Ajax coach Francesco Farioli once again pointed out how big the differences are in the seasons of both clubs during the catch-up match against FC Utrecht. The Italian calculated that Ajax played about seventy percent more matches than the upcoming opponent.
In contrast to Utrecht, Ajax is active in Europe. The Domstedelingen played a total of fourteen matches this season, for Ajax alone the European counter stands at eleven matches. “The reality is that we started the season early,” Farioli pointed out at his press moment towards the next game in the Eredivisie. ‘They played 14 official matches, we played 24. That is almost seventy percent more than FC Utrecht. So it’s normal that we are tired sometimes.’
Yet Farioli does not want to hide behind that. ‘I think we are dealing with that well, even in the difficult days.’ The coach does know that this will make it extra difficult against a strong team. ‘We are playing against a team that is competing for the top spots. I watched FC Utrecht – PSV. They were evenly matched for seventy minutes and Utrecht had opportunities to take the lead or draw a draw. They are having a positive season, that is no coincidence. You can feel that they have energy and believe in what they are doing.’
In addition, Farioli is also impressed by other aspects of the game under coach Ron Jans. ‘The cohesion is very good at FC Utrecht. Every player runs for the team, that’s how they approach the matches. They find solutions during a match, through a lot of experience on the field. It’s not one thing, but many details are good. That is why it will be so difficult to play against FC Utrecht,” Farioli predicted.
Watch all our videos here
Belgium
