Ajax have made a dream start to the group stage of the Champions League, but with one day left until their second group match against AS Roma, the national champions are finding their feet on the ground again.
Last weekend the national champions lost the Premier League’s most important match 0-1 against FC Twente. “It spoiled the atmosphere,” coach Suzanne Bakker said the day before the game in Rome. “But it’s also nice that we can now play against Roma so we can forget about Twente.”
Bakker’s team made their debut in the newly created Champions League group stage last week, beating Paris Saint-Germain 2-0. “Of course it was a very good performance. This gives this game a lot of confidence. But that’s another game in itself. “We are starting 0-0 again,” said the 37-year-old coach.
party tent
Bakker and actress Nadine Noordam give an interview to the NOS camera on the Stadio Tre Fontane field, home of AS Roma women. The complex can accommodate fewer than 3,000 spectators; It’s a big contrast to Ajax’s game at the Johan Cruijff Arena last week.
Although the focus is on Ajax players after the match against PSG, things are different in Rome. Due to the presence of other media in addition to NOS, Ajax’s planned press conference was cancelled. The AS Roma match was played in the white tent near the field earlier in the day.
The magnificent victory against the French giants last week focused the attention of Ajax players even more. Bakker says this is great, but it also brings new challenges.
“When do you respond to messages on social media and when do you focus on training or competition? These are all new things that we experience and share with each other. And where everyone finds their own way.”
The busy schedule is also new for most people: the match against AS Roma is Ajax’s third big game in nine days. To better prepare his team, Bakker contacted fellow coaches with European experience, such as Jong Ajax’s Dave Vos. “I really appreciate that, we use it to our advantage.”
Key
According to Bakker, Ajax will face AS Roma on Thursday against “an experienced team that can be life-threatening on the counter-attack”. Both Bakker and Noordam are confident about their goals in the match. “Earning. I think this is clear: the result is important. “We are well prepared and looking forward to it.”
Noordam: “There is some tension, these are big matches. But that’s why I started playing football. If you had told me when I was a young girl that I could play in the Champions League I would have done it, I would have thought you were crazy. Therefore: You should especially enjoy it.”
Source: NOS
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
