Why everyone hates to hate Amin Younes

Amin Younes has scored. This is not a drill. Our German left winger showed his cool in front of goal for the first time this Eredivisie-season, and finally everyone shuts up about that case. Most of all, however, I hope this boosts his confidence a little bit. Because if there’s any player in the current Ajax-squad I hate to hate, it’s Younes. Which is why I proudly defend his claims that he’ll score nine more in the remainder of the season.

Younes came out of nowhere last season. A transfer that seemed a little odd at the beginning (The winger didn’t exactly excel in the German Second Division and seemed a Tobias Sana-like mishit waiting to happen), turned out to be an amazing one. Younes established himself as an attractive player who often brought a glimmer of hope into the cold, calculating playing style under Frank de Boer.

It is ironic how Younes, of all players, is the one struggling most under new manager Peter Bosz, who should represent all the things Younes did by himself last year. It’s hard to determine where it went wrong. Some say it’s because he lost his ability to surprise defenders, because they now know what’s coming. Others pin it to a lack of confidence, and an accumulation of bad luck.

If this is not the first time you read this column, you know I hardly answer deep, interesting Ajax-related questions. And that’s because I don’t know as much about football as I sometimes think I do. I write this piece almost one hundred per cent of the time out of emotion, and my opinions are hardly ever fueled by facts. This week, I just want to show my support to Amin.

Because I slowly started to get more and more annoyed. My pity got replaced by anger more and more. Every failed dribble, every missed shot: it all started to contribute to the slow process of getting completely fed up with him. I hope Sunday has changed the face of this season for Younes. I hope he becomes the player we all grew to love last year, instead of the one we grew to hate this one. And I hope he scores a hattrick against Feyenoord in April.

Because all will be forgotten. I trust in you, Amin.

Written by Lukas Schroder

Lukas writes every Wednesday for AjaxDaily. His love for Ajax is only transcended by his hate for Nemanja Gudelj. Got called 'The worst writer of all time' on Twitter once. Wears that like a badge.