Sébastien Haller is an important topic of conversation for Dutch analysts on Monday evening. Hans Kraay Jr. is positive about the Ajax striker during Veronica Inside, while René van der Gijp cannot ignore the attacker’s ‘lack of speed’. At the same time Valentine leaves Driessen up ESPN are not yet convinced of Haller’s qualities.
The striker made an important contribution to Ajax’s victory over PSV (5-0) on Sunday with a goal and an assist. Kraay Jr. concludes, referring among other things to the topper, that Haller performs better in top competitions. “I really have the idea that Ajax scores fourteen goals against Cambuur and NEC, then he doesn’t score that many. Then you would say: shoot yourself a piece or four. But certainly against those small teams, there are eight or nine people in the sixteen and then he has his back to everything and everyone. But against better teams, such as Sporting Lisbon, Borussia Dortmund, Besiktas or PSV, he has a little more space. Better teams play further from the goal and he needs that space a bit,” said Kraay Jr., who is interrupted by Van der Gijp.
“Hans, it’s very simple. If he had been faster than he would have played at Everton. Very simple. But he’s just too slow for that,” says van der Gijp. Johan Derksen agrees with his colleague. “We have seen in Germany and England that he is a somewhat flawed footballer. But if he is in shape, as he is now, he is very useful for the Dutch competition.
During the day football talk Haller comes up when journalist Maarten Wijffels credits trainer Erik ten Hag for ‘discovering’ the striker. According to Wijffels, he fits ‘fine’ at Ajax. Driessen, on the other hand, has not yet seen from Haller what he would have liked to see, and counteracts his fellow journalist. “Whether Haller fits in the team? Well, we’ll see when the real prizes start to be distributed.”
“You will soon face opponents of the caliber of Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain,” Driessen continues. “Then I want to see it too. Not against Besiktas with seven players who are only playing their second Champions League game. The ceiling must be in order to also perform against Bayern Munich, Manchester City and the other greats. You want a repeat of 2019, right? You have to raise the bar and not be satisfied with what you showed against Borussia Dortmund,” Driessen said.