Ajax Amsterdam v Feyenoord
Football ; Netherlands : Eredivision
Sunday 19th December 2010

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Stepped back on betting a bit due to limited spare time, but with the vacation I am back for this match in round 19.

I haven't seen many action lately of the other teams, so will be leaving those alone probably, but this match stands out and I will be taking this bets for sure.

Ajax Amsterdam (4th)
Home - 5-2-2 17:7

Ajax under new manager Frank de Boer has transformed into a team that enjoys playing, and is good to watch. Matches at AC Milan and Vitesse were good, with the basic Ajax tactics back on the pitch.

Against a degraded Milan the 2-0 win was more then deserved, and the first half against Vitesse was one of entire domination. The second half they fell back, mostly because the new tactics of early pressure are physically harder compared to the game under Martin Jol.

Martin Jol has made himself completely ridiculous at Ajax in his last months. He attracted many old friends from his network, with signings as Tainio, Mido, Ooijer and El Hamdaoui, whose ages are over average and don't add much quality. Furthermore he wanted an extra 10 million to spend as there were no wingers available.

The six million spent on El Hamdaoui was a waste, as he can't play in one team with Suarez, as they are the same type of player and they can't get along.

Frank de Boer showed there are wingers available, and has the balls to give young talents a chance instead of sigining veterans. Forward Ebecilio, 19 yo, made his debut and showed he can play as winger, and he was already at the club for many years. Furthermore right winger Lukoki, 18 yo, is given a chance to train with the first team, a new fresh wind with chances for the youth, which was unthinkable under Jol.

Also no more unrest in the squad, as there are no more sounds of necessary additions and a lack of quality of the group, stated by the own manager as it was the situation last month under Jol.

So with the departure of Jol, Ajax has transformed to a title candidate after being written off by almost everyone, including me.

The play was too bad to believe, position play was completely gone and everything depended on individual actions of Suarez and El Hamdaoui. Thanks to their talents the situation has been masqued for a long time, but when Suarez felt the long season and was exhausted and did crazy things, and El Hamdaoui fell back in his production, it was all over.

Now the players know where they stand, as manager de Boer is open and clear and gives confidence. Playmaker Eriksen is given the chance as offensive midfielder, and it already payed off with the game-winning goal at Vitesse. Ajax is currently sitting on the 4th place, but only three points behind leaders PSV.

Feyenoord (13th)
Away - 0-3-6 6:25

Feyenoord is currently on the 13th place, and it's about the highest possible position considering the situation. A win against Excelsior has given Feyenoord some breathing space from the bottom three, but it was an awful match. The players are without confidence, and look mentally unstable.

Away from Rotterdam, Feyenood have gathered 3 points out of 9 mathces, with a GD of 6-25. The high number of goals conceded is mainly because of the 10-0 thrashing at PSV, but scoring only six goals in 9 matches is more than worrying.

Feyenoord is weak at the back, and it's all about captain Ron Vlaar who can correct mistakes of his fellow defenders. On midfield it's much dribbling without effectivity, and up front talented Castaignos is proving to be a capable goalscorer, scoring 6 goals so far.

It's not an easy task for him as he's rarely getting able crosses or deep passes, and he’s working hard every match. Basically resluts are gained at home, as the atmosphere is still good in home matches which gives them a bit extra. In away matches decent attacks are rare, and it's painfully shown they lack many basics of the game.

Most painful moment in last match must be the entrance of signing van Beukering, who was looking to stand still while he was trying to sprint to goal.

The Betting Verdict

This must be one of the worst moments to visit Ajax. First home game under new management, while it seems to click very well so far. A clear game plan, with lots of ball movement and trying to focus on the position play and danger on the flanks.

Feyenoord are out of relegation worries for the moment, but that's the only positive note. The game play is awful, and all minds go back to the 10-0 thrashing in their last visit to a topclub.

It will be one way traffic from the start, as Ajax will do ever ything to get the score on their side as early as possible.

Feyenoord will hope to come through with a goalless draw as long as possilbe, but anything but a clear home win seems out of the question for me.

Odds are low for a home win, which is no surprise, so I'm backing Ajax on the handicap. If I had to predict a score, which isn't what I normally do it would be Ajax 4-Feyenoord 0.

The Pick :

Ajax 4-0 Feyenoord

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Side bet 1: Consider Ajax -2 EH @ 2.90
Side bet 2: Or perhaps A Red card awarded @ 3.75 Unibet

HANDICAP BETTING :

Main bet: Take Ajax Amsterdam -1.5 AH @ 1.72 Pinnacle