Late Review #3: Forwards

By: Matt | June 5th, 2008

Suarez jump kick The theme here is “finish.” Get it? Finish? Like finish my reviews by talking about the guys who finish? Are you still reading? ‘Cause the jokes won’t get better.

These guys are never unimportant, and at Ajax they have a chance to be stars. Playing the wing at many clubs can perhaps get a little tedious. In Amsterdam, these guys should be smoking. The man in the middle might have more of a rough time, but Klaas-Jan Huntelaar has excelled where others have historically floundered. For all the attacking flair, Ajax has recently been a difficult place for strikers. His obscene scoring record keeps piling up, with 34 Eredivisie goals in 38 matches this term. He continues to be terrific in this system. A great positional sense, a poacher’s eye in a target-man body, and he is tactically savvy enough to contribute to the build-up. I could go on, but you have heard about this guy. Too bad he is transferring to Real MadJuvRomChelMan United. Whatever.

Enough about strikers, because KJH has no real backup. Ismael Urzaiz was supposed to be Ten Cate’s “battering ram” but instead looked more like a fence post, making only 6 appearances and no starts while scoring as many goals as I managed to score. Nothing against him, though. He has had a decent career, and it is a shame it ended with him a permanent fixture on the bench or in the stands. KJH is too good to be subbed often, and Urzaiz was too immobile to be terribly helpful.

There was someone to take the scoring pressure off KJH, however. And I have not said enough about Luis Suarez on this blog. Despite a protracted transfer saga (and the beginning of our bad blood with Groningen), Suarez has proven his worth at least a few times over. I still have concerns (his fight with Luque, his tendency to flop, some inconsistency, wasteful shooting). But I will take 19 Eredivisie goals from a young left winger. And his creativity was often wildly entertaining. I loved his pace, his stylish touch, and his work with Urby all season. I really look forward to seeing this guy grow up a bit more and maybe become the next Ajax superstar. He has shown all the tools. He just needed to find a killer instinct and more accurate shooting. I love this guy. I am stopping now.

And it was a good thing Suarez could do so much, because the right wing struggled. Kennedy Bakircioglu got some looks, bringing some good skill on the ball but a lack of pace. Dennis Rommedahl was like his evil twin: mad pace but feet of stone. Rommedahl became the standard call, and he produced some good moments. I absolutely love his pace, but I really think he would be best as a sub. His best moments were often in the second half, when tired defenders allowed him to compensate for his deficiencies by being darn fast. I would like to see more of Rommedahl in this capacity, but I don’t know what to do with Kennedy. He was not so bad he should be moved for certain, but I know he is replaceable.

And now for the chaff. The name of Albert Luque will not be mentioned again on this blog except for one last item involving the words “transfer” and “sucker” or “fool.” Embarrassing. That is all. Edgar Manucharyan and Leonardo scarcely had time to make an impact. They will be leaving along with Nicolae Mitea. A commenter pointed out that Mitea is leaving not as a complete failure. He was actually quite good a few years back until injury shut him down. The same goes for Leonardo, who showed promise but blew an ACL. I agree, but it still does not change the fact that we are poor in depth up front. Cvitanich will help, Sulejmani will be tremendous, and there is still hope that the youth program has something special in Jan-Arie Van der Heijden.

So the verdict:
KJH-Suarez: engrave their names in next year’s team sheet (or make a pile of cash)
Rommedahl-Kennedy: Potential squad rotation candidates (in that order)
Everybody else: call your agent and pack your bags.

Next time, we will be entering full Euro mode!