"We had the whole match under control", he added. "PEC Zwolle played bravely, but we could have caused them even more pain with our breakaways. We didn't do quite enough of those. But overall we created eight to nine opportunities."
The manager specifically chose to start with two forwards: Sébastien Haller and Dusan Tadic. This means that the 4-3-3 system had been thrown overboard. "I don't really think in systems. It's more about coverage on the pitch. Players are allowed to be creative. They need to occupy the spaces together in a dynamic way. Then you see that it becomes difficult for your opposite number."
Injuries
The team structure for the PEC Zwolle match was also partly dictated by injuries within the Ajax players. "If a team sustains a lot of injuries in the months of February and May, the automatic routines dwindle. We had problems with that. We addressed it well today.
"Lisandro Martinez isn't doing too well, and he has had a setabck", he also admitted. "Noussair Mazraoui is doing better. Whether he'll be fit enough ahead of next week remains to be seen."
