‘He is no longer good enough for Ajax’


Monday, March 14, 2022 at 09:34• Tom Rofekamp

Valentijn Driessen thinks that Nicolás Tagliafico (29) is over his top. According to the football chief of The Telegraph Ajax’s left back owed a personal error to Patrick Joosten’s 2-2 in the duel with SC Cambuur (2-3) and has not shown the desired level for a long time. Driessen is pleased with Ryan Gravenberch, whose strong performance against Cambuur would suggest a change in midfield.

Ajax was at halftime in Leeuwarden on a 0-2 lead thanks to goals from Dusan Tadic and Sebastién Haller. Driessen saw the team from Amsterdam put on a good first half, but was not at all impressed by the second company. “They completely relinquished it in the second half,” Driessen judges in the program telesport from The Telegraph† “And not for the first time. That of course causes problems for Benfica, you take that with you.”

Driessen points to two culprits who, according to him, were personally responsible for the Amsterdam goals against. “With one (Issa Kallon’s 1-2, ed.) Davy Klaassen was not paying attention and Tagliafico – we also said that before – he is no longer good enough for Ajax. That also became apparent against Cambuur. He had been tricked twice before and the third time he shoved him in the feet of Mitchel Paulissen, who gave up Patrick Joosten, who made the 2-2.”

Nevertheless, Driessen saw a bright spot in the form of Gravenberch, who made a strong impression as a replacement for the sick Edson Àlvarez and shot the 2-3 with a fabulous long shot against the ropes in injury time. “I think the role he has now is his best as a midfielder, in the position of Álvarez,” said Driessen. “Gravenberch can play football very well, he has that ahead of him. And he defended that very well against Cambuur. If you point that out to him, he can be a much better performance of Àlvarez.”