Ajax is looking for stability but remains vulnerable, also against Vitesse

John Heitinga took off his coat at the start of the second half in the Gelredome, where the roof is closed but it remains cold. Ajax’s trainer is dissatisfied with the first half against Vitesse, and is more present in his coaching after the break. If left back Owen Wijndal does not switch quickly enough, he will be told immediately. And if the organization leaves something to be desired, he urges his team to defend more compactly. At the end of the game, when the 2-1 lead has to be defended, he shouts his team forward to keep Vitesse away from their own goal.

There was a lot at stake, Heitinga had told his players at half-time. Ajax wants to become champion, and then “every draw is a loss”, he said afterwards. It didn’t get that far. Ajax turned the 1-1 half-time score into a win through a header by Edson Álvarez from a corner kick by Dusan Tadic.

It meant the fifth competition match won in a row since Heitinga was moved from Jong Ajax to the first team at the end of January after the dismissal of Alfred Schreuder by Ajax. FC Twente was defeated in the KNVB Cup. Although last Thursday’s elimination in the Europa League against Union Berlin still had an effect, his team recovered in time. “If you had to go deep last Thursday, (..) it was the guys who mentally pulled him through,” says Heitinga.

Despite Thursday’s European match, Ajax had more left than Vitesse in the second half. Still, Heitinga’s team proved vulnerable in Arnhem, just like in previous games. After half an hour of playing it went wrong. A pass from midfielder Steven Berghuis was intercepted, after which Vitesse was able to counter quickly. Matus Bero missed face to face with Ajax goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli. From the corner kick that followed, Marco van Ginkel headed in easily.

Bassey for Berghuis

Heitinga did not hesitate to intervene in the break. Calvin Bassey joined the team for Berghuis. Álvarez, who played in the center of defense in the first half, moved into midfield. Ajax conceded the goal as often this season, via a quick breakout after losing possession in midfield. “If we are well on the ball, I assume that you do not often end up in situations like this,” said Heitinga afterwards. After the conversions at half-time, Ajax hardly got into trouble in the second half.

Despite the lead, which was quickly undone by a goal from Davy Klaassen, Vitesse couldn’t really make it difficult for Ajax. The club has had a difficult season administratively and sportively. Last week, after the 2-0 defeat against low flyer FC Volendam, team spirit was worked on the padel court. Start “eagerly and aggressively”, “and persevere”, that had been the motto, trainer Phillip Cocu had recorded in Football International. It was particularly lacking in the latter. In the second half, the Vitesse players, including Van Ginkel, who came over from PSV this winter, could no longer walk in the ever-growing spaces.

Just like in the match before the winter break in Amsterdam, when Vitesse held Ajax 2-2, Cocu’s team bet on outbreaks in the transition with the fast Million Manhoef. Then he had beaten the Ajax defense twice with his speed and in Arnhem he made it difficult for the Amsterdam defense, especially in the first half. Bringing in Bassey, Heitinga put speed and power against the attacker and neutralized the danger.

The positions of Álvarez and Bassey are two of the few question marks in Heitinga’s squad. While his predecessor Alfred Schreuder was unable to find the best composition in six months, Heitinga wants to provide his players with solid tools. In the six domestic matches (league and cup), he only did not send the same team into the field in the home match against RKC Waalwijk. Then Francisco Conceição played instead of Steven Bergwijn, who was not fit enough to start the game. In the European diptych against Union Berlin, he and Bassey opted for a different interpretation of the defense.

Crochet paw

Nevertheless, there is still plenty of work to be done. Twenty minutes before the end, Brian Brobbey relieved Steven Bergwijn. Both expensive summer purchases have a disappointing season, and Bergwijn in particular showed his frustration several times on the field and in front of the TV cameras. That almost went wrong against Vitesse. Just before the break he wanted to hook an escaped Manhoef leg, but he changed his mind just in time. Brobbey was also unable to assert himself during his substitution.

It is a difficult season for Ajax, Heitinga acknowledged. But after the victory at Vitesse, he also concluded that his team is on the right track. “We have to make sure we continue that.” Then the season can still end nicely, he said. With three points behind, Ajax remains in the footsteps of leader Feyenoord, who will visit Amsterdam on March 19.