Against AZ, exactly what coach Fararian wanted to avoid: Ajax loses control

Ajax coach Francesco Farioli steps into the field. Nobody hears him, his players look at the ground while AZ striker Ibrahim Sadiq is celebrating his goal for a shouting branch. The game has become exactly what Fararian always tries to avoid: a duel that goes up and down and in which his team has lost control. Red cards, upsiders, misunderstandings in the defense, great opportunities back and forth. And then his team also looks at a 2-1 deficit, with less than ten minutes to play.

Two minutes later Fararoli is jumping along the side. Thanks to a goal from substitute Oliver Edvardsen, Ajax is still at the same level just before time, so that the leader keeps a lead of six points on pursuer PSV. A result that the Italian will be able to live with, especially in view of the chaotic game image and an easily given red card to an AZ player. « We won a point, » the Ajax coach acknowledged afterwards.

Yet this is impossible to be the scenario that Faroli had devised after the narrow victory at PEC Zwolle (0-1) last week. A few days later, he surprised by sending the weaker part of his selection into the field against Eintracht Frankfurt. So a B-team, in the by no means hopeless return of the eighth final of the Europa League. Already Fararoli reacted afterwards to that « disrespectful » typing.

The fact was that the reserves of Ajax were completely powerless in Frankfurt. Players trust trainers who can predict how matches will go, something that Faroli is still out in. In Frankfurt, his team looked helpless and unprepared, as a group of third -class players at a final exam.

With a coach who wants to try the competition on fitness and therefore rotates much more than other trainers, it is obvious that Faroli's midweek choices were mainly inspired by the prospect of the match against AZ. The national competition currently has priority for Ajax, now that the national championship is unexpectedly before grabbing.

The realization that AZ also had to play European on Thursday evening and did full container against Tottenham Hotspur-in vain, AZ lost 3-1 in London and was eliminated-the Italian must have given the idea that there was an advantage to gain. And that with an opponent against whom Ajax has a hard time. None of the last seven league matches against AZ won Ajax.

False fold

And so ten other names were kicking off in Frankfurt on Sunday afternoon. For example, Ajax again looked like the team, which is often rough, but always put an iron discipline a series of ten competitions in a row. Also against AZ it was by no means spectacular as Ajax approached the match. Defending and striking in the switch, that was the plan.

AZ also played more cautiously than it often, so that the game soon fell into a slightly fold after a nice start. The team of coach Maarten Martens did not create anything but dominated Jordy Clasie and Kristijan Belic the midfield, which broke down Ajax counters. They constantly closed fitting lines and intercepted Balls of the sloppy Ajax captain Jordan Henderson and Kian Fitz-Jim. Only in the 35th minute did the home team have a first good chance, a header by Mika Godts after a rapid outbreak over the right.

So far the scenario that Faroli had drawn, and in which Ajax patiently makes a difference against a tired opponent in the second half. Of the minutes of possession of AZ immediately after the break, the Ajax coach will not have become nervous, but of the sudden goal of Zico Buurmeester, who was allowed to hit up close while the defenders of Ajax watched. It was exactly what the game needed to ignite.

AZ defender Wouter Goes gestured theatrical that the team had to get off the field, which of course nobody did

Suddenly Ajax, that celebrated his 125th anniversary, was busy putting pressure and played three big opportunities together in no time. It was as if AZ was shocked, they watched how Ajax took them the ball several times and combined the flanks in an acceleration that the home team did not seem to have previously.

First Kenneth Taylor rammed the ball up close on the post, then Bertrand Traoré helped a huge chance clumsy, followed by a wild swab of Brian Brobbey. A few minutes later it was still hit when the tireless right back Anton Gaaei shot the penalty area of ​​AZ after one-two and shot hard and low in the distant loft.

Ajax seemed to attract the match, until the same Gaaei used a rash tackle in his enthusiasm and had to leave with red. The rather noisy home crowd fell silent for a moment, barely a minute later on the benches when AZ defender Alexandre Penetra received his second yellow card for a foul on Ajax striker Brian Brobbey.

Chaos trump

Although, was it a violation? Penetra seemed to play the ball. Players and trainers of AZ were furious, on the referee and on the opponent. AZ defender Wouter Goes gestured theatrical that the team had to get off the field, which of course did not do anyone but which led to furious reactions at Ajax.

The game was resumed, but it remained chaos asset. And there was nothing to notice about a surplus of energy at Ajax. First AZ scored from a corner, after which Edvardsen shot on the board after a quick combination on the up close position. « It was an emotional competition, » Fararoli concluded cools afterwards. In two weeks Ajax will wait for the away match against PSV.

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