Ajax update: Alex Kroes will not fire manager John Heitinga

Ajax’s results have been under the microscope this season, particularly in away matches. That said, it seems unlikely that manager John Heitinga will be sacked.

A report from De Telegraaf has explained an interview between the Amsterdam giants’ technical director, Alex Kroes, and AjaxLife. “In the last week before the international break, I got a lot of questions from people who thought he should leave. ‘But we’re not going to do that,’ I said.”

“First and foremost, we had to create calm,” Kroes continued, putting a national twist on the scenario. “Besides, people expect us to be back in 2019. Let’s all accept that there’s a new reality… Football has developed internationally, and we – as a country – haven’t developed enough. In fact, in some respects, we’re back to square one.”

Kroes has been in this managerial scenario before. “Last year, during a difficult period, I told critics within Ajax about Francesco Farioli: ‘If you want to fire him, fire me first.’ That’s how I feel now. Internally, I asked someone who has a fair amount of influence: ‘Do you think I should resign if we have to choose the forced option?’ That person disagreed. I’m struggling with that myself, because I do feel that way in some ways.”

Despite his side sitting in third, and six points off Feyenoord at the top of the league, Kroes has remained stubborn. He used his own reputation to lessen the blows from the press, despite his team having as many draws as wins in the opening eight matchdays.

“What I sometimes get back is that people think I’m a patsy. Or a stickler for the plush. The funny thing is: I don’t give a damn about that plush, to put it bluntly. Before I arrived, I was unfairly over-exalted. Then I was destroyed when we appointed Francesco Farioli. When he started performing, I was the best TD in the Netherlands. Now I’m the worst again. So what?”

GBeNeFN | Max Bradfield