One small step forward

This is a HUGE week for Ajax. With the opening round UEFA Cup match in Serbia on Thursday and the Klassieker in Rotterdam on Sunday, and after an opening weekend shock loss at Willem II, Sunday's home match vs Roda JC was one of the most crucial early season games that Ajax has played in a long time. If the past few Eredivisie campaigns have shown us anything, its that you gotta win the games you are supposed to. Ajax was supposed to win in Tilburg. Strike one. I hate to use a baseball reference, but honestly if they had lost this game to Roda, a game that they 'should' win, it would have a been a huge swing and miss for strike two. Can you really hope to be landskampioenen after strike 3? Probably not.
Ajax actually played well on Sunday, not exactly inspired, but well enough to get a deserved win. Roda hardly created any chances and rarely tested Steks in goal, which honestly I would attribute more to their lack of imagination and effort than to anything the Ajax defense did. I am starting to worry about Oleguer's foot speed, he looked like me out there a few times. The guy is slow. Urby, Vermaelen and Van der Wiel were solid, but again, not really tested.
Evander Sno is exciting to watch. Scary sometimes, but exciting. And he's got a very lively shot that I hope he pulls out more often. As for the rest of the midfield and forwards, it was a game to forget. KJH was even pulled in the 80th minute after a lackluster performance and missing numerous opportunities to end his five match scoreless streak. For some reason Leonardo started the match, and really looked uncomfortable out there. On one hand I felt bad for the guy, but his removal and replacement was overdue when Suarez came on in the 59th minute.
It took a well placed header by a wide open (i mean WIDE open) Vermaelen to put Ajax ahead just ten minutes after the half.
All in all, it was a deserved 3 points. Hopefully the trip to Serbia won't turn out like some recent matches vs Eastern European competition (see Slavia Prague, Dinamo Zagreb), and hopefully Ajax won't return to Amsterdam with their collective tails between their legs before the trip to Rotterdam.