Freek Jansen thinks that Edwin van der Sar deserves more credit than he gets. According to the journalist and club watcher of the Amsterdammers, the general manager of Ajax is very diligent behind the scenes, which has often paid off in the past. Jansen mentions in the Grab Scale Podcast several examples of Van der Sar’s successes, with that of the Conference League attracting the most attention.
Van der Sar is a regular target of ridicule in the football world, especially this season. His leadership is settled in both supporters and analyst circles im question, while his press appearances are also often under fire. Although Jansen admits ‘that Van der Sar comes out badly at the decisive moments’, he also wants to stand up for the general manager of Ajax.
“The Conference League, which Feyenoord has enjoyed so much, can be attributed entirely to Van der Sar”, Jansen starts his argument. “He got that off the ground with a committee.” The journalist also mentions acting against the Super League, when the plans for this were announced in April 2021. “When Ajax won the cup final two years ago, everyone was celebrating at Ajax. And Van der Sar was sitting in an office somewhere. to lead a meeting with the ECA (European Club Association, ed.) about the Super League.”
However, it is precisely this zeal that is also Van der Sar’s pitfall, Jansen must conclude. “He does a lot of good work in the background. You hear that he does a lot within the organization, only he is also there while there has been no technical director for thirteen months. And he is there when a transfer summer is started based on a agent is done. A lot just goes wrong and so the criticism is justified, but it is sometimes a bit short-sighted. “