was regularly the target of criticism at Ajax in recent weeks, but finally played a good match again on Saturday evening against Vitesse. Kenneth Perez and Karim El Ahmadi are very pleased with the role played by the midfielder. Unlike Jan Joost van Gangelen, Perez believes that Taylor would do well not to take on a leadership role.
Ajax had to put some things right in the home match against Vitesse on Saturday evening. John van ‘t Schip had an excellent start to his period as interim head coach with victories over FC Volendam and SC Heerenveen, but this did not get a proper follow-up with a defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion and a draw at Almere City. Ajax performed a lot better against Vitesse and, according to El Ahmadi, this was mainly due to Steven Berghuis. “I thought Berghuis played a leading role in the match, but I think it also makes it easier for him if people start running deep,” the former player of FC Twente and Feyenoord, among others, said on Sunday in This was it Weekend on ESPN.
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“And I think that is what Ajax did in the first and second half,” continued El Ahmadi, who shows some moments of Taylor. The midfielder made many runs in depth and therefore found himself in promising positions on several occasions. “I think Marciano (Vink, ed.) and Kenneth (Perez, ed.) already said it on Saturday that he was now in a better position,” El Ahmadi said about Taylor. “I think I also saw Van ‘t Schip indicate along the side that they had to run a lot deep, so that is really Van ‘t Schip’s hand. I think that Ajax did that very well. This is how Berghuis reaches its strength. I have also seen Berghuis play many lesser matches this season, but that also had to do with the fact that this did not actually happen the entire match. I have now seen this very often in one match, so I think that this has made Ajax play better football.”
Perez does not agree with Van Gangelen’s opinion
An important role was therefore also reserved for Taylor. He not only provided the assist for Kristian Hlynsson’s 2-0, but was also the maker of the 5-0 in the second half. “Now you could do whatever you wanted, only the intentions were different. Especially from Taylor,” Perez took over the analysis. El Ahmadi also saw Hlynsson make many runs in depth, but according to Perez, the Icelander has been doing that all season. “Taylor has started the season dramatically. Now it was no longer the first or second, but the last station before rush hour. He then gets there where he can do something instead of having to perform a lot of actions that are not going well for him at the moment. This is better for him.”
Perez thinks that Taylor’s poorer performance in recent months also had to do with the role he wanted to play. “In the malaise he also wanted the leader player,” said the Dane. Van Gangelen thinks that has something to do with it. “That’s a credit to him, by the way,” the presenter responded, but Perez completely disagreed. “No not at all. You have to stay true to yourself. He is still a player who has to learn everything, so you should not try to be something that makes you pick up balls and not use your strength at all, but rather use your weakness. You can of course be a ‘leader’ in several ways. You can try to put those boys at ease, but you can also just play well. Then you are also a kind of leader.”
