At 3:00 a.m. Taiwan time on August 29, the Champions League
Ajax beat Cypriot rivals APOEL FC 2-0 at home in the second round of the UEFA Champions League.
qualify for the main round and become the next participant in the Champions League
One of the 32 teams in the Cup. The match is not without suspense, with attacking midfielder Donny van de Beek suffering from a leg muscle strain and right back Noussair Mazraoui suspended after receiving a red card in the first qualifying round, the absence of the two main players creates uncertainty about the direction of the match.
Ajax manager
Erik ten Hag preferred a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Daley Blind and R?zvan Marin playing in the two central midfield/back positions in recent matches. However, Marin's performances at the start of the league season have slipped compared to pre-season, with his position fluctuating and seemingly not yet integrated into the system, and he was often replaced by right-back Mazraoui in the second half of the matches. In the second half of the game, he was often replaced by Mazraoui at right back, and Sergino Dest at right back. Mazraoui's suspension actually affects the center midfield's scheduling. Faced with four midfielders out with injuries, the manager
There weren't many options, but what was shocking was the final lineup, where the two full midfield/back positions were filled by center backs newcomers Lisandro Martínez and Edson Álvarez, while original midfielder Blind went back to his old position of center back from last season.
In the first round of last week, Ajax had a 0-0 draw at Athletic's home ground. Facing Athletic's 5-4-1 defensive formation and weak offense and strong defense, Ajax changed its tactics from the previous round, by passing down the left and right sides, letting No.9 center forward Klass-Jan Huntelaar to grab the point, and other players gathered inside the box and the edge of the box to pick up the leakage, increasing the chances of scoring amidst the chaos. In the second half, when Athletic increased the number of attacking players in front of the ball, the defenders opened up the space between each other, and Ajax's offense resumed its familiar pass-and-penetrate attack with a clear idea of what to do. During the game, it could be seen that the purpose of playing two center backs in the completely unfamiliar back position was to allow the physical and defensive strengths of Martinez and Alvarez to disrupt the balance of the midfield, to disrupt the Athletic's midfielders when they launched a defensive counter-attack, and to fight with the opponent's strong defense to score a goal in the course of the attack. It was a risky move that paid off, as Ajax's first goal was scored by Alvarez.
From the past season, Ten Hagar's coaching style belongs to the type that is brave to innovate in formation and tactics, but afraid to take risks in hiring. Since his appointment, there have been many tactical innovations, such as changing the 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1, or replacing the No.9 center forward with a switching three strikers, but when faced with a prolonged attack, he was able to adjust back in time. A more extreme example is the key battle with PSV Enverfin in the second half of the league season, Ajax gave up the traditional pass-and-control style with one less player and switched to defensive counter-attacks, and successfully reversed the score, and in the last 15 minutes, Teng Hagar even replaced all the defenders and offered the 6-guard formation. However, in terms of personnel, it is not as bold as the tactical adjustments.
For the Cup, when starting left back Tagliafico is suspended, Ten Hag would rather play starting right back Mazraoui than substitute left back Daley Sinkgraven; winter transfer
The Argentinean center back Lisandro Magallán, who was brought in during the window, performed well in his first league appearance, but was frozen out immediately after his second appearance, which led to Ajax's disastrous defeat at the hands of Feyenoord. In terms of player selection, Ten Hag will give new players a chance, but one disastrous performance and he won't be allowed to play again, and this seems to have happened to new midfielder Marin, who Ten Hag would rather have the center back change his position to play in the back than take a chance on him.
An unexpected lineup in this game ended with goals from Alvarez and captain Dušan Tadić (Tadi?), eliminating Atletico Hellenic from the Champions League.
. But this represents Ajax's next Champions League
Can the tour play as magically as last season? Definitely not, the seemingly brilliant scheduling is masking no small amount of pitfalls.
Thin midfield lineup
After Van der Beck's injury, Ajax's midfield injuries increased to four, if Daley Blind is allowed to play as a center back, the only remaining midfielders in the midfield/back position are the Romanian newcomer Marin, who has not yet proved himself, and Dani de Wit, who has just been promoted to first-team squad, and it is still difficult to fill the vacancies of the current Ajax midfield after the departure of Frenkie de Jong and Lasse Schöne. The midfield of Ajax is still struggling to fill the void left by the departures of Frenkie de Jong and Lasse Schöne. Martinez and Alvarez should be temporarily adjusted for a specific opponent (Athletic Greeks). Alvarez is slow to get to the ball and turn around, and his passing skills are not as good as those of his teammates who came out of the youth training program, so he is not in a good position to play as a center midfielder from the center back.
