In the very last match of Ajax under the care of Erik ten Hag, the national champion got no further than a 2-2 draw against Vitesse. Afterwards, the future manager of Manchester United was critical of his team.
“It is what it is”, Ten Hag said in front of the camera of ESPN. †After the break, we make two crucial mistakes in a very short period of time. Then the game is turned upside down.” The trainer had really enjoyed his team in the first half, with the team from Amsterdam securing a dominant 1-0 lead.
In the final phase, shortly after Edson Alvarez’s late equalizer, Ten Hag saw his team come close to victory. ,,Back on the bar, three times in this game”, he said. ,,The fact that the ball just didn’t go in was symbolic. But we have to be critical, because the consistent defense was not good enough, so Vitesse scored those two goals. were thrown in their lap. Defensively, it could and should have been better.”
Pride
The fact that PSV finished only two points behind Ajax due to the draw does not say much, according to Ten Hag. ,,We were close to each other, but the difference is there. In terms of points, we have done about as well as last year, while PSV achieved much more than last season. The whole competition was strong; also Feyenoord and for example FC Twente. I am pleased that they (Twente, ed.) are back where they belong. But AZ, Utrecht and Vitesse are also strong. Then you can be proud if you become champion of that.”
Ten Hag also looked proud when he was asked about his four and a half years of coaching at Ajax. “You have gone through so much in the past four years,” he explained. “A lot is demanded of your management skills. You only do that when it gets difficult. four times champion.”
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