Ajax 3-1 Chelsea: Drogba OUT for Three Weeks + GOALS
'Anco' at Ajax
By Since66
July 24 2010
Regular readers of this column will know I take no notice of results - win, lose or draw - in pre-season friendlies. Pre-season is all about getting back to fitness, trying out new players, new systems and basically getting the match sharpness back. Turnbull though is the exception to the rule.
I think he needs nine months of pre-season to atone for his schoolboy error mistakes in the Amsterdam arena yesterday afternoon.
Chelsea have announced that Didier Drogba has undergone surgery on his groin and is expected to be out for three weeks.
Chelsea described the procedure as minimally invasive.
There was barely ten minutes on the clock when Eriksen sent in a cross, Bruma went flying through the air the ball took a glance and then the ball hit Turnbull as he came to gather the cross before bouncing into an empty net.
Where was the shout? What's Dutch for Keeper? Still the early setback didn't affect the young Chelsea side too much as they bounced back playing some good football.
With the World Cup participants still coming to terms with pre-season training back at Cobham, Chelsea made two changes to the line-up from Palace last weekend.
Cech and Alex both out for a month were replaced by the hapless Turnbull and Bruma moved into central defence allowing Bill Clifford to take up the right-back position.
On twenty-five minutes Chelsea equalised with a well-worked goal. Mikel sent a forward pass to Di Santo who shielded the ball before laying it off to Danny Sturridge who hit a sweet 20 yarder into the corner of net, beating Holland's World Cup goalkeeper, Stekelenburg, for pace.
Parity only lasted a couple of minutes when Turnbull created a comedy scene that would grace any Carry on film.
Only having to shank the ball into row Z of the stand, Turnbull came racing of his line and decided to gather the ball, as he got a grip, he lost the grip and the ball squirmed out of his hands and whilst Turnbull was flapping on the floor, a grateful Siem De Jong rolled the ball into an empty net.
Right on full-time Ajax scored their third after some precision passing firstly from Roly Bonevacia who found Daley Blind on Ajax's right and he sent in a low cross where Hyun Jun Suk had the simpliest on tap-ins at the far post.
Boss 'Anco' was sympathetic in his reaction.
He said, "For our young players it was more difficult that the last game.
"They did their best and it is normal for young players to play this kind of game. It was more difficult but it was a good test for them. They are disappointed with the result but individually the performance of the young players was good.
"It was the second game of the pre-season, we have to improve, but I can be happy for this performance."
Of Turnbull's forty-five minute contribution, 'Anco' said, "Ross Turnbull didn't have a good performance but it can happen.
"A goalkeeper above all positions at the start of the season can have a not good performance, We have trust in him and it is better he has a game like this now than when there is a Premier League game."
Ajax: Stekelenburg, Oleguer (Blind 64), Alderweireld, Vertonghen (c), Anita (Emanuelson 64), Enoh (Bonevacia 73), Lindgren, Sarpong, Eriksen (De Zeeuw 70), Zeegelaar, De Jong
Chelsea: Turnbull (Hilario h/t), B Clifford (Chalobah h/t), Bruma, Bertrand, van Aanholt (Ince 64), Mikel (C Clifford 83), Essien (c) (Cork 73), Matic, McEachran (Sinclair h/t), Sturridge, Di Santo (Lalkovic 64)
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I think we need another striker.
Di santo can go Sturridge still needs to improve, Kalou needs to find the net more frequently and stop getting caught in possession which happened alot last year, this could be his last season.
Anelka is still the number two and i think he will have a good season this year maybe he could get on the score sheet more this season.
Sinclair who has pace and can find the net but i think his only position is out wide so his appearances will be limited just like Woolcott at Arsenal.
