Monday, September 27, 2021 at 6:29 PM• Jeroen van Poppel

Daley Blind is impressed by the quick way in which Jurriën Timber has broken through at Ajax. The 31-year-old Blind sees that his only 20-year-old teammate, who has worked himself up to an undisputed basic player in a short time, is very mature for his age. “I’m not surprised, but I think it’s great what he puts on the mat,” Blind said at the press conference on Monday.

Ajax will receive Besiktas at home on Tuesday for the second group match in the Champions League. It will be Timber’s third appearance in the billion-dollar tournament. “Since joining the first team, he has been on an upward trend and is developing very well,” said Blind. “He is very calm on the ball, strong defensively and I hope he continues that line. Do I recognize something of myself in him? No, I had a bit more ups and downs at that age. He is a bit more stable than me At that age, I still had some dips.”

Blind tries as a routine to guide the talents at Ajax. “It’s a natural process,” said the defender. “I talk a lot with the young guys on the field. New guys come in every year. You try to play a part at a certain moment.” Tuesday will be the first time in a year and a half for Ajax that an audience is present at a European home match. “Playing Champions League is always special, when you come on the field and hear that tune,” said Blind. “In addition, we are certainly looking forward to the fans in the Johan Cruijff ArenA, who we certainly missed during European evenings.”

Pierre van Hooijdonk said on Sunday in Studio Football that Ajax is able to reach the final of the Champions League. Blind was asked whether the current Ajax can be compared with the team in the 2018/19 season, which reached the semi-finals. “It’s hard to compare. We’re a different team, a lot of guys have left. But I think we’re on the right track, but you have to grow in such a tournament. I think we have to look at it game by game , as we do every game. If we are good, we can make it difficult for everyone and beat everyone. That is why it is up to us to put our good game on the mat. We are the biggest opponent of ourselves.”