Van der Vaart believes that Leonardo is being unfairly judged, saying that "he sees that nothing is wrong with the young player". The former Ajax player also thinks that the situation is made more difficult for Leonardo by the presence of Tolu Arokodare, who scored two goals in the match. Van der Vaart suggests that Leonardo is being "thrown into the deep end" and that the fans' chants of Arokodare's name are not helping the situation.
Kieft also expressed his support for Leonardo, saying that "Michel Sánchez should not change the striker by game. That is never good." The former Ajax striker remains confident that Leonardo will regain his form, stating that "we expect his form to return soon".