Kasper Dolberg

Scored 2 goals yesterday. He had a lot of criticism as he went on a dry streak, but this guy is the real deal. Ajax play some poor football and with our poor wingers who are very predictable and selfish, and one creative midfielder in Ziyech, Dolberg barely gets good passes to make opportunity out of that. However in that period he wasnt scoring?.his work rate and game intelligence stood put for me. For a 19 year old he is so strong, can keep 2-3 defenders busy, good vision and passing, can hold up play using his body, links up with midfielders when possible, fairly good in the air, great right foot, smart finisher, good movement. Really complete striker for his age, he should stay 2 or 3 seasons more though and become the best Eredivisie striker first before considering a move.

His personality is really humble as well, no signs of arrogance, no diving, no referee talking, polite, but he does show little emotion at times. More than a little smile after a goal is unusual, seems as if he just did his job.
 
Sammyjunn said:
Scored 2 goals yesterday. He had a lot of criticism as he went on a dry streak, but this guy is the real deal. Ajax play some poor football and with our poor wingers who are very predictable and selfish, and one creative midfielder in Ziyech, Dolberg barely gets good passes to make opportunity out of that. However in that period he wasnt scoring?.his work rate and game intelligence stood put for me. For a 19 year old he is so strong, can keep 2-3 defenders busy, good vision and passing, can hold up play using his body, links up with midfielders when possible, fairly good in the air, great right foot, smart finisher, good movement. Really complete striker for his age, he should stay 2 or 3 seasons more though and become the best Eredivisie striker first before considering a move.

His personality is really humble as well, no signs of arrogance, no diving, no referee talking, polite, but he does show little emotion at times. More than a little smile after a goal is unusual, seems as if he just did his job.
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Are you an Ajax supporter? Are you hearing much about United being interested in him?
 
I've been watching Ajax on Sky most weekends, his brace yesterday was a couple of classic striker goals, but it's his all round play that is so impressive, strength, composure and great movement. He has a maturity to him that reminds me of a young Alan Shearer which bodes well, I can't see him at Ajax for more than one more season.
 
Got bored of the scouse yesterday and put the Ajax match on as it was on Sky and wow does this guy look quality.

He looks quick as hell aswell which shocked me considering his size.
 
Who is the better prospect, him or Andre Silva (Porto)?
 
Seems like a Mourinho type forward as his hold up play is fantastic, but I do think he needs another season in Holland.
 
I'd rather we take a chance on this young lad than pump out stupid money for someone like Kane. He reminds me a lot of Kane.
 
I could see Jose going for experience if he goes in for another striker such as an Aubameyang or a Benzema if either became available. Striker is a position that Jose likes experience in. Eriksen really struggled in his first season in the PL and Victor Fischer seems to have disappeared off the radar altogether. Add that to Daley Blinds and Depay's struggles here and it becomes clear that young stars at Ajax and PSV don't always adapt to the PL. No doubting Dolberg is a huge talent but I think striker is too big a role in Jose's eyes and I think he prefers signing established strikers as opposed to developing a kid for the role.
 
His link up play is very similar to Kane. Also his fellow teammates (mainly Klaasen) reported him being very mature during the dry spell after his incredible start. He's not Drogba, and I reckon he won't be the one ending as the top scorer of top European leagues, but the way his play revolves and adapts to his teammates is astonishing in that age.
Looks a proper and intelligent prospect who very well could end up in PL or Bundesliga within the next couple of years.
However with the latest big investments bigger sized clubs have had in the eresdivisie (Depay, Janssen), I'm not really sure whether clubs are ready to make the investment Ajax would require. Might be more adaptable if he moves quickly, but also could damage his development.
Also: His performances on the big stage (the game against Copenhagen in the EL last game i.e.) showed he's not afraid of taking responsibility on his shoulders and keep calm and composed.
 
Champagne Football said:
I could see Jose going for experience if he goes in for another striker such as an Aubameyang or a Benzema if either became available. Striker is a position that Jose likes experience in. Eriksen really struggled in his first season in the PL and Victor Fischer seems to have disappeared off the radar altogether. Add that to Daley Blinds and Depay's struggles here and it becomes clear that young stars at Ajax and PSV don't always adapt to the PL. No doubting Dolberg is a huge talent but I think striker is too big a role in Jose's eyes and I think he prefers signing established strikers as opposed to developing a kid for the role.
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Blinds first season in the PL was impressive I thought. Under LvG he played intelligently and was an important part of our defensive setup. Depay however...
 
Buying stars from Ajax isn't the same as buying "stars" from the Eredivisie.. I think it's very, very rare for our actual top players to flop after leaving. I also think Eriksen was better in his first season in the PL than in his 2nd.
Fischer for example wasn't a star but a failed prospect.

Anyway Dolberg isn't even a star at the moment. He's just a (very good) talent and certainly shouldn't leave yet. Also don't think he will as he said several times that he doesn't want to make the next step too early and us demanding big money might put off some clubs too.
 
Can see Liverpool, Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund going for him this summer.
 
Sammyjunn said:
Scored 2 goals yesterday. He had a lot of criticism as he went on a dry streak, but this guy is the real deal. Ajax play some poor football and with our poor wingers who are very predictable and selfish, and one creative midfielder in Ziyech, Dolberg barely gets good passes to make opportunity out of that. However in that period he wasnt scoring?.his work rate and game intelligence stood put for me. For a 19 year old he is so strong, can keep 2-3 defenders busy, good vision and passing, can hold up play using his body, links up with midfielders when possible, fairly good in the air, great right foot, smart finisher, good movement. Really complete striker for his age, he should stay 2 or 3 seasons more though and become the best Eredivisie striker first before considering a move.

His personality is really humble as well, no signs of arrogance, no diving, no referee talking, polite, but he does show little emotion at times. More than a little smile after a goal is unusual, seems as if he just did his job.
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Well he did. Not that his job is just scoring goals, but his overall play wasn't that great and with the chances he got and the space he got after the first goal it's not unreasonable to expect him to finish one. During his dry spell he had some very poor games, where he couldn't make anything happen and lost posession a lot.

I don't agree with your opinion about the wingers either. Traore lacks confidence and vision, but Younes was the one making things happen the last months, despite getting little support from Dolberg in a lot of matches. He doesn't wow anybody with surprising moves, but it's effective and he needs very little space. Dolberg is a greater talent but that's no reason to act like he's playing better already, he didn't for a few months. I also wonder if Dolberg is such an enormous talent at all, he's on his way to become a very good all round centre forward, but at top level it's often more important to have one specialty like pace or strength that beats anybody.
 
Dr. Funkenstein said:
Well he did. Not that his job is just scoring goals, but his overall play wasn't that great and with the chances he got and the space he got after the first goal it's not unreasonable to expect him to finish one. During his dry spell he had some very poor games, where he couldn't make anything happen and lost posession a lot.

I don't agree with your opinion about the wingers either. Traore lacks confidence and vision, but Younes was the one making things happen the last months, despite getting little support from Dolberg in a lot of matches. He doesn't wow anybody with surprising moves, but it's effective and he needs very little space. Dolberg is a greater talent but that's no reason to act like he's playing better already, he didn't for a few months. I also wonder if Dolberg is such an enormous talent at all, he's on his way to become a very good all round centre forward, but at top level it's often more important to have one specialty like pace or strength that beats anybody.
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I don't know if I agree with that at all. Suarez, Lewandowski, Aguero, Müller, Griezmann, Higuain, Dybala and Kane are all well-rounded strikers. I could probably cite more if I put my mind to it.

Edit: Benzema, Lacazette, Cavani, Mertens too..
 
JohnnyLaw said:
I don't know if I agree with that at all. Suarez, Lewandowski, Aguero, Müller, Griezmann, Higuain, Dybala and Kane are all well-rounded strikers. I could probably cite more if I put my mind to it.

Edit: Benzema, Lacazette, Cavani, Mertens too..
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I love allround centre forwards, but sometimes at the highest level it doesn't work because a player's pace or strength is matched to a degree it becomes ineffective. Mertens for exampe, who isn't at highest level anyway, has a lot of pace and agility, too much for the best defenders usually. Aguero has very quick feet, Suarez has exceptional technique and can dribble with the ball under his body, Lewandowski has exceptional awareness. With Dolberg I wonder which asset, which weapon, he's going to beat world class defenders with. I could name a few possible ones, but the question whether there is one at all also remains.
 
Dr. Funkenstein said:
Well he did. Not that his job is just scoring goals, but his overall play wasn't that great and with the chances he got and the space he got after the first goal it's not unreasonable to expect him to finish one. During his dry spell he had some very poor games, where he couldn't make anything happen and lost posession a lot.

I don't agree with your opinion about the wingers either. Traore lacks confidence and vision, but Younes was the one making things happen the last months, despite getting little support from Dolberg in a lot of matches. He doesn't wow anybody with surprising moves, but it's effective and he needs very little space. Dolberg is a greater talent but that's no reason to act like he's playing better already, he didn't for a few months. I also wonder if Dolberg is such an enormous talent at all, he's on his way to become a very good all round centre forward, but at top level it's often more important to have one specialty like pace or strength that beats anybody.
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I disagree completely, Dolberg made the most out of whatever we got. Younes never goes outside to cross, always tries to go inside and go himself. Which comes off regularly as he is a good dribbler, Dolberg rarely gets useful passes from his teammates, Klaassen is a very good runner with workrate and good runs and finishing but not really a creator and Ziyech had a rougher patch as well in form. Still Dolberg worked very hard, maintained his spot and was as useful for the team as he could. But thats the fashion in Holland, if a talent isnt producing for a moment, then burn him unto the ground.
 
Dr. Funkenstein said:
I love allround centre forwards, but sometimes at the highest level it doesn't work because a player's pace or strength is matched to a degree it becomes ineffective. Mertens for exampe, who isn't at highest level anyway, has a lot of pace and agility, too much for the best defenders usually. Aguero has very quick feet, Suarez has exceptional technique and can dribble with the ball under his body, Lewandowski has exceptional awareness. With Dolberg I wonder which asset, which weapon, he's going to beat world class defenders with. I could name a few possible ones, but the question whether there is one at all also remains.
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What asset does Kane have which is so exceptional from all other players?
 
1. His first touch passing demonstrates that his general technique is superb.
2. His dribbling is incredibly effective in tight spaces and has a surprising burst of speed.
3. He's not unlike a young Dennis Bergkamp, rather than Kane or Shearer.
4. His vision for that cross to the back post was brilliant. He saw that run way ahead of time.
 
Sammyjunn said:
I disagree completely, Dolberg made the most out of whatever we got. Younes never goes outside to cross, always tries to go inside and go himself.
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You should really watch more matches, the guy is making progress and getting smarter, he's going round the outside as much as he going inside. And when he's going inside, it's not always to shoot.

Which comes off regularly as he is a good dribbler, Dolberg rarely gets useful passes from his teammates, Klaassen is a very good runner with workrate and good runs and finishing but not really a creator and Ziyech had a rougher patch as well in form. Still Dolberg worked very hard, maintained his spot and was as useful for the team as he could. But thats the fashion in Holland, if a talent isnt producing for a moment, then burn him unto the ground.
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I know exactly how it works in the Netherlands, when a talent is discovered everybody wants to be the first to claim it, and because they're all late they compensate by beeing the first to claim future greatness. Especially when it's everybody's darling, there's no room for facts. It works the other way around to, if a player isn't liked for some reason, any flaw in his game will be made into a charicature, to repeat endlessly and it doesn't matter when he makes progress, facts shouldn't get in the way of a good story about the most like players beeing the best. The narrative that he didn't get any service is already starting in the press, but he just went through a poor streak, his first touch was lacking, he couldn't hold up the ball and his finishing was poor.

I'm not burning him into the ground, I'm glad he's regaining form the last 3 weeks. It's a talent, and the main difference between a talented youngster and a good player is their bottom level. But now it turns out his first touch and skills aren't that solid but dependent on form, togehter with the lack of exceptional strengths, I'm wondering if he'll end up at one of the best clubs in the world. Eriksen was hyped too, maybe even more and even when he still messed up all his shots, it's a good player but I don't expect him to move to Real Madrid.

Sammyjunn said:
What asset does Kane have which is so exceptional from all other players?
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He doesn't, he's got a nice curly shot tough. Good striker, but I don't expect greatness from him.
 
Dr. Funkenstein said:
He doesn't, he's got a nice curly shot tough. Good striker, but I don't expect greatness from him.
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Good post and some great insight there.

One issue though is that whilst I'd agree Kane might not achieve 'greatness'..

Sammyjunn said:
What asset does Kane have which is so exceptional from all other players?
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His one or two 'great' attribute is probably his physique and mentality. He looks durable as feck and yet he's very mobile; he's always on his toes, so his touches on the ball and general running (on/off the ball) is 'light', especially for a player of his size and very important as a striker.

He'll become a very good player/possible great ,if he continues his goal scoring, which tbh is as much as you can ask from for an individual.

Anyways back on topic, the kid looks good. Utd should definitely keep tabs on him.
 
I really disagree with his first touch and overall play being poor during that dip of form. He wasn't scoring but the rest of his game was still quite good imo.
 
Sammyjunn said:
Scored 2 goals yesterday. He had a lot of criticism as he went on a dry streak, but this guy is the real deal. Ajax play some poor football and with our poor wingers who are very predictable and selfish, and one creative midfielder in Ziyech, Dolberg barely gets good passes to make opportunity out of that. However in that period he wasnt scoring?.his work rate and game intelligence stood put for me. For a 19 year old he is so strong, can keep 2-3 defenders busy, good vision and passing, can hold up play using his body, links up with midfielders when possible, fairly good in the air, great right foot, smart finisher, good movement. Really complete striker for his age, he should stay 2 or 3 seasons more though and become the best Eredivisie striker first before considering a move.

His personality is really humble as well, no signs of arrogance, no diving, no referee talking, polite, but he does show little emotion at times. More than a little smile after a goal is unusual, seems as if he just did his job.
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Love him, but seems very slow for an attacker.
 
criticalanalysis said:
Good post and some great insight there.

One issue though is that whilst I'd agree Kane might not achieve 'greatness'..



His one or two 'great' attribute is probably his physique and mentality. He looks durable as feck and yet he's very mobile; he's always on his toes, so his touches on the ball and general running (on/off the ball) is 'light', especially for a player of his size and very important as a striker.

He'll become a very good player/possible great ,if he continues his goal scoring, which tbh is as much as you can ask from for an individual.

Anyways back on topic, the kid looks good. Utd should definitely keep tabs on him.
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We're talking about the future at a topclub here for an 18-year old player which started after about 10 matches for Ajax. That sets the bar pretty high imo, that is reserved for truly exceptional talents, above the level of Kane, Higuain etc, and I don't mean that disrespectul to Kane at all, I think he's a very good striker. That also means it's not just about goal scoring, especially the Ajax-style demands more.

I'm very optimistic about his future, I'm very satisfied with his progress, but I also notice he's getting overhyped and we don't need to be too disappointed if he doesn't make it to the world's best striker.
 
ThomasEmil said:
Blinds first season in the PL was impressive I thought. Under LvG he played intelligently and was an important part of our defensive setup. Depay however...
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Not to mention Blind's brilliant unexpected partnership with Smalling in CB. But that's for another thread.

I have to agree on other poster's comment about Jose wanting experience as CF. He would probably go for someone like Icardi than Dolberg at the moment.
 
Dr. Funkenstein said:
Well he did. Not that his job is just scoring goals, but his overall play wasn't that great and with the chances he got and the space he got after the first goal it's not unreasonable to expect him to finish one. During his dry spell he had some very poor games, where he couldn't make anything happen and lost posession a lot.

I don't agree with your opinion about the wingers either. Traore lacks confidence and vision, but Younes was the one making things happen the last months, despite getting little support from Dolberg in a lot of matches. He doesn't wow anybody with surprising moves, but it's effective and he needs very little space. Dolberg is a greater talent but that's no reason to act like he's playing better already, he didn't for a few months. I also wonder if Dolberg is such an enormous talent at all, he's on his way to become a very good all round centre forward, but at top level it's often more important to have one specialty like pace or strength that beats anybody.
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Spot on. Too many people don't watch games and give I'll informed opinions. I hope he doesn't join the English prehistoric League. It won't improve him as a football player as Payet noted. I can see him joining Bayern. I also don't think he will become elite. He will become a good striker though of he keeps his head down and works.
 
Born with ice in his veins, very few 19 year olds have the coolness and composure to pull off the things he does on a regular basis
 
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Yep, you could see his composure and talent from the beginning. He is a special player, no doubt. Does things not many would do
 
FC Ronaldo said:
Have kept an eye out for his performances since he started making appearances this season. Was picked up by the same guy that scouted Christian Eriksen too.
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This is not true. Eriksen was scouted by Henny de Regt. Ajax propaganda put this story in the air after De Regt was sacked because he was signed by LvG at time he was manager at Ajax. All staff signed by LvG where un rightfully sacked because Cruijff hated everything that had connection with LvG. I know for fact that when Henny de Regt scouted Eriksen, Olsen had never heard his name before. Olsen just give his blessing as a second scout for Eriksen to be signed.
Henny de Regt also scouted De Ligt, the defender, 17yrs old who play at current Ajax.
Henny de Regt is now scout at MU and have brought few great prospects to the Academy.
 
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