What exactly do you see when you watch Ajax’s last fifteen minutes – plus 7 minutes of injury time?

He is standing about ten meters in the field. On his own. Arms crossed. Straight, worried look. Maurice Steijn, coach of Ajax since June, observes. How his players thank the supporters who traveled with them in the cramped, crowded away box. Not just a few seconds, but almost half a minute. Then he walks away, inside.

It is around half past six on Saturday evening, after a difficult performance by Ajax against Excelsior in Kralingen in Rotterdam. He is disappointed. Goals given away too easily. Too slow pace. Missed too many opportunities. “We couldn’t get it in half a meter from the goal,” Steijn will say later.

Ajax is under construction, still waiting for reinforcements. Before kick-off, new right back Anton Gaaei and striker Chuba Akpom are walking around in the boardroom, but they are not yet eligible to play. Akpom, who transferred from Middlesbrough, is worth more than the entire budget of Excelsior with his transfer amount of more than 12 million euros alone. door VI calculated at 8.5 million (compared to 140 million for Ajax).

Potential visible

A dry, rough artificial grass field and a slow-playing Ajax negate those differences. Although the potential of this team is visible. The peace, the overview and the passing of central defender Jorrel Hato, a 17-year-old talent from Rotterdam. He still comes to training every day by train. And attacker Carlos Forbs (19), bought from Manchester City for 14 million, is busy on his starting debut. He dribbles at high speed, but is still unhappy in the final phase. By applying fierce pressure, he led to striker Brian Brobbey’s 0-1.

Steijn coaches fanatically, pointing and whistling where players should walk. The question is who will lead this Ajax on the field, after the departure of the influential captain Dusan Tadic. The experienced Davy Klaassen starts on the bench, as does Kenneth Taylor, usually a basic force, but often criticized. Striker Steven Bergwijn, the new captain, seems to want too much in his zeal. On paper he is a left winger, but he often appears in the axis of the field, coming from midfield.

Midfielder Branco van den Boomen could fulfill that pioneering role. He coaches a lot, sees openings, can direct the game with his excellent passing. But not today. Steijn changes him after an hour because he is dissatisfied with him.

It is still fragile, this Ajax. Holes can easily appear in the back. Excelsior senses that. Led by left back Arthur Zagre, they combine in a nice attack, Siebe Horemans scores the 1-1. Bergwijn lets the defender run away from his back – “that is simply not allowed,” he says later. After half time it is suddenly 2-1. Ajax defender Jakov Medic delays, loses the ball, which Nikolas Agrafiotis rams into the goal.

coach AjaxMaurice Steijn If you want to play for the championship you have to win these kinds of matches

The thermometer in the stadium reaches 27 degrees. The momentum is back for Ajax, after substitute Klaassen has just made it 2-2. Now it has to happen if Ajax does not want to immediately suffer an expensive loss of points in the Eredivisie. Excelsior kicks off, the 75th minute is running.

What exactly do you see when you watch the last fifteen minutes – plus 7 minutes of injury time – of this Ajax?

Given their status, it can be expected that they will stand up now. Captain Bergwijn, bought last summer for more than 31 million euros. The attacker Mohammed Kudus, praised by Steijn, is in the keen interest of West Ham United. And striker Brobbey, boy from the club, brought back from Germany last year for almost 20 million.

What is especially striking: too little is happening. Ajax will try, insists. Klaassen aims a great chance in minute 78 at the foot of goalkeeper Stijn van Gassel. Excelsior gets an opportunity in the counterattack. Shortly afterwards, Kudus slaloms through the defense but forgets to finish. Moments later he receives the ball with a technical feat – frivolous, but the clock is ticking.

That moment symbolizes the lack of urgency at Ajax. There is some trudging here and there, heads down. Nobody takes things in tow to actually force the 2-3. Steijn looks helplessly to the side. Hands in pockets, then arms folded again, a brief look at the ground.

Taylor takes two corners, both low, both easily cleared by Excelsior. The same with a corner kick from Bergwijn, not much later. Brobbey is offside several times, which is no longer a coincidence. In the first half his 0-2 was disallowed because he was offside.

After Kudus’s chance, Ajax hardly forces anything anymore. Unlike Excelsior. The crowd at Woudestein stands on the benches for a moment when a shot from Derensili Sanches Fernandes via Hato goes just wide.

“If you want to play for the championship, you have to win these kinds of matches,” says Steijn. Bergwijn does not agree that Ajax lacked urgency in the final phase. “I think everyone wants it, you can see that in the boys and how we sit in the dressing room,” he explains. “Everyone is just disappointed.”

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