Marciano Vink is not yet impressed by Benjamin Tahirovic’s performance in the Ajax shirt so far. The analyst left that ESPN turn out on Wednesday evening Football talk. The twenty-year-old controller is expected in the starting eleven against Olympique Marseille on Thursday evening, which makes him the subject of discussion.
Ajax will play against Marseille on Thursday at 9:00 PM. At the end of September, the match between both clubs ended in a 3-3 draw in the Johan Cruijff ArenA. Vink believes that Ajax has developed in recent months. “Ajax is now in a slightly better shape compared to the first match. It was really bad there. It was so open then and Ajax no longer plays like that.”
Vink clearly sees changes in Ajax’s game under coach John van ‘t Schip. “When in possession of the ball you see the patterns returning a bit, you saw Steven Berghuis give nice passes again and you see the depth again. You see a lot of things that are recognizable for Ajax’s game.”
Since Van ‘t Schip’s appointment, Ajax has won against FC Volendam (2-0), SC Heerenveen (4-1) and Vitesse (5-0). The results against Brighton & Hove Albion (0-2 defeat) and Almere City (2-2) were disappointing for the Dutch record champion.
Ajax can still improve a lot under Van ‘t Schip, says Vink. “Many mistakes are still made when they lose the ball or do not have the ball in their possession. That lies in the intensity with which the pressure is applied, the sprints that are done and the duels. That is mainly what Ajax will have problems with again, unless they have suddenly seen the light in the meantime. I think there will be another problem with that transition.”
Tahirovic
Vink is targeting Tahirovic in particular. “He is a nice footballer, but he also has his moments when he is still busy with himself. Sometimes he is not quite where he should be or he makes some mistakes. I think it will just be a very difficult match for Ajax.”
The now dismissed technical director Sven Mislintat took over Tahirovic from AS Roma last summer for 7.5 million euros. Since then, the Bosnian international has played 923 minutes for Ajax, spread over 13 appearances. He apparently failed to impress Vink in this regard.