John Heitinga does not exclude that he will start with Florian Grillitsch in the starting line-up during the final of the TOTO KNVB Cup. The team from Amsterdam will take on PSV on April 30, but will not have access to the suspended Kenneth Taylor in the final battle. This makes the Austrian midfielder ‘certainly an option’ for Heitinga.
Grillitsch was in Ajax’s base again for the first time since October 1, 2022 during the 4-0 win over Fortuna Sittard on Sunday. At the closing press conference, Heitinga explained his striking choice. “We had several options against Fortuna. You only need a footballer who can move and divide the game against an opponent with a compact organization that is often in their own half.”
Heitinga understands that Grillitsch is still a ‘rather unknown’ player for many. “But we see him in training and he makes a very good impression there. That’s why we drafted it. He is strong in position play and has no stress on the ball.” According to Ajax’s trainer, Grillitsch is certainly an option for the cup final against PSV. “We are looking at that. Unfortunately we can’t play exhibition games, because there is a game every three days. Therefore, there was no possibility to put him to work.”
Criticism
The table at This was the Weekend concluded that Grillitsch played a very unfortunate game against Fortuna. On the talk show ESPN images are shown of the midfielder of Ajax who suffered a striking amount of ball loss. “This almost looks like he’s gone crazy, doesn’t it?” cried presenter Jan Joost van Gangelen after watching the compilation of Grillitsch’s performance. Table mate Kenneth Perez joined his colleague. “I don’t think his agent is sending these images to other clubs. It just seemed like it was going too fast for him.”