René van der Gijp Criticizes Berghuis After Ajax's Defeat to PSV
René van der Gijp could barely believe what he had seen from Steven Berghuis in Ajax’s top-of-the-table clash with PSV. Live on Vandaag Inside, the analyst let his disappointment pour out after the experienced forward squandered a huge chance with the score at 1-1.
The moment came on Saturday in the 30th minute. Berghuis, renowned for that cultured left foot, found himself in a prime position but dragged his effort wide from close range. For Van der Gijp, that was unforgivable.
“What disappointed me so much. That can happen, I know. Anything can happen. That Berghuis didn't put that ball away. That disappoints me. With such a good strike with his left foot,” he said, still stunned that the Ajax winger had missed from there.
He didn’t stop there. Van der Gijp underlined just how routine he felt the chance should have been for a player of Berghuis’s quality.
“I think if he takes 20 penalties, he scores all 20. And this one you put wide, man. Come on, man!” he exclaimed, his frustration mirroring that of many Ajax supporters.
That miss hung over the rest of the afternoon. Ajax never recovered. PSV grew into the game, seized control, and walked out of Amsterdam with a 1-3 victory, their win decorated by a stunning goal from recent signing Lutsharel Geertruida.
While Van der Gijp zoomed in on Berghuis, Valentijn Driessen turned his fire on the Ajax dugout. The De Telegraaf football editor was deeply unimpressed with coach Míchel’s decisions, especially his handling of the attack.
Driessen could not understand why Tolu Arokodare was withdrawn after just an hour. In his eyes, the striker had been doing more than enough to stay on the pitch. He was even more baffled that Abdellah Ouazane did not start such a crucial game.
“The very best player he has, Ouazane, wasn't in the team. And he forms a very good partnership with that Brandt. And he takes Tolu off, even though he was playing quite well. And then Míchel has a stroke of genius with two strikers who haven't touched a ball all year,” Driessen said, pointedly referencing substitutes Kasper Dolberg and Marcos Leonardo.
The criticism didn’t end with the forward line. Driessen also raised eyebrows at the choice at right-back, where Gaaei was selected to face Van Bommel.
“And then Gaaei, who can't defend, plays at right-back against Van Bommel. And then he has another defender on the bench. What are you supposed to do with these kinds of coaches?” he asked, summing up the exasperation around Ajax’s tactical approach.
One missed chance, a series of questioned decisions, and a 1-3 home defeat to PSV: Ajax leave this showdown not just beaten, but under the microscope.
