As far as pre-match preparations go, a 4-0 Old Firm derby defeat to Celtic was hardly what Giovanni van Bronckhorst would have been looking for ahead of Rangers’ first Champions League group-stage game in a decade at the Johan Cryuff Arena.
Ajax, fresh from a thumping 4-0 win of their own, make for rather daunting opposition. In Steven Bergwijn, Alfred Schreuder has a £27 million forward in the form of his life. And, after Rangers were ripped to shreds by Celtic’s high-pressing, possession-heavy style, coming up against a team who have almost perfected such an approach over the last half-decade is, well, not ideal.
But it speaks volumes about Rangers’ recent success on the continent that a team who lost convincingly to their arch rivals just a few days ago – and haven’t stepped foot on this stage since the days when Maurice Edu, El Hadji Diouf and Nikica Jelavic were wearing royal blue – can still head to the Dutch capital with a sense of self-confidence.
Rangers save their very best for Europe. And Ajax, despite a largely outstanding start to the new campaign, are not a team entirely without problems.
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An unsettled camp?
Much was made of Alfredo Morelos absence during Rangers’ play-off victory over another Dutch giant – PSV Eindhoven; the club’s all-time record European goalscorer left at home due to a combination of fitness and disciplinary issues.
Ajax have had their own problems to contend with behind the scenes in recent weeks. According to reports, both Mohammed Kudus and Edson Alvarez both went on strike in an attempt to force through summer moves to the Premier League. It might have worked for Antony but, after accepting a massive offer from Manchester United, Ajax were under no pressure to cash in and stood firm.
Now, both Kudus and Alvarez played in Saturday’s 4-0 thumping of Cambuur – the former scoring the game’s fourth goal – but are they really ready for such a pressurised, high-intensity clash against a Rangers side who tend to save their most complete performances for the continental stage?
Alvarez, a one-time Celtic target, is Ajax’s first-choice defensive midfielder. Alfred Schreuder needs the Mexican at his most focused and disciplined if he’s to keep a lid on Ryan Kent and Malik Tillman.
Tadic troubles
Dusan Tadic’s colossal display in Ajax’s stunning 4-1 win away at Real Madrid in 2019 will go down in history; a display Zinedine Zidane himself would have been proud of. Performances like that have been few and far between of late, however; the former Southampton playmaker a shadow of his usually irrepressible self.
“Not once has he been very good,” explains Kenneth Perez, a one-time Ajax midfielder.
Tadic, he points out, misplaced nearly half of his attempted passes during the recent 2-0 win at Utrecht.
“A 53 per cent pass accuracy. So, he has given away half of his passes! What strikes me is the slowness in his actions. Today, he was really, really below average. I have the feeling that he is not so untouchable anymore.”
Given that Tadic has captained Ajax in every one of their games so far in 2022/23, he remains an almost nailed-on starter for Schreuder. For the time being, anyway. Tadic is so often the man who makes Ajax tick. But if his rhythm is off again on Wednesday night, Rangers’ defence may be in for a quieter night than they’d have expected.
A counter culture movement
How many times, over the last couple of years, have Rangers caught an opponent cold in transition? And, in Ajax, they are about to come up against a team who are at their most susceptible when the play changes hands.
The Amsterdam giants tend to push their full-backs as high up the pitch as possible. The central defenders then step into midfield. This, therefore, leaves massive gaps in behind. The sort of gaps Ryan Kent so frequently exploits in European competition.
Perhaps Van Bronckhorst could field Scott Wright or Fashion Sakala on the opposite flank, maximising Rangers’ counter-attacking potential. Tilman’s excellent decision making could also come in very handy, as will Morelos’ ability to press from the front and force defenders into mistakes, presuming he is given the nod over the less mobile Antonio Colak.
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