The idea was by Edwin van der Sar. The former goalkeeper and now Ajax general manager has suggested taking all the meetings between the big teams and pushing them to the second half of the season and opening.2021. These huge meetings in front of stands are full of fans.
A shell idea on paper, but not feasible in the current reality. There is and will not be an audience soon, but there is a schedule. It so happened that in the next three weeks Ajax, PSV, Feyenoord and Alkmaar will meet for seven games, at the end of which a much clearer picture will be obtained regarding the championship race.
And as befits a month known as “Great January,” the game that opens the celebration is the greatest it can be. Ajax vs. PSV, the last champion against its runner-up, a direct battle between the two most successful teams in the Netherlands, between Amsterdam and Eindhoven, between two different approaches. Ajax comes from first place in the table, second PSV with one point less than it, and the importance is clear to everyone.
“I expect something special from my players,” said PSV coach Roger Schmidt, and Ajax coach Eric Tan Brother added: “Things will clear up this month, and it’s important for us to start well and show that we know how to play neat and quality football.”
Despite the history and long-standing rivalry between these two clubs, a rivalry that spawned the game nicknamed “The Top”, the big story of this encounter took place just two days ago. Ajax completed the acquisition of Sebastian Haller from West Ham for 22.5 million euros, making the 26-year-old Ivory Coast striker the most valuable player in the history of the Dutch league.
“It’s just throwing money away”
Haller, who previously starred in Utrecht for Tan Brother, can and is expected to play tonight, and his presence undermines prejudice about the difference between the two clubs. “Haller is proof that Ajax are no longer capable of raising strikers,” said Wim Kift, who played for both clubs, and in a column he wrote for Telegraph tried to explain why he thinks there are quite a few similarities between Ajax and PSV today. Past events have attached to the team from Eindhoven the image of a player buyer and Ajax as an image of a magnifier, but recently there has been more and more similarity between the two.
“Haller’s acquisition is disappointing,” said former player Yuri Mulder; “It’s just throwing money at English teams and it transmits pressure.” The two agree that Haller is excellent for the Dutch league, but that such an acquisition does not comply with the champion’s player cultivation policy.
“They seem to be doing something wrong, because these are things that are happening in other teams,” Mulder added, “it is reminiscent of the signing of 32-year-old Lucas Prato at Feyenoord and Eran Zehavi at PSV. These are acquisitions that stem from panic.”
Zehavi’s turning point?
To some extent, and in dimensions that represent the gap between the teams, PSV’s Haller is indeed Eran Zehavi. Although the Israeli arrived on a free transfer, he earns a huge salary and represents the foreign striker who came from outside to bring what the youngsters are not yet capable of. So far, the Israeli’s experience in the Netherlands has not been particularly successful, on and around the pitch, so tonight’s game could serve as a turning point for him.
“He has been suffering from bad luck lately,” his coach Roger Schmidt said this week, confirming that the Israeli is fit and willing to take part in this great game. With the health condition of Mario Getza unknown and the German in doubt, Zahavi has a good chance of starting in the squad despite all the criticism. Although as always, many young and local players will take part in this game, it seems that this time – at least before the opening whistle – the story will come from the two dear purchasing players.
“I hope to play already on Sunday against PSV,” said Haller, “and I very much hope to score, because it will be a perfect start.” Zehavi will also hope to conquer, because for him too it will be a perfect start – for the second half of the season.