Jurriën Timber made a big impression on the table gentlemen of last week Rondo. Marco van Basten in particular is lyrical about the Ajax defender, who left an excellent impression in the eyes of the analyst against both sc Cambuur (9-0 win) and Sporting Portugal (1-5 win). The analyst is particularly impressed by the speed with which Timber seeks the solution forward.
“You know who I really liked? Timber. He had balls that you normally don’t see with a defender, but I also thought he was good in defensive terms”, Van Basten looks back on the performance of the center defender annex right back against Sporting Portugal. “He is reliable in the defensive part, but he is also so comfortable on the ball. Look, as a midfielder or attacker you just want that ball quickly. And he really goes straight forward. He conquers the ball and immediately gives deep passes and that is why things are moving in the right direction so quickly”, says Van Basten.
Jan van Halst, who is also present, remarks ‘having heard from someone within Ajax’ that Timber has ‘casual traits’, but Van Basten does not see that as a problem. Beckenbauer had that too. The line between confidence and nonchalance is very thin. Because one person explains it as arrogance, while the other explains it as class. But I think it’s really a relief to see from the back how quickly the solution is being sought forward in football. With flair and conviction…”, says Van Basten, who is supported by Ronald de Boer. “That, of course, is also his strength: he does not blink or blush.”
With the Dutch national team, including against Norway, Timber gave substance to the right back position, but Van Basten would rather see him in the center of the back. “Because he takes a lot of initiative and immediately looks ahead to play a midfielder or striker. Van Halst doubts, especially because of Timber’s height, who is 1.82 meters long, whether he is good enough for the European top. De Boer: “He can jump very well and he is physically incredibly strong. And with a team like Ajax, which plays with a lot of space in the back, you don’t quickly end up in the headers.”
Van Basten agrees with his colleagues and sees a tendency in the rear of Ajax in terms of length. “At Ajax they all have little ones in the back. Because he is not that big, you have Lisandro Martínez (1.78 meters, ed.), and in addition, Mazraoui (1.83 meters) is not a header. You could see that it went wrong in the Europa League final against Manchester United, who only played long balls on Fellaini,” said the analyst.