ANPGaaei and coach Van ‘t Schip after the early substitution
NOS Voetbal•zondag, 20:34
For the second time this season, Ajax defender Anton Gaaei was substituted before half time. Just like against Feyenoord (0-4), the Dane was victimized against AZ (2-0 defeat) after a weak performance.
Shortly after the match, Gaaei deleted all photos from his Instagram, where he received many negative messages. That gave trainer John van ‘t Schip an unpleasant feeling. “You wouldn’t wish this on anyone, especially him. Anton is just a very nice guy.” he said at the post-match press conference.
Earlier this season, Ajax drew attention to the many hate messages that some players receive on social media with a special campaign.
Watch a discussion in Studio Voetbal about Anton Gaaei and the substitution below:
Was Gaaei’s change justified? ‘Can’t handle the level’
Gaaei was responsible for Ruben van Bommel’s opening goal with an error and lost the ball no fewer than eleven times in the 36 minutes he played. Yet Ajax captain Jorrel Hato stood up for his teammate.
“That’s not fun,” said 17-year-old Hato, who wore the captain’s armband in the absence of Steven Bergwijn, Steven Berghuis and Jordan Henderson. “I went to him after the match. Most players did. It’s not fair that all the anger goes to him. Everyone makes mistakes.”
Taylor
Ajax has already gone four matches without a win in the Premier League, which is causing dissatisfaction among supporters. Earlier, the anger of the Ajax fans was directed at Kenneth Taylor. The midfielder scored the winning goal against Bodø/Glimt in extra time on Thursday, providing a bright spot in difficult times for the Amsterdam team.
Due to Sunday’s defeat against AZ, Ajax is still in crisis. “This certainly hurts,” said Van ‘t Schip.
The coach points out the earlier crisis. It was a lot worse at the beginning of this season. Under Maurice Steijn, Ajax had dropped to eighteenth place in the Premier League. Van ‘t Schip took over and Ajax rose to fifth place.
“We have been in this situation before,” the coach reflects. “Then we made a good run and we have to do that again now. We have to get out of this.”
Pro ShotsJohn van ‘t Schip
According to Van ‘t Schip, the current dip started after the 1-1 draw against PSV on February 3. Ajax then lost at SC Heerenveen (3-2), the score was 2-2 at home against FK Bodø/Glimt and NEC and the Amsterdam team won miraculously at Bodø/Glimt (1-2) after extra time.
After that bad series, Van ‘t Schip opted for a five-man defense in Alkmaar and Brian Brobbey as the lone attacker. It was to no avail, as AZ quickly took the lead and Ajax barely claimed the equalizer.
Yet the coach was not dissatisfied with his tactical discovery. “If you play in this formation for the first time, I think the coordination became better and better during the match.”
Six points
Rising further than the current fifth place in the Premier League is an illusion for the time being after the recent series. The difference with number four AZ increased to six points. “We can still look up, but it is also important to secure fifth place,” said Van ‘t Schip.
“I’m not desperate,” the coach concludes. “But I’m worried about whether we’ll find our way up.”
Watch striker Brian Brobbey’s reaction below:
Brobbey: ‘Continue to fight as one team and see where we end up’