Aad de Mos thinks things are going weak at Ajax and the analyst even detects a form of non-commitment in the leader in the Eredivisie. The former coach of the Amsterdam club believes that trainer Erik ten Hag must intervene hard in this important phase of the season. De Mos would not mind if captain Dusan Tadic is once placed on the bench by his coach.
In the view of De Mos, the players of Ajax have to be much harder on each other during matches. “It’s all just showing the thumbs up, never once will war be made for each other,” it sounds in the Kick-Offpodcast from The Telegraph† “You will have to do that sometime. If the trainer doesn’t do it. I think when Ten Hag says every time: ‘There is only one competitor, that is us’. Yes, then you should also try to just put a few guys on the bench and make them feel that it can’t go on like this. Dusan Tadic can also be substituted once, right?” De Mos refers to the experienced attacker who seems undisputed at Ten Hag.
Derksen wants to get a big name out of Ajax’s line-up: ‘He is becoming more and more irritating’
That Dusan Tadic should be replaced was also suggested this week by Johan Derksen.
“I completely agree with Aad’s analysis, in all respects”, Valentijn Driessen adds. “I also think that Tadic is a kind of saint, but he has hardly done it for you in Europe this year.” Presenter Hein Keijser then asks whether Ten Hag dares to actually place Tadic outside the starting eleven. “Which I also find very strange when I watch Willem II in the stands and after the match I hear Ten Hag say on the radio in the car between Tilburg and Eindhoven that they played very well (0-1 victory by Ajax on Willem II in February, ed.)”, De Mos lets the conversation go in a different direction. “And that there are compliments for the peace they have radiated.”
“I don’t understand that, have I seen another match?” De Mos wonders aloud. “And the truth then comes out against RKC Waalwijk and SC Cambuur. And against Benfica. So it has been a crisis for a long time without us really naming it.” Driessen expects Ten Hag to make changes after the failure in the Champions League. “I think it will accelerate. It will be moved forward if they win against Feyenoord, but I think that a lot will be needed in the long run. You can knock down some holy houses.” De Mos warns Ajax for a dramatic end to this year. “It can sometimes be a season that you are without prizes.”
“They want to participate in Europe, but they are going to write red numbers. That means that you have to sell players,” Driessen paints a less rosy picture of the future. “Because you are not going to win it in a different way. And if you don’t become a champion yet, you run the risk of being eliminated like PSV. Then you should not be surprised by a loss of fifty million. Then you are sitting. seriously in trouble, because they have put on a lot of money financially with all those salaries. So there will have to be performed,” said Driessen.