Former Ajax midfielder Van der Vaart criticises Alfred Schreuder over Kudu's false 9 role

Former Ajax midfielder, Rafael Van der Vaart, has chastised Ajax manager, Alfred Schreuder, for failing to play Kudus Mohammed, who is a midfielder, alongside striker Bryan Brobbey against Liverpool on Wednesday, October 26, 2022. Schreuder started Kudus from the bench before introducing him late in the game to replace Brobbey while the team was already 3-0 down. Speaking after the defeat, Van der Vaart questioned why Kudus replaced Brobbey and not Dusan Tadic, who played behind Brobbey. "You are 3-0 behind and you decide to take off Brobbey while you finally had a chance to play with both Kudus & Brobbey. I think all these players are thinking, why do you never take off Tadic?" he quizzed. Despite being a playmaker, Mohammed Kudus has played the false 9 roles for Ajax since Schreuder took over. The Ghanaian has excelled in the role scoring 8 goals, 3 in the Champions League. However, there has been an argument that Kudus' new role limits his potential because many believe he can offer more to the team in midfield than leading the attack. Meanwhile, the defeat to Liverpool sends Ajax to the UEFA Europa League after amassing three points from 5 games. EE/FNOQ