Jordan Henderson is called up for England

Jordan Henderson makes a good impression on Gareth Southgate. The England coach included the midfielder in his squad for the last friendlies before the Euro Cup. The fact that he played for Ajax made his call-up easier.

“We discussed his move to Saudi Arabia at the time, but it’s good to see him back in a competition where we can evaluate him better. We can see what level he is currently playing at,” said Gareth Southgate.

The first match against Aston Villa in the UEFA Europa Conference League also clearly boosted Jordan Henderson’s chances.

“He played a high level game against Aston Villa. He has had a huge influence at Ajax since arriving. I know they are very happy with it. We know what he can do and the leadership he brings. Jordan Henderson is a player who can balance a team with many attackers and means a lot to our team” commented Gareth Southgate.

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Two Ajax defenders undergo surgery and miss the rest of the season

Ajax have announced that the season is over for Olivier Aertssen and Ethan Butera. The two defenders who frequently play for Jong Ajax have been sidelined for a long time due to a knee injury.

Olivier Aertssen suffered a knee injury during training last month and underwent surgery last Friday. The 19-year-old defender played 23 games for Jong Ajax in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie but must now focus on next season.

This also applies to Ethan Butera. The 17-year-old defender joined from RSC Anderlecht at the start of this season but has yet to play for Ajax’s first team due to a knee injury. The Belgian defender recently underwent new surgery due to the pain that did not stop.

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Ajax should maintain a formation with three defenders against Aston Villa

Ajax will continue to play with three defenders in the next games of the season, especially in the duel against Aston Villa, this Thursday, in the round of 16 of the UEFA Europa Conference League. The person who confirmed this information was the club’s coach, John van ‘t Schip.

The coach of the Amsterdam team is confident of a good result, even after the stumble at home to Fortuna Sittard, in the Eredivisie. But he also doesn’t deny that the Godenzonen will have a complicated game ahead, especially with the absence of Steven Berghuis and Steven Bergwijn.

According to the 60-year-old coach, it is important that his team does not get caught up in the excitement of the Aston Villa game.

“We shouldn’t get in their way, because that’s where we give up space. We have to be patient and keep possession of the ball. Whether this will work is another story. They suffered a tough defeat last weekend and will want to give an answer to their fans who are expected to fill the stadium” said John van ‘t Schip.
The manager suggests that Aston Villa will also play with three defenders.

“I have a lot of confidence in this, because we showed against FC Utrecht and in the first match that we can play solidly in this formation. It’s a system that can’t be mastered perfectly overnight, but the players have shown they can play. Furthermore, it will be a fight and we will have to fight a lot with each other” commented John van ‘t Schip.

Jorrel Hato is also confident of a good result against the fourth-placed team in the Premier League.

“If you look at how we did last week, we deserved to win more. We had two great opportunities and gave up little space. So I certainly have a lot of confidence in our team. Maybe it will be a completely different game to what we had last week” said Jorrel Hato.

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Jorrel Hato renews contract with Ajax until 2025

Ajax announced the contract renewal of Jorrel Hato. The 18-year-old defender’s new contract will be valid until the end of the 2024/25 season.

The defender won the starting spot last year under the command of John Heitinga, at the age of 16, and despite the sporting malaise at the club, he decided to stay.

“If you don’t win that often, it might be bad for you, but if you look at it realistically, I know I’m certainly in the right place. I know that staying at Ajax is good for me. This is my first full year in the professional team and as a starter in the Eredivisie. I think I have a lot to learn here. For me, the choice was certainly not difficult to stay at Ajax” said Jorrel Hato.

Difficult negotiations that lasted months have finally come to a good end for Ajax, where retaining top talent after the hectic transfer period was a top priority. Football director Sven Mislintat was fired before negotiations began. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar remained the club’s director, but ended up resigning and hiring Kelvin de Lang to take on this role.

With the contract extension, Ajax keeps Jorrel Hato out of the hands of several other European clubs. In November, Jorrel Hato debuted with the Dutch national team against Gibraltar.
“Of course I also use social media and see things happening. It’s good when big clubs are interested, that’s good, but I don’t really care about that. I hope that happens one day” said the defender.

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Gijs Smal comments on his departure from FC Twente at the end of this season

Gijs Smal has not yet confirmed his move to Feyenoord, but it is clear that the 26-year-old left-back will leave FC Twente at the end of this season. After the Eredivisie match against Sparta Rotterdam, he explained why.

Dutch media have already reported that he had reached an agreement with Feyenoord about moving to Rotterdam next season. The defender himself has not yet wanted to confirm an agreement. He also hoped that the news would not leak out.

“There was contact from Feyenoord, but there was also contact from other clubs. Nothing has been signed yet” said Gijs Smal.

Even so, FC Twente fans sang for him on Saturday during the match against Sparta Rotterdam. After all, Gijs Smal’s departure didn’t yield a single cent for the Enschede club. The full-back, who joined from FC Volendam in 2020, could have extended his contract with the Tukkers, but decided to leave the club.

According to Gijs Smal, money is not the reason.

“This does not bother me. After my career I can also earn money. I came here for free, but I didn’t receive any fees either. And I still have a contract here that you can say: it’s not that special. It has never been renewed since I arrived here, but that is not the problem” commented Gijs Smal.

FC Twente waited a long time with an offer and when it arrived at the start of the season, Gijs Smal wanted to wait for the transfer window.

“This was not what it should have been. I only heard something again in December. But we also hear about other clubs that are interested, because as an almost free player, you become interesting” said Gijs Smal.

Gijs Smal held back again.

“If something good comes along, something that I think could be a step forward, then you want to see if you can reach a higher level. Not because of the money, but because I want to look back on my career later and be able to say I made the most of it. Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith” concluded Gijs Smal.

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Feyenoord close to announcing the signing of Gijs Smal

Feyenoord is already starting to think about forming its squad for next season and the Rotterdam club is very close to announcing the signing of Gijs Smal. The 26-year-old full-back, who belongs to FC Twente, will not renew his contract with the Tukkers and will be free at the end of this season.

Gijs Smal will arrive to replace Marcos López. The 24-year-old Peruvian will leave Feyenoord at the end of this season, after spending two seasons wearing the Stadionclub shirt.

Gijs Smal, born in De Rijp, left FC Volendam and signed for FC Twente for free at the start of the 2020/21 season. He was an important player at Enschede, especially last season. In 34 Eredivisie appearances, he scored two goals and provided ten assists. This season, he has just one assist in 16 games.

FC Twente wanted to keep Gijs Smal at the club, but were unable to reach an agreement on renewing his contract.

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Daley Blind, Girona’s metronome

Daley Blind was pushed out of the Ajax squad last season and when he failed to get playing time at Bayern Munich, people expected his career to fizzle out. But the 104 times capped left footer is on his way to fight for the title in La Liga. His first half season there is easy to summarize: he has a coach who uses Blind for his strenghts. The defender is basically the first player in the attack. His team mates give him the ball and he will most the ball exactly where it needs to go, with the perfect weight and the perfect direction. This is a very specific process, which needs a lot of brainpower on the pitch and lots of hours on the training field.

You should probably let Blind play with a microphone and instruct him to say out loud what he is seeing and thinking. That is the best way to understand all that is going on in the intriguiing complex machinations of his football brain. Everything he does seems simple, but it’s not. Blind can’t do much by himself. He’s not Mbappe or Haaland. Blind has limitations. He depends on team mates moving and running and offering options. He is vulnerable due to his frailties.

Put him in a team without structure and limited positioning changes and he will slowly suffocate and his talents will become invisible. All you see are his weaknesses. If you let him chase quick forwards, it even becomes pathetic or laughable. He is like a conductor without sheet music. That is the Blind Ajax didn’t need anymore.

Girona is a team without any stars. And they don’t play their opponents off the pitch either. But what you do see, is a team that stoically is trying to find gaps and openings to hurt the opponent. They are looking at ways to accelerate the game suddenly, to find openings that don’t really exist. It seems. Or to press in such a way that opponent has no options left or situations where they can benefit from a man-more situation. And Daley Blind is the general from the back who oversees it all. Girona’s football comes to life when you decide to focus on what Blind does.

When looking at Blind on the ball sometimes feels like the tv broadcast is stuttering. It feels like he’s not sure, like he takes too much time, as if he doesn’t know what to do. As if he’s at a restaurant scanning all the menu items until a dish really speaks to him. Suddenly he sees his best option and he accelerates the game with a firm pass. A pass with a message, as he himself says. Playing the ball at the right moment, with the right speed, the right weight of pass and direction, it’s an art. It looks simple. It’s not. Most players at the top know how to play a ball from A to B. Blind’s passes have more communication in them. He plays the ball to C and that ball instructs B to make a run in behind. Because B will be receiving the ball from D who gets it played into him via C. If player B, C and D can’t “read” the messages, it is better not to use Blind. Because then he becomes a weak defender.

Daley is constantly asked in all sorts of interviews what magical change happened and the 33 year old laughs and says he’s simply enjoying life in Spain. He is in the autumn of his career and he is taking on Real Madrid, Atleti and Barca. His selection for Oranje is suddenly not longer a strange affair.

But Blind didn’t change anything. He is still the same player. But he is viewed differently and used differently than Schreuder did at Ajax. Blind was signed by Girona as the missing piece of the jigsaw. To start the attack. That is his strength. And if you judge him on that aspect of the game, there are few players better than him. De Bruyne, probably. Frenkie, surely. Kimmich, maybe. Blind can now be considered one of the most important centre backs in La Liga. Not because he changed. But because he is used in his strength.

Thanks to VI Pro –

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Chelsea loan Ian Maatsen to Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund announced the signing of Ian Maatsen from Chelsea. The 21-year-old left-back played twelve matches this season with the Blues shirt.

At Borussia Dortmund, PSV’s next opponent in the UEFA Champions League, Ian Maatsen will meet Donyell Malen. The two already know each other from the Dutch national team. Ronald Koeman called up Ian Maatsen last year, but the defender has yet to take the field in the Netherlands shirt.

The Yellow Wall wanted to buy Ian Maatsen, but Chelsea didn’t accept it.

“It will be a loan period, there are no other options. It was not possible to obtain a purchase option in the agreement,” said the Borussia Dortmund director.

“Due to personal problems, we had to strengthen in the left-back position this winter. Ian Maatsen fits the bill. He brings a lot of speed, has a strong left leg and can be used in different positions” concluded the German director.
The fifth-placed team in the Bundesliga was looking for a left-back due to Julian Ryerson’s injury and participation in the African Cup.

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Ajax request return of Kian Fitz-Jim

Ajax have requested the return of Kian Fitz-Jim. Currently in fifth place in the Eredivisie, the Amsterdam team has reached an agreement with SBV Excelsior regarding the early return of Kian Fitz-Jim. The Kralingers first wanted to sign a player to replace the departed Kian Fitz-Jim, before releasing the midfielder to return to the Johan Cruijff ArenA.

At the start of this season, Kian Fitz-Jim was loaned to SBV Excelsior for a season. The Amsterdam club included in the contract the option to request the midfielder’s return at any time.

The reason SBV Excelsior delayed Kian Fitz-Jim’s return was because the Kralingers first wanted to bring in a replacement. This week, the Rotterdam club announced the signing of Kenzo Goudmijn.

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Oranje making up numbers at Euros

Well, we made it. We qualified. But the performance quality – or lack thereof – doesn’t instil a lot of confidence in me.

I don’t think I have seen one match after the World Cup that gave me a good feeling. And sure, we miss a couple of big players, but I can’t see how Frenkie or Memphis would have improved the play much, all by themselves. I mean, there were games with Frenkie in the side post-WC which also didn’t dazzle us.

I do think Koeman is doing the right thing in his squad selection and today’s line up, for me, was quite logical.

I personally would have doubted to put Weghorst in, but he did score the winner so people will probably laugh at me.

But i just don’t like him. And I think that another player would have scored if we had Malen as right winger and Xavi as false 9.

I probably also would have played Wieffer instead of Schouten. I’m a big Schouten fan but to put him in in his second game after being shoved aside by Van Gaal quite rudely, I would have used him versus Gibraltar. I think Wieffer is settled more in Oranje and is known to be quite stoic.

I also need to add: I think Schouten played a very decent match and will only improve.

Lastly, I think I would have picked Bijlow over Verbruggen. The latter is a great talent but still so inexperienced. He had to field two shots on goal and one went in through his legs. Ouch. Luckily for him, the Irish attacker was off side.

But overall, I think Koeman’s decisions re: line up and squad are fine.

It’s the execution (and maybe the prep by Koeman) that leaves a lot to be desired.

The excuse that we miss so many players is not a real excuse for me. We missed a lot of central defenders ( Botman, De Ligt, Timber, Ake, Van der Ven) but that area was not where the issues were today. I thought Blind and De Vrij did well. De Vrij was probably one of the best. His passing, some of his footwork, obviously his defending too. No worries at all.

The issues were in build up and the speed of play. We played walking football. Every time there was a chance to accelerate the game, we seemed to not want to take it. Where Frenkie naturally turns “open” when getting the ball and pass through a line or two, the two “6”s were too cautious. Schouten did it a couple of times, but it still was a bit timid. The pass backwards was found too easily. A simple acceleration on the ball, either with the man or by the ball in terms of a pass, was constantly an option and mostly not taken.

Up front, Weghorst seems to “block” forward motion. Every time he comes into the ball, Simons and Gakpo would move forward for the flick, and every time Weghorst would simply bounce the ball back to the midfielders. No flow.

And most annoyingly, none of the players had the urge to make runs in behind. The corner triangles you see so fluidly at Man City, Feyenoord and Arsenal were not there. The only player at times to recognise the space was Reijnders who’d run into it, but the pass never came. It was sterile and flat. There were options enough ( for Hartman, for Xavi, for Weghorst or Dumfries) to make the dart into that space, even to just stretch the Irish. But no.

My biggest disappointment was the post match interview with Weghorst, who was angry at the reporter asking him a question about the lack of flow in the game. As if the great man is above critical questions after doing his heroics for king and country. Pathetic!

There is a lot of work to do. The good thing is: we do have the players. But we need these players to realise they need to up their game two levels if they want to compete with Spain, England and France at the Euros.

 

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