Ajax Insights: rock-solid at Het Kasteel

The twenty-year-old Janse has made a good start to the league season. His development was rewarded with a new contract at Ajax in September. The Zeeland-born defender is now under contract until June 30, 2030. That faith is also paying off on the pitch. Especially against Sparta.

Janse had the most touches of any Ajax player against Sparta: 94. And what he did with the ball was also very good. Janse attempted 76 passes, 70 of which were successful. That resulted in a pass accuracy of around 92 per cent.

The defender was not only good on the ball, but also had to take defensive action on a regular basis. A good example of that was his clearance off the line in the closing stages of the match against Sparta. But throughout the match, he also proved to be a commander at Het Kasteel.

No problem
Janse contested six individual duels and won all six. In addition, Ajax knew beforehand that with Milan Zonneveld in Sparta's line-up, they would be up against a tall striker. That proved to be no problem for Janse either. The defender contested three aerial duels and won all three.

Finally, Janse also proved to be a reliable last line of defence. Ajax could certainly use that in the second half. Sparta began to play more directly and Ajax no longer reached the level they had shown in the first half. Thanks in part to Janse's eight clearances, Ajax held firm in Rotterdam. Only Thilo Kehrer made more clearances for Ajax, with twelve.