[News]Klaassen: Adapting to English game has not been easy

[Lxxx]

Very weak, as a lot of foreign players are in the first six months. Poor signing though. Totally unnecessary.

[arteta4spain]

Wasn't great at all tonight tho I don't think a lot of them were. I don't buy this "he's got good game intelligence and he's ahead of everyone and they're behind his decision making". Absolute bollocks. It does baffle me how a player can be great for one team but be horrific for another. He reminds me of Naismith when he first arrived. Rabbit in headlights etc. But he was often caught out too many times. It was like Lyon were tight to our players from the get go and we couldn't find the space.
He was finding some decent touches towards the end of the first half but he just doesn't seem good enough.

[Hawkandro]

I still think he will come good; perfect storm of a total loss of confidence alongside a boss who is clueless as to how to set the team up tactically.

Same for Sandro.

[Morta75]

Sorry to say it, but Klaassen is not good enough, simple as that. Not premier Leauge quality.

[Lazarou]

We don't play him in the right position but he surely has to offer more as a midfielder. He is just a ghost at the moment. Does absolutely nothing.

[Lxxx]

Was getting shoved off the ball all night. People were saying in Europe he'll show his quality because it's not as physical or fast but he didn't, Lyon were a good team and he offered nothing.

[Waltzer]

We don't play him in the right position but he surely has to offer more as a midfielder. He is just a ghost at the moment. Does absolutely nothing.

Ive seen him play centre mid and as a number 10, where is his best position then, on the wing or as a holding midfielder!!? All this were not playing him in his best position holds little water with me, if I played him centre back I would still expect him to be able to pass and not get blown off the ball like a rag doll in the wind, he needs to adapt to the situation hes in and he isnt at the moment.
Better players than Klasseen have failed and transfers are always a gamble, some work, some dont, all the indications are the latter with this one but there is still time.

[Macca77]

Can't really defend him after that last night, looks way out of his depth

[BlueForYou]

As does Sandro; Keane is not playing like an international (the other two CB's at Burnley look better); Martina is a stop-gap; Sigurdsson is carrying the £45m weight on his shoulders; Pickford and Vlasic justified and first names on the team sheet; Rooney - remember the name

[Lazarou]

Ive seen him play centre mid and as a number 10, where is his best position then, on the wing or as a holding midfielder!!? All this were not playing him in his best position holds little water with me, if I played him centre back I would still expect him to be able to pass and not get blown off the ball like a rag doll in the wind, he needs to adapt to the situation hes in and he isnt at the moment.
Better players than Klasseen have failed and transfers are always a gamble, some work, some dont, all the indications are the latter with this one but there is still time.

I was just pointing out that if you buy a player who has had a good season playing in a particular way which I would have hoped we would have researched then the logical decision would be to play him in that position. To buy him and not really have a role for him is just pointless.

The early season messing around seems to have ruined him already. I was not excusing his ineffective performances far from it, I think even things are not coming off for you, you can still make a impact in other ways especially in midfield.

He looks way out of his depth, physically and mentally.

[BlueBeagle]

Going to be another Bilyaletdinov I reckon.

Some write him off, others claim he'll come good if played in X position.

The first lot are correct and he gets fucked off in a couple of years time.

[MmmblueBernard]

I’m gonna give him a whole season before I write him off completely.

Is there anyone at Ajax we could swap* him for who might actually perform?

*yes swaps are few and far between but......

[everton1952]

Ajax would be delighted to have him come home and make a fat profit with it. That would not be so bad an outcome. He saves his career and we can stop pretending he is what he clearly isn't. I suspect Koeman wanted him which is a bad sign of his judgement considering he knows Dutch football backwards..

[BlueForYou]

Koeman has not been afraid to leave Klaassen out or bring him off at half-time

Don't think Koeman's convinced - or that he ever was

[Lxxx]

Koeman was always stressing about how big the jump was from the Dutch league to the Premier League and how you have to be really careful in picking which players will work and which won't.
With Pelle he obviously thought the fact he's a big unit with a good touch would help that transition but with Klaassan nothing he did for Ajax stood out as what we may need. He always looked a player on the fringes of games who would pop up with a goal or an assist after 90 minutes, which is clearly a nice attribute to have but is very reliant on others around you and not your own individual qualities.

He's suffering, as they all are, for playing in a side devoid of structure, confidence and quality throughout.