Tottenham Hotspur’s loss to Ajax in their Champions League semi-final first leg clash did not come as a surprise to anyone who has watched the Dutch side play this season. Ajax are simply enjoyable to watch his season especially in the Champions League where they have eliminated record champions Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus.
What was shocking was the performance of our very own Harambee Stars captain Victor Wanyama at the heart of Mauricio Pochettino’s midfield. Drafted in as a starter mainly due to injuries to the usual starters, the former Southampton midfielder just couldn’t get a grip of the match. His touch was uncharacteristically loose and when did pass the ball, it always seemed like he as making the wrong choice of pass.
It is telling that Ajax’s lone goal came in a period when they enjoyed much of the ball in the opening period. This was mostly due to the game bypassing Wanyama who allowed Frenkie De Jong all the freedom he could get to dictate the tempo and flow of the match. Spurs only got into the game once Moussa Sissoko was introduced in place of the injured Vertonghen.
Wanyama’s horror opening period even made his teammates lose trust in him. They simply ignored passing the ball to the midfielder, at one point Moussa Sissoko passed back to Hugo Lloris while Wanyama was just right next to him!
The match shows just how Wanyama’s technical level is a notch down for him to be a starter in a Champions League Semifinal. Still, he has the ability to bounce back and prove his doubters wrong but on the basis of the Ajax defeat, it does seem like it is time for the Lion of Muthrwa to move on.