Erik ten Hag has had it all but easy after the elimination in the Champions League against Benfica. The Ajax coach indicated at the press conference in the run-up to The Classic that he had ‘done football for a while’, and that he was not involved with the sport outside the duel with Feyenoord. Ten Hag also reacted indignantly to a statement by the NOSwho hinted at a personal error by André Onana as the cause of the elimination.
“I haven’t watched football for a while,” Ten Hag admits. “I was done with it for a while.” The coach indicates that he has extensively reflected on the result of last Tuesday with his complete selection. “I’ve been with a lot of players. Not just with Onana. Also in groups, to gauge the mood. And I also wanted to include and emphasize what was good, because in the end we played a great Champions League season and also in We showed a lot of good things in the diptych.”
‘Big game on Sunday, then we can wash away that bad taste.’#Classic #jafey pic.twitter.com/zM0zVc1N6L
— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) March 18, 2022
Ten Hag reacts annoyed to a new hint to Onana’s fault for the only goal. “It is not only because of that mistake, given the preponderance we had. We had enough opportunities, which we should have finished. You want to push it into one box. I create clarity: it is a team effort. The team has it leave.”
Despite his ‘football break’, Ten Hag has been busy with ‘the next final’: The Classic against Feyenoord, next Sunday. “We have a bad taste to wash away. We still have a lot to play for this season: the league and the cup. There are still a lot of finals coming up, and Sunday is one of those finals.” In case of a win, Ajax guarantees itself at least one more round at the top of the Eredivisie; number three Feyenoord can catch up to three points with a win.