Ajax reject Mourinho’s claim about tired players
Ahead of Wednesday’s Europa League final, Ajax coach Peter Bosz has poured cold water on Jose Mourinho’s claim that his Manchester United squad will be suffering from fatigue.
Mourinho complained this week about the fixture calendar, which means they face Crystal Palace in the Premier League 72 hours before the Stockholm showpiece, which will be their 61st game of the season. But Bosz pointed out that Ajax have had to contend with almost as many fixtures despite possessing a much smaller, younger squad. “We’re actually going to play our 56th game next Wednesday,” he said at the Amsterdam Arena yesterday. “If you look at our age, the players we have, we’re a really young team, so it’s also a lot of games.”
Bosz drew attention to the differing size of the clubs, with United’s greater depth allowing Mourinho to rotate his squad. “Today we trained with 24 players. That’s the whole squad. Nobody was injured. So instead of looking at Manchester
United, I look at my team. And the most important thing is that we are fit and fresh.”
It was the Ajax coach’s first attempt to apply pressure on his rivals, who are relying on victory for Champions League qualification. “Both teams are big clubs in Europe with a big history,” Bosz said. “And it’s true that they have more experience and more money. They have a bigger budget, that’s for sure. It’s possible that they feel more pressure because of the bigger budget. But I also believe we have fantastic players.”
United have spent more on transfers in the last three years than Ajax have in their history. Ajax’s record signing – Miralem Sulejmani at £13million – cost around a third of what United could end up paying to agent Mino Raiola for securing the transfer of Paul Pogba last summer. But despite that, Bosz said Ajax would play their way: fluid, attacking football, in accordance with the club’s traditions. “My way is the Ajax way,” Bosz said. “I need creative players who are not afraid to play
football. I have a clear vision of how I want my teams to play. I believe it’s the Ajax way of playing, because I’m inspired by the 1970s when Johan Cruyff and Rinus Michels were in Ajax.
“Of course it’s about winning, but the whole season we have tried to win in an attractive way. Sometimes people say that’s naive but we showed this season we can win in our way. Bayern Munich and Barcelona show that’s possible. That’s what we will try to do in the final.”
Ajax have not won a European trophy since the European Cup in 1995. “For a long time, people in Holland said it’s not possible for a Dutch team to reach a final, because the financial difference between the big clubs in Europe and the Dutch clubs is so big now,” Bosz said. “But we managed it.”