Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag saw his side sunk 6-3 away at Manchester City on Sunday in a result he dubbed a ‘lesson’.
His former side Ajax suffered an even worse result in the Champions League this week when they were hammered 6-1 at home to Napoli.
The defeat has generated considerable criticism in the Netherlands, where Ajax simply are not accustomed to losing matches like this, it certainly did not happen under Ten Hag.
This was a point made by Dutch legend Marco van Basten in his reflections on the defeat to broadcaster Ziggo Sport, reported by FCUpdate.
Marco van Basten hits out at Ajax
Van Basten said: “6-1 is of course bizarre. That does not belong to Ajax. This result is shocking. You wonder how that is possible, especially because we have been able to feast with Erik ten Hag in recent years. This is not good for Dutch football.”
He also questioned the club’s summer recruitment policy, commenting: “Bergwijn and Bassey play, but the rest is not set up at all. Then you wonder what exactly your purchase policy is. The money has to be on the field, right.
“I don’t know if there is anything amiss between the technical guys, but if you spend a hundred million euros and out of the nine players who have been bought, two are playing… Then you may be looking to the future, but I don’t think it is smart.”
Ajax manager Alfred Schreuder is coming under pressure after the manner of the loss, which may seem harsh considering he lost so many key players during the transfer window.
They are still in a strong position in the Eredivisie, second and just one point off the top with a goal difference of +17.
Van Basten’s comments do highlight how good Ajax had it under Erik ten Hag, and the bumps in the road they are experiencing since his departure.
Manchester United are largely benefiting from Ten Hag’s appointment. The loss against City was just a minor setback after a four-game Premier League winning streak.
There is always pressure on a manager at Manchester United, but Ten Hag is helped by the very low bar set last season, while Schreuder at Ajax has the unenviable task of having to replace the club’s best manager in recent years.
Hopefully it will soon be Manchester United ‘feasting’ under Ten Hag. For Ajax, there may be worse to come.
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