Ajax Plan : Emergency Eleven All Out Attack

First Team
Thursday, 22.02.2007 / 11:46

Ajax Amsterdam have absolutely nothing to lose against Werder Bremen and will throw all into attack in Thursday nights second leg match of the UEFA-Cup last 32.

Ajax Amsterdam have absolutely nothing to lose against Werder Bremen and will throw all into attack in Thursday nights second leg match of the UEFA-Cup last 32. That was made perfectly clear by Ajax coach Henk ten Cate during Wednesday’s press conference: “We are missing at least five first choice players meaning the team all but picks itself.” The Dutch side will be without Grygera, Emanuelson and Vermaelen. Veteran Edgar Davids is cup tied and both Gabri and Lindenberg are suspended for the return leg.

 

The character of the so called ‘Emergency Eleven’ will be an out-and-out attacking one. “We will have seven players in the starting eleven who have nothing other than the offensive in mind. Klass Jan Huntelaar will be one of them”, said ten Cate.

 

The trainer sees his chances of progressing to the next round of the UEFa Cup as being “About one percent, in football you always have a slight chance. The first leg 3:0 deficit is not easy to catch up on.” He had no difficulty convincing his team that they have a chance of winning though: “We are determined to put on a good performance this morning and win the tie. Maybe we’ll have some luck and the whole thing will become a tense affair.”

 

The second placed team in Holland’s Ehrendivision see the first quarter hour as the period that will reveal the direction of their hopes: “It will be decided then whether or not anything is possible”, prophesised ten Cate. The trainer used one of Werder’s old expressions to sum up the hopes they hold in the “Wonder of Amsterdam”. The coach continued: “That would be nice, I’ll be giving the man upstairs a call later to ask for his assistance.”

 

The trainer good humouredly, and with a cheeky grin, mentioned Werder’s 2:0 defeat by HSV at the weekend as a good sign: “Hamburg managed the win with a Dutchman. There’ll be nine of that sort in our first eleven tomorrow. That means our chances of winning are nine times as high as Hamburg’s were.”

 

Dreams of the quarter final have not yet been completely abandoned at the Amsterdam Arena. When asked, by a reporter whether or not he would prefer to face Moscow or Celta Vigo, ten Cate remarked: “I firstly hope that our players are as optimistic as you are. Progression is fantastic for every club, you can make a lot of money and prestige at international level.” The opponents are secondary.

Weitere News

Your web browser ist outdated.
The web browser you are using is no longer supported.
Please download one of these free and up to date browsers.
Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge
Chrome Firefox Edge
Google Chrome
Mozilla Firefox
MS Edge
Why should I use an up to date web browser?
Security
Newer web browsers provide better protection against malware, data theft and other threats to your privacy and security. Up to date browsers continuously close security holes that allow attackers to enter your computer.
New Technologies
The technologies used on modern websites are better supported by newer web browsers. This both increases functionality and improves the website layout. By benefiting from new functions and extensions you will be able to surf the web faster and easier.