Thursday, September 16, 2021 at 11:51 PM• Dominic Mostert

The 0-4 victory in the battle for the Johan Cruijff Scale seemed a sign to PSV that the gap with Ajax may have been closed, but five weeks later Kenneth Perez and Arnold Bruggink conclude that the team from Amsterdam still has a lead. Where Ajax won 1-5 against Sporting Portugal in the Champions League on Tuesday, PSV did not get past Real Sociedad (2-2) in the Europa League on Thursday.

In ‘s studio ESPN Perez raises the question of how the discussion about the closed gap in the Netherlands is ‘internationally related’. In other words: is PSV in Europe just as decisive as Ajax? Marciano Vink thinks that PSV has indeed come closer to Ajax from an international point of view. “Ajax and PSV will have few problems nationally. They will win their matches and that battle will continue until the end. From a European perspective, PSV has played a good game today. 2-2 against Spain’s number four is a good result.”

Perez then asks whether Vink would say the same if Ajax had drawn against Real Sociedad. “I think so. Real Sociedad is not a team that you just put away,” responds Vink. “Everything went well for Ajax against Sporting yesterday. They had found the tactical solution and Haller and Antony were in top form. A number of players were also not present at Sporting,” he refers to captain Sebastián Coates and star player Pedro Goncalves. “It just has to be just right. All in all, you might be able to put it together. PSV played a very good game with a good result. I certainly think that PSV has come closer to Ajax, also internationally.”

Perez can nevertheless imagine that Ajax would sweep a team like Sporting Portugal 1-5 off the mat, even if ‘everything goes well’. Bruggink puts the player material of both top clubs next to each other. “The important players of Ajax feel it better.” Perez then points out that PSV’s purchase policy was aimed at experienced players, such as André Ramalho, Marco van Ginkel and Phillipp Mwene. “Certainly”, Bruggink responds. “But the quality at Ajax is of a different level. Ryan Gravenberch is really very decisive for Ajax at such a young age. PSV does not have that in midfield.”