‘He was inimitable and hard to keep’

Sunday, November 21, 2021 at 9:07 PM• Mart Oude Nijeweeme • Last update: 21:12

Erik ten Hag praised Antony on Sunday evening after Ajax’s won Eredivisie match with RKC Waalwijk (0-5). According to the trainer, the Brazilian attacker was ‘inimitable and hard to keep’. Antony saw a goal disallowed for offside shortly after the break, but was at times a real plague for his direct opponent Luuk Wouters.

“Antony was in good shape, wasn’t he?” said Ten Hag in front of the camera of ESPN. “With this appearance, he has to come on the field every game. Not just in the big games, but in every game. Today he was definitely there and I think he was inimitable and hard to keep.” The coach was happy that after the scoreless draws against Heracles Almelo and Go Ahead Eagles Ajax finally managed to book a convincing victory. “We converted it well and learned from the mistakes we made in the previous games.”

“Before the game, we talked about investing,” Ten Hag continues. “Especially at times in the last third of the field, when we need to accelerate. We did that much better tonight. You have to have depth and give the man on the ball choices.” The Ajax coach then explains why Sébastien Haller often has a hard time against compact opponents. “That is thankless work. He often has to walk to the first post, where the opponent is often well positioned. You don’t often score goals there. Coincidentally today, because he was there at the right time. He often draws attention, allowing others to take advantage. But then they have to be there.”

Nicolás Tagliafico has lost his base plate to Daley Blind this season and did not go further than 184 minutes in the Eredivisie. Ten Hag used all five substitutions during the match against RKC, but decided to leave the Argentine left back on the bench for another 90 minutes. “You have to make choices there,” says the trainer. “Berghuis and Timber have been injured and Antony has had a long journey. It wants to keep you fresh. I also want to see Daramy at work, because he will only get better when he starts playing. Then it quickly adds up, because you can change five.”