Over the course of the last days, Heitinga thoroughly analysed the match in the Philips Stadion. "There were a few things that weren’t good enough. We were messy when we had the ball, which caused PSV to counter more quickly."
"The spaces were way too big", Heitinga continued. "It's about continuing to defend and not be on the pitch with fear. We have to be a strong collective on Sunday. We are combative for sure."
Return Álvarez
Edson Álvarez will be back during the Dutch Cup final. He missed the away match against PSV last Sunday due to a suspension. According to both Tadic and Heitinga, he could play an important role this weekend.
"He gives us character and mentality. He is one of the leaders. That is what we need. Besides that, he’s also very good at duels in the air. I assume he will be in the best shape on Sunday", said the Serbian captain about his teammate.
"He brings a certain type of poison to the pitch and is in a very good physical shape", Heitinga added with a smile. The poison the trainer spoke about, was lacking last Sunday. After that match, Jurriën Timber said Ajax 'wasn't ready' in the opening phase against PSV. Heitinga understood what his defender meant.
"I rewatched the first fifteen minutes five times. We indeed were not sharp", he admitted. "PSV ended up in 'lucky situations'. We made easy mistakes. In the first fifteen minutes, their counters ended up in our penalty area a few times."
Dutch Cup is a grand prize
For both men, it's not their first Dutch Cup at Ajax. Tadic played in the final of the National Cup in 2019, 2021, and 2022. Heitinga played two finals in the red and white shirt.
"You have to enjoy this as a player too", Heitinga told his team. "It's not self-evident that you can always play finals. We made it happen ourselves. The Cup is a grand prize."
The captain finished by stating the importance of the Dutch Cup. "We want to end the season strong and lift a trophy. After that, we would like to win four more matches in the league. If you can win a prize, like on Sunday, you want more."
