The Ajax coach did see what went wrong against Feyenoord in the first half. "We had trouble finding the free man. Feyenoord applied good pressure. But there were enough options to pass the ball. Feyenoord didn't apply pressure in one-on-one situations. We just didn't move the ball quickly enough in those moments. We did that better in the second half."
Schreuder made a change substitution at half-time: Steven Bergwijn came onto the field and Francesco Conceição stayed in the changing room. "That gave us more possession of the ball at both ends."
The ranking
With the draw in Rotterdam, the deficit to the leader Feyenoord remains five points. With another 17 matches to go in the Eredivisie, Schreuder has by no means given up on the title. "We're halfway through the season. I feel there is growth within our side. Certainly when you look at the second half today."
The second half in Rotterdam was indeed substantially better, leading the coach to praise the resilience of Ajax. "The team showed character. That's important when you ultimately want to show your quality as a team."
