Ajax coach FARIOLI does not want to know anything about ‘champion stress’ after 4-0 defeat at FC Utrecht

With heavy arm gestures, Miguel Rodriguez whips up the supporters in the Galgenwaard. The curls on his head jump in the same rhythm with the 21-year-old Spaniard, who just before FC Utrecht has given a 3-0 lead against Ajax. The audience rewards the winger with a hard applause. Uuuuusounds through the stadium.

The match is busy for more than an hour and Ajax, so far sovereign on the way to the national title, is being overclassed considerably by the number four of the Eredivisie. Where after the winter break the people of Amsterdam only played a draw against AZ and for the rest with a solid game victory after victory, it is now going against the championship against a tick.

Not that the 37th national title is immediately in danger. With four games to go, the lead is still nine points on PSV, which has played a duel less. Nevertheless, trainer Francesco FAROLI finds the final 4-0 defeat afterwards a « painful result ». According to him, it is not even the worst match that Ajax has played under his care, but it is ‘the biggest result’ to the disadvantage of the club.

High pressure from Ajax

More than half an hour there seemed to be nothing wrong for Ajax this Sunday afternoon. The team firmly secured FC Utrecht in its own half. Lost wing attackers Mika Godts or Steven Berghuis in the front of the ball, then the Amsterdam midfield put the yacht and FC Utrecht could do nothing but the ball could kick forward. Already in the opening phase, the high pressure of Ajax led to a great chance, with the pole (via the leg of Utrecht defender Siebe Horemans) and subsequently the bar (Schot Brian Brobbey) kept the visitors of a lead.

No less than eighty percent of the time Ajax had the ball in that phase, but as is often the case this season, it was not possible to create (many) opportunities. Utrecht did not do that either, until Godt’s right back Horemans gave a lot of room to give a pass in the 29th minute. It was former Ajax striker Sébastien Haller who from close up the ball behind goalkeeper Mateus Fommommelde.

With that, Haller did, for which he was rented by Utrecht from the German Borussia Dortmund in the winter break: scoring important goals in the hunt for European football. After a great start of the season, Utrecht was third in January on the Eredivisie ranking, a place that entitles you to the preliminary round of the Champions League. In the meantime, the team is outdated by Feyenoord, which has the same number of points as Utrecht only played a match less. Fourth place is good for Europa League football.

We shouldn’t overdo it, this result was flattering

Ajax drew in the tranquility hope from the fact that this season has come back more often after a backlog. « Last week it was the same story, » said midfielder Kenneth Taylor afterwards. Then the Amsterdammers also came back 1-0 against Willem II, to eventually win 2-1. « We know that we are a good team and have picked each other up to turn it around in the second half. »

But Utrecht turned out to be an opponent of a different level than Willem II. Even more than in the first half, after the break, trainer Ron Jans gambled on the switch with the fast offside players Rodriguez and Yoann Cathline, who often proved their value with goals and assists this season. Last week FC Utrecht lifted the options for buying in their lease contracts.

An individual action of the 22-year-old Cathline, from France, led the 2-0 in the 52nd minute. From his own half he rushed past two Ajax defenders, and then send Rodriguez deep. The Spaniard was faster with the ball than Jorrel Hato and passed with a rocker goalkeeper Mateus. For a moment Ahmetcan Kaplan thought it had taken the ball off the line on time, but after assessing the VAR, FC Utrecht was awarded the goal.

Plan B

While Ajax with the introduction of Wout Weghorst-who came to play in the rush, switched to ‘Plan B’ next to Brobbey, Utrecht continued to hunt the space behind the Ajax defense. With the most beautiful goal of the afternoon, Rodriguez decided the game in the 63rd minute. He skillfully cut Hato within sixteen to his strong left leg, to shoot the ball in the left corner at lightning speed.

Ajax was also not spared the 4-0. With a concealed shot from outside the sixteen, Paxten Aaronson made the fifteen minutes of goals complete. It meant the biggest defeat for Ajax since the 6-0 against Feyenoord of just over a year ago.

Did Ajax suffer from champion stress? Fharioli did not want to know anything about that. « Normally you can be angry with many things after such a defeat, but today it is difficult to describe, » said the Italian. « We were strong in duels, strong in what the game asked. But we didn’t score. »

Midfielder Taylor shared that opinion: « We should not exaggerate, this result was flattering. » Farioli repeatedly announced the message that he proclaimed so many times after a victory: « The next competition is a new chapter. »

On behalf of FC Utrecht, trainer Jans Jans spoke to the press. « The institution, the heart, soul, the passion with which is fighting. That’s great to look at, » he said in front of the NOS camera. The audience sang loudly after the 4-0 ‘We go into Europe, we are going into Europe‘, he himself did not dare say that with certainty. Although you are not allowed to give it away anymore. ”

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