Last updated: Jan 28, 2026, 11:24 PM
Khalid Boulahrouz and Wim Kieft do not understand Fred Grim’s substitutions during Ajax – Olympiakos (1-2). They let us know this in the analysis Ziggo Sports. Ajax’s coach decided in the second half to bring Sean Steur and Kasper Dolberg to the side, while Oscar Gloukh was allowed to remain standing.
“If you also change your best man on the ball,” sighs Boulahrouz, referring to Steur. “I would never have substituted Steur, because he is very important in possession of the ball. You see, especially in the first half, that everyone hands the ball to him.”
“They don’t care whether he is covered or under pressure, they hand the ball to him,” says Boulahrouz. “That’s just a natural process. That boy is not clearly left or right, he can turn anywhere. He handles all the balls he gets very well and his fellow players know that too.”
“If you contrast Gloukh with that… That’s the complete opposite. He doesn’t duel, he doesn’t run with his man, he loses a lot of balls. He just misses a lot of moments,” the analyst is critical.
“If you have to score a goal, don’t you look at which guests you can perform best with? Then I would change Gloukh. The score was 1-1 and you still need goals, then I would also have left Dolberg behind, but okay.”
“I didn’t understand sturgeon at all,” Kieft adds. “Why did he take him out? He is really a very good football player, he takes care of the build-up time and time again. Perhaps there were physical problems, otherwise I really have no idea.”
