Branco van den Boomen turned his hand following the 2-0 defeat at AZ. He thought that Ajax did not perform well, especially in the opening phase, he told ESPN. “We had a mediocre performance in the beginning. After the goal we got a bit more grip. But anyway, we didn’t create enough. AZ was well compact. They deserved to win.”
Ajax started with five defenders in Alkmaar. The midfielder thought the trainer’s choice was understandable. “I think this suits the players well. We have two types of backs that suit this with Anton Gaaei and Borna Sosa. So I was not that surprised.”
Yet he also saw moments when Ajax might continue. “We had a good phase following AZ’s 1-0. We should have scored the equalizer in that phase. Ahmetcan Kaplan also came in fantastically. That is a big compliment to him.”
Physically
The midfielder himself played eighty minutes in Alkmaar. In Norway he was also on the field for the entire match. “I was exhausted following Bodø/Glimt. It was tough. I hadn’t played for regarding three months. But today I was fit enough to start. I only played moderately, but that was not due to my physical condition. I am especially happy that I can play football once more.”
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