Kenneth Perez has pinpointed a fundamental flaw in the AFC Ajax squad. The analyst highlighted a lack of speed and players making runs in behind, a weakness evident during Simon Adingra's debut on Saturday.

Perez made the comments on ESPN's Dit was het Weekend show following the 1-1 draw with NEC Nijmegen. "The squad lacks something very essential that others have: speed and players who make runs in behind," said Perez. "They don't have that at all." He added that with striker Tolu Arokodare, Ajax has the ideal forward to play around, but is making the wrong choices due to the lack of pace. "You see them wanting to play the ball inside, when they should actually play it in behind for Arokodare," Perez explained.

Adingra's first minutes

The criticism comes as Ajax sought to address this very issue. The club brought in Simon Adingra on a season-long loan from Sunderland to add wing speed, following Mika Godts's departure to Paris Saint-Germain. The Ghanaian made his return from injury on Saturday, playing the final thirty minutes. He was deployed on the right wing, however, which is not his natural position, and looked uncomfortable. Perez noted that Adingra did not make a single run in behind during his minutes on the pitch, underlining the core problem.

Adingra had not played since August 2nd prior to this match and needs time to find his rhythm. His arrival was one of twelve summer signings, which also included right winger Viktor Tsygankov. Ajax currently sit fifth in the Eredivisie with fifteen points from eight games, trailing leaders Feyenoord by five points. The team has scored 15 goals and conceded 10. The next opportunity to improve comes on Saturday away to FC Groningen, who sit sixth with 14 points. The full standings and fixtures schedule are available online.

The draw with NEC, in which Tolu Arokodare scored the equaliser, was a second consecutive stalemate. The team has the quality, Perez concluded, but the composition isn't right yet. Adingra has the ability to become one of the best attackers in the league, but needs time to adapt to life in Amsterdam and rediscover his form. The analyst stressed that the solution does not lie with one player, but is a structural deficiency in the first-team squad build.

The report in full is at roundtable.io