Patrick Kluivert considers the current Ajax a lot better than Barcelona. The former striker of both clubs is impressed by what the team from Amsterdam has shown so far in the Champions League and is therefore curious to what extent the team of coach Erik ten Hag could measure up to the absolute top. “The match two weeks ago (against Borussia Dortmund, ed.) was the best I’ve seen Ajax in recent years,” said Kluivert.
After a 1-5 win over Sporting Portugal and a 2-0 win over Besiktas, Borussia Dortmund were beaten 4-0 two weeks ago. “They had Dortmund completely under control,” says Kluivert in an interview with Football International. “In the run-up it was Haaland before and Haaland after, but he also couldn’t do anything. No one at Dortmund had an answer to the creativity and speed of Ajax. I think the great thing about this Ajax is the combination of individual class and team quality.”
When asked, Kluivert compares the Ajax of 1995 with the current team of Erik ten Hag. He states that Ajax from 26 years ago that the Champions League had more ‘absolute top quality’. He emphasizes that at the time the number of foreign players was limited. “Partly because of this, we had a largely Dutch team, with many boys from Amsterdam as well. Apart from that, as much as I enjoyed the game against Dortmund, that is Germany’s number two, not number one. It’s not Bayern Munich, it’s not a top of the top,” said Kluivert. “In the season that we won the Champions League, we beat the cup holder AC Milan three times. That’s a difference.”
Kluivert says to the weekly that he can enjoy Antony, the 21-year-old winger who has been able to call himself a Brazilian international since last month. “I don’t think Ajax can keep him for long,” said Kluivert, who thinks Sébastien Haller and Steven Berghuis are good purchases. “I think it’s very clever, especially van Berghuis, how he performs, after all the shit he’s been given. His qualities fit perfectly with the Ajax game. Or take Tadic, the team’s engine. I can actually name the whole team. But Antony stands out for me.”
The former the Dutch international is ‘very curious’ whether Ajax can reach the same level against the absolute top teams. “Then I’m not talking about Barcelona, they are completely cross-eyed by this Ajax”, says Kluivert. “But teams like Manchester City, Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain.” After three matches, Ajax leads Group C with nine points. With a win over Dortmund, Ajax is already assured of qualification for the eighth finals. If Sporting Portugal does not beat Besiktas in front of its own audience, then a draw will suffice for the team from Amsterdam. Dortmund will have to do it on their own field on Wednesday without the injured Erling Braut Haaland, Emre Can and Raphaël Guerreiro.