Steven Berghuis added two more assists to his total on Saturday evening. The number ten of Ajax delivered decisive crosses to Edson Álvarez and Antony against FC Groningen (3-0 win) and could have gotten even more assists to his name, if his teammates were a little more careful. “But it’s not bad,” Berghuis said to ESPN.
“The first one seems very bad, but that keeper really tapped him minimally”, Berghuis refers to a pass from the back line towards Sébastien Haller in the first half. “As a result, the ball went through Haller’s legs. If he doesn’t touch him, Haller taps him in like that. That was a shame. And then another ball at Dusan (Tadic, ed.) and another at Haller, but yes, not terribly.” All in all, Berghuis is satisfied with the victory. “We had to be patient, because we didn’t make it in the first ten, fifteen minutes now. But in the end we did well.”
Berghuis played as number ten of Ajax for the fifth time in a row and seems to feel good in that role. “Of course I am also well helped by the staff and the trainer, who gives me handles on how to fill in the position, especially defensively and positionally. He has been very busy with me. You try to pick that up as quickly as possible and from there also bring your own game. That is something on intuition. It gets better and better the better you play. I am not dissatisfied with it.”
Davy Klaassen made his return to Ajax on Saturday evening. For Tuesday’s Champions League match against Besiktas, Erik ten Hag will have to choose between Klaassen, Antony, Berghuis. The latter is not concerned about the competition. “It is a nice selection and a nice team. We also need that if you want to participate in everything. That is the ambition here at Ajax,” says Berghuis, who does not want to think about how he would react to a reserve turn. “Should I assume that? Is that something I’m going to have to answer, isn’t it? I don’t think about it that way.”