Wim Kieft sees a painful contrast between Ajax and Feyenoord. The Rotterdam side currently play the most attractive football in the Netherlands, according to the former striker, but the enthusiasm in Amsterdam after a promising start to the season has vanished. In his column for De Telegraaf, Kieft is scathing about the football played by Michel Sanchez's side.
At the start of the season, the mood at Ajax was particularly positive. Technical director Jordi Cruyff brought several big names to Amsterdam, and results in the Conference League qualifying rounds gave supporters cause for optimism. Kieft liked the football then, too, but little of that enthusiasm remains.
Last Thursday's match marked the low point of the recent decline for Kieft. "Against Hajduk Split, Michel Sanchez's side fell well below an acceptable standard," he concludes. The former international saw a team lacking cohesion and penetration, playing at a tempo that was far too slow.
In attack, Ajax made little impression on Kieft either. The lack of chances visibly irritated him. "The match kicked off at 6.45 in the evening, but you could easily have fallen asleep watching it," he writes. The Amsterdam side took an exceptionally long time even to put together a decent attack, according to the former striker.
Sofyan Amrabat's disappointing performances have made Kieft reconsider his view of former Ajax captain Jordan Henderson. The English midfielder faced constant heavy criticism during his time in Amsterdam, but the pundit now sees his value more clearly. "He supposedly wasn't much good, but when you see Amrabat wandering around lost in midfield, Henderson looks better and better with every match."
That reassessment goes further. "In hindsight, he turns out to have been a fantastic player for Ajax," says the former international. Kieft also points to what Henderson has shown since leaving Amsterdam, at Brentford and now Chelsea.
As for Ajax's other summer signings, Kieft is hardly enthusiastic. He believes Julian Brandt was put on a pedestal too quickly and the excitement surrounding Tolu Arokodare was overblown. The striker is physically strong and dangerous in the air, according to Kieft, but falls short with the ball at his feet. Kieft believes that explains why Míchel regularly preferred Kasper Dolberg. "That wasn't for nothing," he says.