The game against Heerenveen was almost a replica of the game against Hague.
The only difference was that Hague went from defending to collapsing because they had to attack.
Heerenveen went from attacking to collapsing because they had to defend.
When they were down by two goals, Heerenveen's team could no longer be unified.
It was obvious that they could not defend against Ajax's attacks, and their own attacks lacked a threat.
As a result, the players had different ideas. The offensive and defensive systems were chaotic, the defense was a mess, and the offense was unorganized.
Ajax did not care so much.
They were experimenting with new tactics. The whole team had to work together under the new system, familiarize themselves with the changes in their teammates' positions, and balance the offense and defense.
And this new tactical system also had more changes than originally conceived in the experiment!
For example, the changes in the overall formation.
In the 32nd minute of the game, Qin Xiong ran to the right flank to coordinate with Grigra. Van Der Vaart went straight into the penalty area. Pinaar retreated, and Snede also retreated to ensure the balance of offense and defense. Ajax's formation at this moment looked like a 4-4-2.
It changed from 4-4-3 to 4-4-2.
Ibrahimovic and Van Der Vaart played as the two forwards.
The effect was reflected when Van Der Vaart went up and attracted the attention of Heerenveen's defenders. He contributed to sharing the pressure for Ibrahimovic.
Qin Xiong raised his leg to pass the ball from the flank.
Yes, Ajax did not mainly pass the ball from the flank, but it did not mean that he had completely abandoned this method. When the time was right, whatever offensive method was the most threatening would be used.
Inflexible players could only survive in inflexible tactics.
Players like Ajax were more flexible and adaptable, and their ability to make decisions on the spot was often unexpected.
Qin Xiong's pass bypassed the front of the penalty area, which was crowded. Van Der Vaart attracted a lot of defenders, and Ibrahimovic, who was at the back, easily jumped and swung his head to shoot the ball into the goal.
3:0
Ibrahimovic liked Qin Xiong more and more!
After the goal, he immediately waved to Qin Xiong and asked Qin Xiong to celebrate the goal with him.
He couldn't help but like Qin Xiong.
Qin Xiong scored four goals in a row in the league tournament, and he also provided assists in four consecutive matches.
At the Philips Stadion, Qin Xiong provided Ibrahimovic with the assist that defeated PSV Eindhoven.
At DSB Stadium, Qin Xiong made a long pass to assist Ibrahimovic in scoring.
In the battle against The Hague, Qin Xiong gave him a direct assist.
Today, Qin Xiong had given Ivan another assist!
In Ivan's heart, he and Qin Xiong were simply a perfect combination.
You assist, I score!
In the Ajax First Team, most of his teammates liked Qin Xiong. They felt that this Chinese lad was not bad.
He was humble and low-key in life, diligent and serious in training, full of fighting spirit in competitions, and most importantly, his strength.
Perhaps Qin Xiong was a man of few words, so his first impression was very dull. But as they continued to interact with him, his teammates' impression of him deepened, and their favorability rose sharply.
This game strengthened Comain's belief in Ajax's tactical reform. From the observation of the actual results, he and the players on the field all understood that this kind of tactical play was very suitable for them. At the same time, it had great potential. When they practiced it well and reached the limit, the explosive power was unimaginable.
Only 10 minutes had passed in the second half, and Comain made a substitution on the sidelines.
Two players were brought off at once.
Ibrahimovic and Qin Xiong slowly walked out of the field together.
This was the second time Qin Xiong was brought off in a game. The last time was in the rain battle in Groningen, and his performance was terrible.
But today's substitution was clearly Comain wanted him and Ibrahimovic to have a better rest to prepare for the Champions League in a few days.
Litmanen and Sonke were on the field.
Van Der Vaart scored twice in this game. After the Dutch golden boy returned to the front line, he shone even more brightly than last season, and his power radiated in all directions.
He was also brought off in the 70th minute of the game to rest. His replacement was Sottars.
Ajax beat the gong to retreat, and the score was already 4: 0.
But Sonke and Sottars, the Belgian pair, were eager to perform, hoping to impress manager Comain with their excellent form and change their position in the team.
But this kind of performance in "garbage time," although the manager also valued it, the standards were obviously much lower.
Sonke also scored a goal before the end of the game, locking the score at 5: 0.
SC Heerenveen ushered in a big defeat at the Amsterdam Athletic Stadium.
Ajax continued to lead the scoreboard.
After the game, Comain shook hands with De Haan, and then went to the post-game press conference.
Comain's attitude towards the Dutch domestic media reporters was cold. He had just been ridiculed by the reporters in the newspapers today.
In addition, the Dutch domestic media added insult to injury after the previous Champions League defeat, and the fifth round of the Champions League was just around the corner. There was nothing to talk about the big victory against SC Heerenveen. Most of the reporters asked Comain about the outlook for the Champions League after the game.
Comain refused to answer all questions about the Champions League on the grounds that it had deviated from the topic.
If they wanted to talk about this issue, it should have been yesterday, or even earlier.
The schedule of this round of the Eredivisie competition gave Ajax one less day of rest to prepare for the Champions League. Considering that Ajax was still a guest in the game, this made Comain even more dissatisfied.
On the other hand, PSV Eindhoven finished this round of the league ahead of time and was already preparing for the Champions League today.
Why?
Maybe it was because Ajax had been sentenced to death by the whole world!
No one thought that Ajax, who had lost three out of four games, could make it to the knockout stage.
On the other hand, PSV Eindhoven had won two consecutive victories after two consecutive defeats. It was like a salted fish turning over a new leaf. Could they break out of the encirclement?
After this big victory in the league, the atmosphere in the Ajax team became solemn again.
The upcoming fifth round of the Champions League group stage was going to be a guest challenge against Celta. This was a game that could not be lost.
However, the players' mentality was still positive, but they appeared to be more serious than usual.
There was a somber atmosphere on the eve of a big battle.
Qin Xiong returned to Wardle Street. The neighbors around him, the Ajax fans, would take the initiative to talk to him about the upcoming Champions League. Basically, they were encouraging and supporting him, hoping that Ajax could perform well to defeat their opponents.
The Ajax club attached great importance to this game and led the team to set off half a day earlier than usual.
On the morning before the game, the Ajax First Team players arrived in the city of Vigo in Spain with the coaching staff and staff.
The city of Vigo, located in the autonomous region of Galicia in Spain, did not bring much freshness to the Ajax players. Compared to the prosperity of Amsterdam, the city of Vigo was like a small village in the suburbs.
Adapting to the environment and training on the field, Ajax's preparation work was done step by step.
Perhaps due to the attention of the game, there were fewer reporters present at the UEFA pre-game press conference. Compared to the highlight of the group stage between AC Milan and Ajax, the impact of this game had a direct decline. Most of the reporters from the Netherlands and Spain were involved.
Comain's pre-game press conference was a formulaic diplomatic speech and his remarks were very low-key.
They would do their best to win. Whether they could make it out of the group stage, they would see at the end of the group stage.
The night before the game, Qin Xiong still stayed in the double room with Snede.
Snede lay in bed and watched TV.
Qin Xiong was not very interested in TV. He stood in front of the window and looked at the scenery, which was also his habit.
Perhaps it was because he always wanted to see the outside world when he was a child, so every time he went to a strange place, he would always pay attention to the scenery that was ordinary in the eyes of others for a long time.
When he had seen enough of the scenery, he looked up at the starry sky.
Celta did not look like a difficult opponent.
In the first round, Ajax defeated Celta at home. Celta did not show much strength in that game.
At the same time, Qin Xiong deliberately browsed Celta's performance in the La Liga.
It could be said that it was terrible to look at!
The team that finished fourth in La Liga last season, in the first 12 rounds of the new league season, handed in a shocking result.
Two wins, five draws, and five losses.
Only 11 points.
A team that was playing in the Champions League was now in La Liga, but had already fallen into the ranks of the relegation teams.
Snede turned off the TV, lay down and pulled the quilt over himself. He said to Qin Xiong, "I'm going to sleep. Remember to close the windows and turn off the lights before you go to bed."
It was a little cold at night. Qin Xiong agreed, closed the window, and then got ready to go to bed.
Before going to bed, he might have the same thoughts as all his teammates.
Tomorrow night, even if it meant being smashed to pieces, he would destroy Celta!
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