Frank de Boer and Alderweireld scathing about ‘cringeworthy’ interview with Ajax coach Míchel
Frank de Boer and Toby Alderweireld sharply criticised Ajax coach Míchel Sánchez's English on Ziggo Sport on Thursday evening. Three and a half months into his job in Amsterdam, the Spaniard struggled to explain the painful 2-1 defeat to Hajduk Split. Both pundits questioned how he gets his message across to the squad.
After the embarrassing Conference League defeat, Míchel appeared before Ziggo Sport's cameras and tried to explain what had gone wrong in halting English. "I think our first half was not good enough. We lost the ball a lot in possession and did not have enough energy without the ball to press well," said the coach, who also stressed that Ajax improved after the break. "In the second half we dominated the match and deserved more, but because of two mistakes we conceded two goals."
Jofre Torrents came under scrutiny for his leading role in both goals Ajax conceded. "He made a mistake for the second goal, but his performance was not bad," replied Míchel. He repeatedly searched for words during the interview and struggled to finish his sentences.
In the Ziggo Sport studio, presenter Sam van Royen picked up on Míchel's struggles. "I'm also looking at this from a television perspective, and perhaps you wouldn't say this if they had won and everything was going well," the presenter began. "But in terms of his English, in terms of communication, after a defeat: it does come across awkwardly, doesn't it?"
Alderweireld agreed and questioned how Míchel communicates with the Ajax squad. "I ask myself: how does he communicate with his team? Is it in English or in Spanish? A lot of people don't understand Spanish; they understand English better, but if you speak like that..." said Alderweireld.
Backing him up, De Boer delivered a damning verdict: "It's excruciating to sit and listen to this." Alderweireld continued: "If you do that in the dressing room, you get exactly the same thing," said the former defender, who also had doubts about working with an interpreter. "Suppose he speaks Spanish and someone else translates it: it often doesn't come across in quite the same way. Perhaps he conveys it slightly differently from the person translating it, so that's not ideal."
Van Royen suggested Daley Blind might act as a translator, saying Ajax had brought him in as a kind of extension of Míchel. Alderweireld rejected that as an ideal solution too: "As long as there's a middleman, it doesn't matter whether it's Daley Blind or someone else. At a moment like that, you have to convey your passion and knowledge. A team should almost be hanging on your every word and thinking: OK, yes, that's it."
