MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Koeman marks return to Arnhem with a Victory

by Patrick Watts in Arnhem.

Former Dutch International soccer player, Ronald Koeman, is rapidly establishing himself as one of the top Trainer's in the Country. It is, according to many experienced football writers, just a matter of time before he takes over the Nederlands National team.

Earlier this year he could not resist an urgent call from Amsterdam, and half-way through the season he left Vitesse Arnhem, where he had had considerable success, to take up the difficult position of Trainer at the famous Ajax club. His new side were struggling, but just a few months later, and following some Koeman magic, Ajax were champions of Holland once again, and this week they will go into the draw for the lucrative Champions League.

During the summer's break, Koeman took Vitesse favourite, Vicor Sikora, to Amsterdam for a reported fee of $US 4 millions, just when it seemed the new Dutch international player would sign for Fulham in the English Premiership. Disappointingly for the Vitesse fans, Sikora was said to be 'ill and injured' and did not feature in the weekends big game.

On Sunday, Koeman took his champions back to Arnhem, and came away with a narrow 2-1 victory, in what was an excellent game of fast-flowing football. Both teams had won their opening games, while Ajax.'s deadly rivals, PSV of Eindhoven, had won the previous day putting more pressure on Koeman's team.

In the magnificent GELREDOME stadium, with its revolutionary retractable roof and playing pitch, the capacity crowd of nearly 25,000, did not have to wait very long for early action. In the 15th minute Matthew Amoah seized on to a long ball played out of defence, and held off two defenders, before slotting the ball past goal-keeper Maarten Stekelenburg, putting Vitesse 1-0 ahead.

Nicky Hofs should have increased the lead in the 23rd minute but shot wide of the post, and in the 37th minute the balding Gert Claessens fired the ball across the goal, with the onrushing Emile Mbamba just unable to touch the ball into the net. Vitesse's Dutch youth international, the stocky Theo Janssen, was at this stage running the game, and clearly winning the battle with another young star of the future, Rafael van der Vaart of Ajax.

Koemans half-time talk worked wonders, and within 5 minutes Ajax were level. However it was a 'blunder' by goal-keeper Dragoslav Jevric which led to the equaliser. He dropped the ball following a corner kick, and in the scramble which followed, Petri Pasanen stabbed the ball into the net.

Claessens was unlucky not to put Vitesse back in front, as his solo effort ended with the ball hitting the base of the post, but it was Ajax who was next to strike. A foul given against a Vitesse defender was hotly disputed, but the outstanding Ajax captain and Romanian International, Christian Chivu, did not allow the protests to upset him. From fully 30 meters he smashed the ball into the top corner of the goal, giving Jevric no chance of saving the shot.

Both sides had further chances to score and fully 6 minutes of added time was played as tired tackles resulted in a series of stoppages and free-kicks, mostly going the way of Vitesse. But it was Ajax and Koeman who came away with the 3 points, although the blond headed Trainer was not happy with his team's overall performance. While he praised the effort of Mike Snoei's Vitesse, he insisted that his team, 'had not played well in their re-arranged 4-4-2 system'. (Ajax generally prefer a 4-3-3 formation).

Vitesse obviously missed the presence of their big striker, Belgium international Bob Peeters, who missed the game through injury. Once he is back in the team, they could still mount a serious challenge in the Eredivisie this season.

Meanwhile Ajax and PSV are joined at the top of the table by the 'surprise' team of the season so far, RKC of Waalwijk. All have 6 points. Vitesse drop to 7th place on 3 points.