Ajax coach Alfred Schreuder could hardly wish for a better opponent than SC Cambuur in the run-up to the first group match in the Champions League, against Rangers FC on Wednesday. “You can say that afterwards,” he said the victory of 4-0. “But we make it look like that.”
Schreuder was dissatisfied with his team’s play in the opening phase. ,,Cambuur played much more defensively than last year’, he referred to last season’s 9-0 in the Johan Cruijff Arena. ,,But we also played stiff and too slow. Then you are glad that Bergwijn makes two before halftime. Then you’re well on your way. After the 4-0 we should have gone hunting for more goals, that’s what I told them. We should have scored more often.”
Schreuder gave Davy Klaassen a basic place in the Eredivisie for the first time this season and let Mohammed Kudus play the second half. ,,That is not a choice against certain players, but a choice for Klaassen and Kudus. They deserved it. We also have much more than eleven basic players.”
Schreuder is happy that the transfer market is closed again. “I think we have a strong squad. I love how Edson Álvarez has picked it up. Of course he was disappointed when there was interest in him and he was not allowed to leave,” he referred to a €50 million offer from Chelsea. ,,He explained to me why he was disappointed. I was quite impressed with that. He has not trained for a day, after consultation with me. And the next day he came to me. He still wants to give everything for Ajax. We saw that again against Cambuur. For him, every match is a final. That is also nice to see.”
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