AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Ajax Amsterdam have achieved their objective on this season’s Champions League however now they’re getting ready to a quarter-final place, they wish to go additional.
Coach Erik ten Hag mentioned his aspect had been succesful of a better stage of play, even after profitable all their group video games and holding Benfica to a 2-2 attract Lisbon within the first leg of their spherical of 16 tie.
They host the Portuguese membership within the second leg on the Amsterdam Arena on Tuesday.
“We can enhance our recreation on the ball. We did it correctly within the first half towards Benfica however after the break we let it drop. We can attain a fair larger stage. We have usually proven that,” Ten Hag instructed reporters on Monday.
“We will have to make a lot better decisions on the ball, be extra correct after which we will dominate the sport a lot better,” he mentioned.
Ajax had set themselves the objective of reaching the knockout part of Europe’s premier membership competitors which they have received 4 instances, however not since 1995.
“If you simply take a look at our objectives, they have already been achieved. But I’m a sportsman and I wish to get probably the most out of this competitors,” Ten Hag mentioned.
“That’s why this can be a large problem. We wish to get so far as potential, however for that we have to beat Benfica first.”
Ten Hag was coach when Ajax went all the way in which from the Champions League preliminary spherical to the semi-finals in 2019, dropping dramatically within the final seconds of the tie to Tottenham Hotspur.
Ajax shall be near full energy towards Benfica, lacking solely long-term injured goalkeepers Remko Pasveer and Maarten Stekelenburg and proper again Sean Klaiber.
(Reporting by Mark Gleeson, enhancing by Ed Osmond)
