Should we already be worried about Francesco Farioli’s Ajax? The question could be premature after only 4 championship matches played but it is nevertheless the Italian coach himself who is asking the question. He did not at all appreciate his men’s draw last weekend on the Go Ahead Eagles pitch (1-1). A point taken is already that since it took Davy Klasseen’s equalizing goal to avoid a second defeat in this Eredivisie campaign. “What was the problem? Well there have been several», recognized the coach on ESPN after the meeting, quite angry.
The rest after this ad
“They played very well. They were fully engaged in the duels. We weren’t precise in the choices we made with the ball. We were half a second late everywhere. And against such an aggressive team, with such a short deadline, you are going to suffer. That’s what we did. We never had control», continued the Italian, even going so far as to warn his players. “It’s the worst match under my leadership. Am I worried? Yes and no. It’s a process. Sometimes the results are good, but then we forget where we came from, how much work we still have left.»
To read
Europa League: Ajax Amsterdam crushes Besiktas, Frankfurt caught on the wire, AS Roma held on by Bilbao
Difficulties in the game and frustrating transfer window
Arriving on the Ajax bench this summer after leaving Nice, Farioli is already sounding the alarm. It must be said that he has some frustrations. The transfer window has not been easy. In the last days, he lost Carlos Forbs in quick succession, loaned with an obligation to purchase (under conditions) to Wolverhampton then Steven Bergwijn, sold for €21 million to Al-Ittihad. “On a sporting level, we have clearly lost two important players. On the other hand, we knew the financial situation of the club», Reacted the 35-year-old coach. In an emergency, Kamaldeen Sulemana was supposed to come and strengthen Ajax but his loan was not validated, the fault of registration being a few minutes too late.
The rest after this ad
Farioli is not satisfied, neither is Alex Kroes, the technical director. The latter hoped to raise no less than €100 million in sales this summer. He only got half of it and strengthened himself in a low-cost way (€2.8 million spent only) with loans (Daniele Rugani), lower-cost transfers (Wout Weghorst) and free players (Davy Klaassen, Bertrand Traoré). The squad is not as flashy as in previous seasons and this is already reflected in the club’s performances. Ajax are only 9th after 4 games played and are already 11 points behind PSV, two more games played. The fault lies with a police strike which canceled the reception in Utrecht, the second after Feyenoord at the end of August. New hassle.
Farioli fails to work calmly
As a result, the Lancers did not play for three weeks with the international break. Farioli took the opportunity to grant additional days off to his troops. The rhythm could have been lacking after this long period without playing. This is not what the heavy victory (5-0) over Fortuna Sittard suggests. However, the technician was not really satisfied. “No, the evening was not perfect, far from ithe decided straight away. The first thirty minutes were sloppy. We made a lot of mistakes. We lost the ball seven or eight times, each time leading to a counter-attack. This is more than all the other matches combined this season.»
The rest after this ad
Some see in these declarations a particularly high level of demands, while others believe that the glass should be seen as half full. If Farioli insists so much, it is because his team has fallen behind in the pre-established work plan. The competition doesn’t wait. In addition to the difficult start to the championship, it almost cost him qualification for the Europa League. Panathinaikos was on the verge of repeating OM’s performance last year. Ajax needed a formidable penalty shootout (1-0, 0-1, 13-12 tab) to overcome the Greeks, and be allowed to face Besiktas in this first day of C3 this Thursday.
Pub. THE 09/26/2024 1:32 p.m.
Update 09/26/2024 6:03 p.m.
