Guus Hiddink is full of praise for two players from Ajax in particular. The former national coach of the Dutch national team points to Lisandro Martínez and Edson Álvarez as the foundation of Erik ten Hag’s team. Marciano Vink finds the performance of the two South Americans commendable and agrees with Hiddink. Zeljko Petrovic thinks that Ten Hag in particular deserves the compliments and calls Álvarez ‘one of the best purchases of recent years’.
Hiddink noticed Sunday morning Good morning Eredivisie note that Ajax has become ‘extremely strong’ in recent years, also in the way in which policy is conducted. “They made very good and youthful purchases that they could easily sell again, which gave them a very large and strong foundation. And then you can afford to do something in the salaries, so that you can keep good players longer,” said Hiddink at ESPN.
Vink then quoted Ajax’s match against Borussia Dortmund (4-0 win): “It was really very good what Ajax showed. Especially in the back, that triangle also made sure of that,” said Vink, referring to Jurriën Timber, Álvarez and Martínez. “Because they anticipated so well, those three ensured that Ajax could play further ahead. And then you have Berghuis on ten and Blind, two football players where Ajax could play football through the lines and came into their own.” Vink saw that Ajax imposed the will on Dortmund. “And that doesn’t just happen against a German team. You also saw those players looking at each other, like: what is happening here? They may not be used to that in Germany. Because when Dortmund plays against Wolfsburg, it’s just a game where the defense gets room to build up and they can give a long pass. That time was not there, Ajax was on top of it.”
Hiddink emphasized that Ajax has ‘a good balance’. “Obviously there are two Latin American players in those three you just mentioned, that’s the foundation,” he said. “The foundation on which players like Berghuis and others can perform well. In the Netherlands we always assume a nice build-up and a good attack, which is fine. But the foundation must be good. And I’m not talking about having to hang your ass in your own box defensively, but you have to have that balance right. Álvarez and Martínez know from their upbringing: I keep things neutral here, nobody gets through this. As a result, the rest can play football very well. If you don’t have that, you’re vulnerable.”
Vink was impressed when the Ajax defenders stopped Erling Braut Haaland, despite the Norwegian striker getting into scoring position three times. “These are two players who anticipate so well: where Haaland thought he would find his space, they were already there. Two meters to the left, two to the right when another player came through, they were there too. I think that’s great and that’s the modern defense of today.” Hiddink in turn praised the management of Ajax: “These guys were criticized a lot in Amsterdam in the beginning. But they do know what is required at the top level. The management has stuck to that and invested in it.”
Petrovic, also present on the football talk show, kept aloof during the praises of Álvarez and Martínez. When Hiddink noted that Petrovic kept quiet, the latter indicated that Ten Hag deserves the compliments. “He didn’t do well, but he did a fantastic job from the start. At first he was ugly and his accent was wrong. Then things got better and he did well. Now he’s doing great and you don’t hear anyone talking about his accent. Great job by Erik ten Hag. With Alvarez is perhaps the best purchase of recent years,” said Petrovic.