Erik ten Hag had Ajax operate in a formation other than 4-3-3 for the first time in a long time on Saturday. The coach saw his experiment against PEC Zwolle (3-0 win) with Dusan Tadic and Sébastien Haller as central attackers. “Whether it will stay that way? I’m not such an autist, Freek”, Ten Hag responds with a wink to Freek Jansen’s question. “Some in the room would like that, haha.”
Ajax dealt with the Zwolle residents almost without any problems at home. “I think a clear victory for Ajax against a bravely playing PEC”, Ten Hag also thinks. “But you know that in the end the quality wins if it is tactically good, and that was it. I think excellent. Sébastien has the advantage that he knows this system, because he has often played like this at FC Utrecht. Davy (Klaassen , ed.) fits right in between that, like a fish in water. Apart from his two goals, he did excellent both in possession and pressing.” Klaassen simply tapped in a rebound for 2-0 and made the third Ajax goal of the evening via an unparalleled long shot in the corner.
Dusan Tadic, who opened the score with a phenomenal shot from the back, simultaneously set an impressive club record: the Serb played 124 consecutive times for Ajax in the Eredivisie, without missing a single competition match. “Whether he gets flowers now? Certainly from me,” Ten Hag responds. “I already knew it, I had read it somewhere, but it once again shows what kind of example he is: how to live as a professional. The players around him see what he puts into it every day, and at the moments that it has to be, he can also deliver. We saw that again today. He is a player who leads the way, with a number of other leaders, such as Davy Klaassen, Daley Blind and Maarten Stekelenburg. They are leading the way, I think that’s great for If you’re talking about Dusan Tadic, so many games in a row! It should be normal, but you just have to be able to afford it, I’ll give it to you.”
Ten Hag also responds to the death of Mino Raiola. “One of the most impressive agents, and very influential on the international player market”, the Ajax coach knows. “He has meant a lot for football and certainly for the players whose interests he has represented. He has done that in an excellent way and has therefore been at the basis of the development of players.”