Hedwiges Maduro thinks that Ajax may be tactically capable of overclassing the world top, the former player of the Amsterdam team added on Tuesday evening. football talk after the impressive victory over Borussia Dortmund (4-0). Simon Cziommer has also been impressed by the tactical ability of trainer Erik ten Hag’s team.
Ajax impressed all of Europe with a dominant performance against Borussia Dortmund. According to analyst Simon Cziommer, the Ten Hag team has won the convincing victory all by itself. “That is important, because from a tactical point of view, Ajax showed today that they were lord and master in the stadium”, the former player of AZ and Vitesse, among others, is lyrical. “The Borussia Dortmund players no longer knew where to walk or where to line up. They even switched defensively with Emre Can, a left-back midfielder. They no longer knew what to do, also tactically.”
Ajax also made the necessary impression on Hedwiges Maduro. “So I think that’s the great thing about Ajax. Opponents also analyze Ajax. They come up with a plan: we are going to put pressure on Ajax or not, but Ajax can always play football with these players,” he says. “It doesn’t matter how the opponent plays, because Ajax always has the solution. I think they recognize that very quickly, with Blind leading the way and Ten Hag steering along the sidelines. It is really good to see that a top Dutch team is able to tactically outclass other European sub-toppers or maybe even world teams.”
Someone who stood out for the analysts against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday evening was Steven Berghuis. “I think that Berghuis’s performance will now also create a duel between Gravenberch and Klaassen, because Klaassen can also fill that position,” says Cziommer. “I am a bit against it, because I do think that Berghuis has made an absolute statement in the number ten position. Not only at Ajax, but also at the Dutch national team. I didn’t expect it to function so well. Berghuis can play football with the ball, everyone knows that, but also how he did defensive work against a very strong opponent today from that position.” Maduro agrees with his colleague analyst. “I think he has now played Klaassen out of the starting lineup. That’s how it goes, isn’t it. You are only as good as your last game and Berghuis is just better now, it’s that simple.”