shield against PSV. After that, they must play a
Champions League qualifier in early August, followed by
some tough opening weeks of Eredivisie football. Can Ajax
be ready when the real football starts? (JM)
GOALS
Referee: Allaerts
Yellow cards: De Jong, Sneijder
(Ajax), Rodriguez, Cardozo (Boca Juniors)
Attendance: 35,000
Ajax line-up: Stekelenburg (54.
Lobont); Trabelsi (54. Obodai), Heitinga, Maduro (46.
Galásek), Escudé (46. Emanuelson); De Jong,
Sneijder (81. Boukhari), Lindenbergh; Pienaar, Charisteas,
Babel (65. Mitea).
Boca Juniors
line-up: Abbondanzieri; Calvo (82.
Alvarez), Silvestre, Díaz,
Rodríguez; Vargas, Gago, Bilos (71. Cagna),
Marino (59. Cardozo); Palacio (80. Insúa), Palermo
(89. Barros Schelotto).
Other result on Day 2: Arsenal - FC Porto 2-1
Final table:
- Arsenal: 9 points
- FC Porto: 7 points
- Boca Juniors: 5 points
- Ajax: 0 points
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