After five games, Ajax is in the right row of the Premier League. The weak match, which resulted in a 3-1 defeat, exposed a lot of shortcomings of the Amsterdam team. “I’m ashamed of that,” says coach Maurice Steijn afterwards.
Things went completely wrong for the Ajax players in the first fifteen minutes. Manfred Ugalde and Sem Steijn of FC Twente scored early in the match, meaning Ajax immediately faced a 2-0 deficit. “We just have to shoot the ball away, we are not covering and a defender slips,” explains Steijn.
Complete selection
Ajax started with no fewer than five newcomers. Borna Sosa, Josip Sutalo, Sivert Mannsverk, Benjamin Tahirovic and Chuba Akpom got a chance to prove themselves today. This means that the team is not yet attuned to each other, says Steijn. “It really just needs some time. We have only trained twice with a complete selection.”
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Steijn’s substitutions don’t make any difference. The team from Amsterdam were trumped on all fronts throughout the match and the introduction of a completely new midfield could not change that. Afterwards, goalkeeper Jay Gorter criticized the high number of chances that Ajax always has to deal with. “We give away more than we create.”
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After four games, Ajax is in a disappointing twelfth place with only five points. It only managed to win in the first round, but the 2022 national champion drew against Excelsior (2-2) and Fortuna Sittard (0-0). They had to take their first defeat of the season against FC Twente.
Next Thursday, Ajax will play the first match in the group stage of the Europa League. Olympique Marseille will then visit the Johan Cruijff Arena.