"You have to suffer, fight and battle. If you can win in this way, it also gives you confidence", Sofyan Amrabat said at the press conference after Ajax - AZ. Míchel Sánchez's side were not at their best, but they did win: 1-0. Amrabat was an important figure in midfield. Is that also reflected in his statistics? Ajax Insights is developed by Team Rockstars IT.
Amrabat excelled in exactly the areas where Ajax needed him. He was accurate on the ball, made tackles and made interceptions in midfield.
His accuracy on the ball is best reflected in his passing accuracy. Amrabat made 67 passes, 64 of which were successful. That resulted in a passing accuracy of 95.5 per cent. Ajax players such as Lucas Rosa, Youri Baas, Owen Wijndal and Aaron Bouwman also recorded more than 90 per cent, but nobody matched Amrabat's accuracy.
Amrabat's touch map also shows how he covered the entire central area for Ajax in the match against the side from Alkmaar.
Amrabat's 'suffering, fighting and battling' was also reflected in his number of interceptions and successful tackles. Only Wijndal, with three, made more interceptions than Amrabat, who made two.
The definition
An interception can be defined as deliberately reading an opponent's pass and intercepting the ball before it reaches a team-mate of, in this case, AZ.
Amrabat also made two tackles and won both of them. Only Davy Klaassen matched that number. In this way, the Moroccan defender showed with his performance that he led the fight, while his accuracy on the ball also helped bring calm to Ajax's midfield.
Ajax claimed a 1-0 home victory over AZ. Tolu scored the only goal of the match in the ninth minute to become the match-winner. Ajax then fought for every metre against AZ. The visitors looked threatening, but Ajax did not give in.
Ajax claimed a 1-0 home victory over AZ. An early goal from Tolu was enough for all three points. Míchel Sánchez's side battled for the three points until the very end and ultimately held on for a hard-fought victory.
After his good performance against FC Groningen, Dies Janse was also given the opportunity by Míchel Sánchez on Sunday to distinguish himself in the back line. And Janse did just that against Sparta. Not only with a hugely important sliding tackle on the goal line in the very final stages of the match, but also with his statistics over the full 90 minutes. So, it is time to dive into Janse's data. Ajax Insights is developed by Team Rockstars IT.