Ajax coach John van ‘t Schip expects captain Steven Bergwijn to be available for Saturday’s home game against bottom-placed Vitesse. There is still a question mark behind the involvement of Brian Brobbey and Josip Sutalo.
The Croatian defender returned from international duty “not entirely fresh”, according to the coach. Van ‘t Schip will definitely be without Branco van den Boomen, who had to undergo knee surgery against Vitesse. There is a lot of activity in the Amsterdam infirmary.
Argentinian goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli, who injured his shoulder against Herakles Almelo in the first match of the season, is on the field again. However, Van ‘t Schip remains with Diant Ramaj for now.
Both Brobbey and Bergwijn withdrew from international play due to injury to the Dutch team. “Bergwijn and Brobbey have not been fully fit for a while,” admitted Van ‘t Schip at the press conference in Amsterdam. Aries will not accept an inappropriate selection model.
“We try to train with a certain intensity that you want to see in competitions as well,” he explained. “It’s a different way of playing. “This is a process and it will not happen overnight.”
Van ‘t Schip realized that his team could not sustain the intense style of play they had defended throughout the entire game. He saw this in the Europa League against Brighton & Hove Albion (lost 2-0), when the team collapsed after half-time.
“This is something we need to improve further,” Koç explained. “We are making good progress. We are already seeing changes in the statistics. In certain sprints, certain row spacing. We see this reflected. “We want to see better football.”
Watch John van ‘t Schip’s comments on Dutch footballer Jorrel Hato and the appointment of Marijn Beuker as Ajax’s new director of football affairs below.
Missing the game against Vitesse would be a big blow for Brobbey. The 21-year-old striker performed well. He directly contributed to the goal in each of his last 4 Premier League matches (2 goals and 3 assists in total). However, the indirect ball loss that led to a 2-2 draw against Almere is still etched in his memory.
Behind Brobbey, Chuba Akpom is waiting for his chance. The Englishman was signed in mid-August but only blossomed during the Van ‘t Schip era. He appeared as a substitute in the last three Premier League matches and was effective in each match (4 goals in 51 minutes). Akpom became the first Ajax player to score in three consecutive substitute substitutions in the Premier League.
Van ‘t Schip saw new Netherlands international Jorrel Hato return smiling after the international match. “For a 17-year-old, he’s very smart,” Van ‘t Schip says. “I also received good news from the national coach.”
Source: NOS
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