Marciano Vink has Sunday morning in Good morning Eredivisie slight criticism has been made of Erik ten Hag. The coach of Ajax, who this week extended his contract with the team from Amsterdam for a year, according to the analyst of ESPN too much change according to a standard pattern and the former player points to players like Donny van de Beek, Kasper Dolberg and Lasse Schöne. Vink is of the opinion that Ten Hag should not look at status and should take the shape of the day into account more often in his choice to switch.
“What I think is very clever is that he has developed well over the past three and a half years”, Vink starts positively. “Also about fitting in youth players. That they no longer have to have played fifty matches at Jong Ajax before he even looks at it. I also think that he has become much more open to the press and the public and his analyzes afterwards. a match are no longer algebra. You can finally get a little clarity in it. I also looked a lot at his reaction after a match that I thought: Which game did you watch?“
Edwin van der Sar is also positive about the integration of youth players. The general director, who is also present in the studio on Sunday morning, indicates that Ten Hag maintains a good relationship with Marc Overmars. “The contact between Marc Overmars and Erik Ten Hag is fantastic”, says Van der Sar. “But also the contact with youth trainers and scouts. It is not only a trainer who does it. There is a whole football apparatus around it. The transfer of youth players is also the quality of Saïd Ouaali (head of youth training at Ajax, ed.) And the youth trainers. I think it’s positive that Erik and Marc have such a good click. “
Ten Hag’s contract extension came somewhat unexpected, as the trainer was seen in the English media as a top candidate to start working at Tottenham Hotspur as the permanent successor of José Mourinho. According to reports, Ten Hag was open to that opportunity. Van der Sar is content with the new contract of the 51-year-old trainer. “I think Erik has calmed down”, says Van der Sar. “Erik is always convinced of himself, which is a very good quality to have. It is sometimes viewed differently and that is not fair. They work hard and well. Journalists would like to be there everywhere, but we stand that way. Of course not. So you only have a Sunday on which you can pass judgment. That is sometimes not fair. “
Vink mainly agrees with the words of the general manager of Ajax, but also seizes the moment to express a point of criticism. “After all the nice words, I would like to mention one more thing about which I think he can still make a lot of progress”, says Vink. “That is something we have seen a lot in three and a half years and which also returns regularly. These are the so-called usual suspect turnouts. Substitutions we know: they will probably go out, despite Hakim Ziyech playing poorly or Dusan Tadic not hitting the ball. You saw that Van de Beek was often used as a standard substitution, while Van de Beek played quite well, scored twice and nobody understood why Van de Beek was taken out. “
After Van de Beek’s departure to Manchester United, Ten Hag awarded that dubious honor to others, according to Vink. “Then it passed to Dolberg, Schöne, now it’s Antony. Actually, in the cup final, Antony was taken out when everyone finally felt that Antony was back. Against AS Roma there was another one. usual suspect switch applied with Edson Álvarez being taken out causing the whole balance to go out of the team. At that point he should have taken out Gravenberch who played less. I think that is still a point of criticism and development, in my opinion. That he has to change the one who is not in shape or who is not playing well from time to time. Regardless of status. In my opinion it sometimes goes a bit wrong there. “