Ajaxโs results have been under the microscope this season, particularly in away matches. That said, it seems unlikely that manager John Heitinga will be sacked.
A report from De Telegraaf has explained an interview between the Amsterdam giantsโ technical director, Alex Kroes, and AjaxLife. โIn the last week before the international break, I got a lot of questions from people who thought he should leave. โBut weโre not going to do that,โ I said.โ
โFirst and foremost, we had to create calm,โ Kroes continued, putting a national twist on the scenario. โBesides, people expect us to be back in 2019. Letโs all accept that thereโs a new realityโฆ Football has developed internationally, and we โ as a country โ havenโt developed enough. In fact, in some respects, weโre back to square one.โ
Kroes has been in this managerial scenario before. โLast year, during a difficult period, I told critics within Ajax about Francesco Farioli: โIf you want to fire him, fire me first.โ Thatโs how I feel now. Internally, I asked someone who has a fair amount of influence: โDo you think I should resign if we have to choose the forced option?โ That person disagreed. Iโm struggling with that myself, because I do feel that way in some ways.โ
Despite his side sitting in third, and six points off Feyenoord at the top of the league, Kroes has remained stubborn. He used his own reputation to lessen the blows from the press, despite his team having as many draws as wins in the opening eight matchdays.
โWhat I sometimes get back is that people think Iโm a patsy. Or a stickler for the plush. The funny thing is: I donโt give a damn about that plush, to put it bluntly. Before I arrived, I was unfairly over-exalted. Then I was destroyed when we appointed Francesco Farioli. When he started performing, I was the best TD in the Netherlands. Now Iโm the worst again. So what?โ
GBeNeFNย |ย Max Bradfield
