With the arrival of Tolu Arokodare and Marcos Leonardo, it seemed Kasper Dolberg’s time at Ajax was over. Suddenly, he was in the starting line-up against Willem II (5–1). He provided two assists and scored one goal. We spoke to the Dane after the match. “This feels good. I’m pleased with the playing time I’ve had in the last two matches,” said the man of few words in the mixed zone after the match. Dolberg also featured in the away match against Fortuna Sittard (1–5). He scored a goal in that match too. We wouldn’t have thought that a few weeks ago. Dolberg seemed to have run his course at Ajax. He realised that himself, too. “Of course I had my doubts following the arrival of two strikers. Was I close to a transfer? Not really, but I did, of course, speak to other clubs.” In the end, Dolberg decided to stay. The striker says he feels at home in Amsterdam. “I think I can play a big part here. We’ve got a strong team. We can win everything. I want to be part of that. This felt like the best place to be.” Dolberg showed against Willem II that he still possesses superb technique. First, he chested the ball down for Davy Klaassen, before later setting up Oscar Gloukh to score. That was preceded by a lovely backheel. Although Dolberg thought that was his best assist, the first one was impressive too. “When I saw Davy, I laid the ball off on instinct.” Two goals and two assists in four days. That’s something to be proud of. However, Dolberg’s lack of goalscoring was precisely what he was criticised for. “If you’re a striker at Ajax, you have to score goals. I didn’t do that enough last year,” he admits. Dolberg is then asked whether that was down to him or the quality of the players around him. “It’s a combination of both. You have to understand the players around you and the atmosphere in the squad has to be good. I feel more at home in the team now than I did last year.” It’s clear what Míchel Sánchez expects of him. “He wants me to be more aggressive in the penalty area. He knows what I’m capable of with the ball in build-up play. I’m a striker who wants to be involved in the game. I feel comfortable in that role, but I do need to score more often.” In Arokodare, Dolberg has a rival for goals. “He’s a specialist at picking his spot in the penalty area. We talk about that a lot,” says the Dane, who also enjoys playing alongside Julian Brandt. “This was the first time I’ve played alongside him. I love players like him. He’s always looking for you. We need to link up more often, but it’ll come.” Dolberg certainly has a good feeling about this squad. “There’s a lot of quality in this team. Ajax have signed a lot of good players at the right age. They’re lads who have experience, but are still hungry. It’s a great group. I’ve got a really good feeling about it. ‘We still have room for improvement, but the foundations are in place.’   submitted by   /u/Roller95 [link]   [comments]