According to Valentijn Driessen, Jordi Cruyff's project at Ajax is already on the brink of collapse, the head of football writes in his column for De Telegraaf. He also names the player Ajax are missing.
On Thursday evening, Ajax opened their Conference League campaign away to Hajduk Split. Coach Míchel's side played poorly and lost 2-1.
Two individual errors by left-back Jofre Torrents led to the goals conceded. Driessen believes Míchel made a big mistake by waiting until the 75th minute to take him off. "Míchel let it happen. Only with a quarter of an hour remaining did he put the Spanish teenager out of his misery. But Ajax did not recover."
For Driessen, nobody in the Ajax squad takes charge. "Marc ter Stegen does not win points for Ajax, the much-praised German star Julian Brandt never delivers when it matters, and Davy Klaassen is shunted back and forth between the starting XI and the bench," the journalist continues.
"Sofyan Amrabat cannot hold the team together, and Youri Baas lacks the authority to put everyone in their place," he adds. He then names one player who could get Ajax back on track.
On Blind, Driessen says: "Only Daley Blind has that authority, but he has been out for some time with an injury. The veteran was on the bench only for the first league match against PEC Zwolle and then played another 45 minutes in the Conference League qualifying round against Shelbourne."
"Nothing has been heard of him since, and every match shows once again how sorely his organisational qualities are missed." According to Míchel, Blind is on the way back and will be available again in two weeks.
Without Blind, Ajax look, in Driessen's view, like "a ragtag bunch with a few top players, but far more mediocre ones. A collection of players who scarcely fit together, with a failing coach in Michel Sanchez". He believes the Cruyff project has reached a dead end.