‘I am someone for whom it takes a little longer’

NOS Football•today, 09:53

Josip Sutalo was calm when he played with the Croatian team against the Dutch team in De Kuip in the summer of 2023. He looked like a bundle of nerves a few months later in the Ajax shirt. Even against the most modest clubs.

Why did it take – or still takes – so long for Sutalo to find his place in Ajax’s defense? And how does he deal with the setbacks and criticism that came his way in his first year outside Croatia?

Sutalo himself is now optimistic. “I’m doing great. It was more difficult at first, but I’m used to it now.”

First let’s go back to the much-discussed Amsterdam transfer summer of 2023. The then technical director of Ajax – Sven Mislintat – saw Sutalo as the perfect leader of the defense. The man who could take the young Jorrel Hato by the hand on the right side of the centre.

And so the German took all the time to pry Sutalo away from Dinamo Zagreb. He dedicated some trips to Croatia to it, and photos of a busy negotiating Mislintat flew across social media.

“The thought of playing for Ajax immediately appealed to me,” Sutalo says about that time. “It is a big club with a big history. There was a very clear plan for me. I liked that.”

When the deal was finally completed, Sutalo came for around 20 million, Ajax was overjoyed. Even then trainer Maurice Steijn was full of praise, while he had little sympathy for Mislintat’s other purchases.

Sutalo made his debut against Fortuna Sittard (0-0) as captain. That actually went fine. But Ajax soon fell into a crisis and Sutalo also looked more uncertain by the week.

It turned out to be difficult to get used to Ajax and life outside Croatia. “I had difficulty with the adjustment,” Sutalo reflects. “It was the first transfer I ever made, to a country with a language I didn’t know.”

Sutalo: “I am also someone who needs a little more time for that. Off the field I am a quiet and more withdrawn person. I have my own circle of people within whom I feel safe.”

Sutalo remains confident despite criticism: ‘Always believe in my skills’

Sutalo was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina and moved to Zagreb at the age of fourteen to play in the renowned Dinamo academy.

At the age of 21 he became a starter there, after a rental period at NK Istra. In Croatia people got to know him as a cool defender. Convincing in the duels, calm on the ball. Exactly how he presented himself in the national team from June 2022.

He became national champion three times with Dinamo Zagreb. And the perfectly coordinated Croatia did fantastic at the World Cup in Qatar and in the Nations League.

But at Ajax he ended up in a bed that was anything but spread out for the first time. “As a team we were not at the desired level at the time, with many new players coming in and having to adapt. That also affected my performance.”

Sutalo was unable to form a resting point next to Hato. Ajax first climbed up under coach John van ‘t Schip, but often fell hard again after the winter break.

Sutalo continued to struggle and was heavily criticized for his disappointing play. “My performance was not as expected. Of course, the criticism sometimes hurts, but I am a professional and I have to be able to deal with it. The most important thing is what people at the club and my teammates think.”

So the criticism really hit Sutalo, but it did not affect his self-confidence. “I know what my qualities are and never doubt my skills. I don’t do that now either. I have to keep working on myself and get better with every training.”

Will the Netherlands get to see the ‘real’ Sutalo next year? That calm defender who managed to hold his ground so easily in De Kuip against the Dutch?

“My goal is to show the best version of myself and help the team. This season was not ideal for Ajax, but we aim for it to be better next year and to bring Ajax back to where it should be. I believe that is also the case. in.”