“That is the pitfall of Ajax and I think that is a big problem”


Thursday, April 27, 2023 at 11:52 PM• Rian Rosendaal

Hedwiges Maduro is worried about Ajax in the run-up to the final of the TOTO KNVB Cup against PSV next Sunday. The former midfielder of the Amsterdam club says on Thursday Football talk by ESPN that Ajax has become quite predictable in the way they play. Fellow analyst Kees Kwakman agrees with Maduro and also thinks that the team of trainer John Heitinga is easy to play.

“The pitfall of Ajax is that they always only tap from one barrel,” Maduro sighs in the football talk show. “You already know in advance what they are going to do, play the Ajax way. But now and then it is also good to do something different. Maybe give pressure in a different way, like Manchester City with two strikers. ” Kwakman immediately supports Maduro. “At Ajax it is always with those three strikers and always Tadic who chases on his own. They always do it that way.”

“I think that is a big problem at Ajax”, Maduro takes over the conversation again. “Because in the end that doesn’t go well and a back goes out. He comes too late, that can also happen once. Then you get a cross and the central defender is also gone, because he thinks: my back is gone, so i go into the corner. Then there is only one central defender left with a back, and then the cross comes. Like against Feyenoord with that goal (Santiago Giménez’s 1-1, in the semi-finals of the TOTO KNVB Cup, could head in completely detached, ed.). It was completely free.”

“And that goal by Luuk de Jong (against Ajax on Sunday, ed.) went over Bassey, so in principle that could still be arranged well. But you should take a look: with almost all Ajax’s goals against, the central defender gone, and then there is only one central defender and one back left, and then there are only two,” said Maduro. Heitinga opted against PSV on Sunday with a defense line consisting of Jorge Sánchez, Jurriën Timber, Bassey and Jorrel Hato.