Marciano Vink understands why Erik ten Hag let Ajax operate against PEC Zwolle (3-0) in a 4-4-2 system, instead of the usual system with three attackers. The analyst was not exactly impressed by the leader in recent weeks and, like Ten Hag, believes that something had to change. According to Vink, the changes only benefited captain Dusan Tadic.
“People also see that something had to be done”, Vink opens Sunday morning in Good morning Eredivisie by ESPN† “Look, Tadic must have spoken to the trainer. Because Tadic was in the past month, last weeks, let me put it to that, rusted and completely out of shape. In fact, it became worse and worse than there was any life in it. And now he had a somewhat freer role and I think that suits him better in this phase of the competition. And it suits Ajax better, because they lack depth with Antony. With Antony they lack quite a lot of depth, but also someone who can play one against someone. Because you actually miss that a bit in this team,” Vink judges.
“But something had to be done. And whether it is 4-4-2 or very dynamic and 4-3-3 in one go. Everyone was in the front everywhere. I suddenly even saw Sébastien Haller standing on the left wing for a long time”, Vink refers to the game with PEC on Saturday-evening. “I think it was a certain mode that they had to do. Because it was not right. And also what Gerard (Nijkamp, technical director Sparta Rotterdam, ed.) said, it also became very perfunctory against Sparta. It looked tired.” Wim Jonk, former Ajax youth coach, is then asked by Hans Kraay junior whether it is acceptable to operate in a 4-4-2 system.
“If you miss a lot of players and automatisms and you play for prizes, then at some point you can look for something to get certain energy back into your team,” said the trainer of the newly promoted FC Volendam. “Well, he (Ten Hag, ed.) has now done that. To see if it came out again. Normally he will not do this so quickly, but due to circumstances he had to choose. continues to occupy, whether that is with emerging full-backs or deep midfielders. Or variation within that. He just looked for how to get dynamics back into the game.”