Alfred Schreuder has responded to claims that his Ajax side is better than Erik ten Hag’s was.
Schreuder’s first Champions League match since replacing Ten Hag at the start of the season couldn’t have gone much better, with them delivering a stunning performance to beat Rangers 4-0.
Former Ajax player Theo Janssen, now a pundit, said the team under Schreuder were “next level” compared to how they played under Ten Hag, but the current manager has played down such claims.
“Ah, I think Ajax also played very good matches last year,” he told RTL7.
“It is important that we have a lot of positional changes and can cover the positions, also defensively. Then you can give players the freedom offensively.
“I have seen an Ajax with a lot of fun and energy. Those are the basic conditions for a good match.”
The manager was widely praised for his decision to drop Brian Brobbey and instead play Mohammed Kudus as a false 9, with the Ghanaian the player of the match, but he says hard work and cooperation is far more important than his tactics.
“You can now pat yourself on the back because of the tactics, but that is nonsense,” he said.
“Do you want to fight for it with each other? Then it comes together. We have a large group with many qualities. I’m also still searching. You always look at what fits together, that’s what it’s all about.”
GBeNeFN
