Ajax will start the Christmas dinner with mixed feelings. Fred Grim’s team failed to beat NEC in the last match of 2026. Ajax played with one more man in the last half hour, but could not take advantage of the surplus situation: 2-2. “The disappointment is still there,” said Ajax coach Fred Grim.
“We started very badly and conceded a goal,” Grim begins his analysis afterwards. “Fortunately we are recovering well. In the second half we conceded the 2-2 far too easily and then we fail to decide when we are playing against ten men.”
Step forward
“When I see this match again tomorrow morning and I think about the results in recent weeks, I think we have taken a nice step forward,” is Grim’s answer to the question whether disappointment is predominant now. “On the field you can see that something is happening, that we are improving, and that we can achieve a result.”
“We have to improve defensively. We give away the spaces far too easily,” says Grim about the points for improvement in the new calendar year. “Opponents shoot on target too easily. We don’t have enough stability yet.”
Grim remains coach
Finally, Grim is also asked about his own future in Amsterdam. “There have been discussions and I will remain coach at Ajax 1 for the time being. Until a new technical director comes in and then we will talk to each other again,” said Grim.
Ajax’s first match in the new year is the away match against Telstar. On Sunday, January 11, the kick-off will take place at Sportpark Schoonenberg in Velsen-Zuid at 2:30 PM.