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It was an easy afternoon for Ajax in the Johan Cruijff ArenA versus FC Utrecht. Ajax was dominant the entire game and won with 4-0.
Zakaria Labyad replaced the injured David Neres in the starting eleven and what he showed on the pitch pleased the coach, even though he was substituted after 75 minutes for Noa Lang. Erik ten Hag has a logical explanation for the substitution: ‘Of course, he hadn’t played for a long time and I didn’t want to take any risks in the final part of the game, didn’t want to risk an injury. Noa Lang also plays well, so that was a good opportunity to give him minutes to get used to our playing style.’
Ten Hag doesn’t always utilise all his subs but did this time, Mazraoui was substituted for Dest just after halftime: ‘He had some knee problems during halftime. Nothing serious, but after halftime he also had something to do with his eyesight. ‘Nous’ didn’t play much in the first months and now a lot in a relatively short period, so that’s why.’ The third sub was Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who came on for Dusan Tadic. ‘I wanted to bring him either way. He deserves it. Klaas is always sharp but also needs match rhythm. He has shown that he is extremely important to us and I am sure he will continue to do so in the rest of the season.’ The manager explained.
Ten Hag was very pleased with what his team showed today: ‘I have seen a fantastic show. A, normally good, Utrecht did not get into the game. That was due to Ajax. We played fantastic. The pressure we exert, our ball possession, playing between the lines, accelerating at the right moment and creating opportunities’. ‘In the end, we really make a number of quality goals. I enjoyed it, the players enjoyed it and I assume that the fans enjoyed it too. That’s how you want to see it. You know it can’t be done every week. They are all human beings, but this is a great development.’
All in all, Ajax is reaching a higher level and there is still a heavy series of matches waiting before the winter break. ‘We’ll be facing some major challenges. Especially in the Champions League, but also in the KNVB cup tournament. Of course, we want to continue this development. In the league, that means to stay where you are or developing our lead further.’