Calvin Bassey and Rangers have struggled since they parted ways last summer and the club even sacked Giovanni van Bronckhorst and appointed Michael Beale as his successor at the Ibrox last November.
The defender faced Rangers twice in the Champions League this season and Ajax ended up winning both ties, and while Beale’s arrival at the Ibrox has improved the situation at Rangers, but the same cannot be said about the 23-year-old at the Eredivisie side.
Ajax paid a club-record fee in signing the centre-back from Rangers, and Algemeen Dagblad have a report on the Nigeria international, titled ‘Ajax have forgotten how to build up, but Bassey is the scapegoat’.
The former Ibrox man was earlier given the benefit of doubt when he ‘unintentionally’ contributed to the crisis as a centre-back with ‘little creativity and precision’ in the build-up.
Ajax manager Alfred Schreuder has kept faith in the ex-Rangers defender, but AD say he has ‘became a kind of embodiment of the failed transformation of a stunt team, which has mainly lost its footballing ability’.
Football analyst Kenneth Pérez points out the reason for Ajax’s poor performances this season.
“The build-up of Ajax is dramatic. That is not surprising if four of the six players in the defensive positions are not comfortable on the ball. Ajax has not bought qualities on the ball,” Pérez said.
Last season at the Ibrox, Van Bronckhorst used Bassey in the heart of the Rangers’ back line and also as a left-back. Schreuder has used him as a left-back in five of the last eight league games.
Feyenoord legend Willem van Hanegem is of the belief the ex-Rangers player can be best utilised while he is operating as a centre-back.
“At Ajax, he has to run like crazy along the sidelines and give crosses. Why on earth,” Van Hanegem said.
“That’s not where his quality lies. He can defend and play a midfielder, he succeeds, you know. Bassey has to play to his strength. Short on the striker, eating up opponents. He can, you can see that. But things are going badly at Ajax and then they often find a scapegoat.”
Bassey was a star under Van Bronckhorst at Rangers, while he has been made a ‘scapegoat’ at Ajax.
It hasn’t been easy for the player since leaving the Ibrox and he will be hoping his situation gets better in Amsterdam soon.
