The Italian coach, alongside Brian Brobbey, sat down at the Johan Cruijff ArenA on Wednesday to preview the UEFA Europa League clash. Kick-off on Thursday evening is at 9:00 PM.
Reaction after the AZ defeat
Farioli refrained from calling his side the favourite for the home game. The Italian believes the match is a fiftyfifty contest and is primarily focused on seeing a strong response from his team following Sunday's 2-1 defeat against AZ.
"In this journey we’re on together, it’s normal to experience ups and downs. It’s true that the trend of recent weeks hasn’t been upward. Now it’s up to us to change that," he said.
This marks the coach’s first real setback since his arrival in Amsterdam. "When I first arrived, there was scepticism. Then came the enthusiasm. At that time, I also reminded everyone outside the club that there was still a lot of work to do. As a coaching staff, we are now trying to combat the negative moments as much as possible. We have to approach Thursday’s match the way we ended Sunday’s game."
Brobbey also acknowledged that Sunday’s performance wasn’t Ajax’s best. The striker noted that Ajax showed resilience after going 2-0 down. "In the final twenty minutes, you saw everyone fighting to get that 2-2. The minutes before that weren’t the Ajax we know from, for example, the match against PSV. There are always tough periods during a season. It’s up to us as a team to overcome them."
Brobbey’s fitness
Physically, Brobbey feels great. He is fit and ready to perform against SS Lazio. In the previous European match, he sustained a head injury after colliding with Real Sociedad’s goalkeeper. "After the Real Sociedad game, I was a bit dizzy, but I feel fine now. I’m fully fit. Farioli even showed me a presentation comparing my performance to last year. From that presentation, you could see that I’m doing a lot more during matches now. The number of metres I cover has increased."
The striker is eager to face SS Lazio. "Yes, I’m excited. I want to prove myself. Playing against Lazio is a great challenge. They’ve got some good defenders. I have a one-on-one meeting with the coaching staff later where we’ll go over footage of Lazio’s defenders, so I’ll know even better what to expect."
Farioli is pleased with Brobbey’s performances this season. According to the coach, the striker’s physical output has been exceptional. Data shows he is fitter than ever. "Brobbey is one of the players who can help us create chances. He keeps defenders busy, which is one of his strengths. We need to make sure he receives the ball in the right areas so he can be a real threat."
However, this has been lacking in recent matches. "Our decision-making in the final third must improve, and the tempo near the opposition box needs to increase as well."
A fine for one word
Including the match against SS Lazio, Ajax has four matches left before the winter break. After that, the team will have around three weeks of rest. The league campaign resumes on January 11 with a home game against RKC. But Farioli doesn’t want to hear any talk of fatigue. "There’s one word we’ve now put a fine on within the squad. And I’m not going to say that word to you now either," the Italian said with a smile.
He wants Ajax to show its best form before the winter break. "We have to use every ounce of energy and motivation we have for the days ahead. We may be in a moment where our decision-making on the pitch isn’t as sharp as it was earlier in the season. But we need to push ourselves from within to give everything. We need to accept our limits. But when you reach those limits, you have two choices: either accept them with your head down or fight back against them."
