{"id":31190,"date":"2018-01-22T15:00:42","date_gmt":"2018-01-22T15:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.byfarthegreatestteam.com\/?p=31190"},"modified":"2018-01-21T21:40:59","modified_gmt":"2018-01-21T21:40:59","slug":"tagliafico-impresses-ajax-dominate-de-klassieker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.byfarthegreatestteam.com\/posts\/tagliafico-impresses-ajax-dominate-de-klassieker\/","title":{"rendered":"Tagliafico impresses as Ajax dominate De Klassieker"},"content":{"rendered":"
As the Dutch Eredivisie returned from its extensive winter break, a match up between the nation\u2019s two fiercest rivals awaited. AFC Ajax <\/strong>played host to Feyenoord Rotterdam<\/strong>, with the former chasing other rivals PSV Eindhoven atop the league. Debuting Ajax manager Erik ten Hag poached the sideline opposite Giovanni van Bronckhorst at the Johan Cruijff Arena, quite the kickoff to a managerial tenure. De Klassieker <\/em>ended in a similar fashion as the reverse fixture in Rotterdam, with Ajax Amsterdam running out 2-0 winners.<\/p>\n Both squads featured liberal changes from the lineups seen in October. New purchase Nicol\u00e1s Tagliafico<\/a> lined up as Ajax\u2019 left-back and put forth a man-of-the-match performance, while youngsters Frenkie de Jong and Justin Kluivert started as well. For Feyenoord, wholesale changes to the backline saw Sven van Beek, Renato Tapia, and 18-year-old Tyrell Malacia play a majority of the 90 minutes.<\/p>\n A scoreless first half saw Ajax presented with many opportunities; Hakim Ziyech\u2019s spectacular passing was key to creating chances and would carry over after halftime. The visitors struggled to create any sort of space in the midfield, shown by their 34% ball possession throughout the entire match. On 50 minutes, new boy Tagliafico found space in the opposition box, cutting back to Donny van de Beek for Ajax\u2019 first goal. It took only three minutes for De Godenzonen\u2019s <\/em>second, with captain Jo\u00ebl Veltman crossing to Klaas-Jan Huntelaar to double the home side\u2019s lead.<\/p>\n Danish forward Nicolai J\u00f6rgensen was shown a second yellow card for a tackle on Veltman in the 58th<\/sup>, basically stunting any chance of a Feyenoord comeback. Erik ten Hag will be extremely satisfied with his team\u2019s ability to control the midfield, using their full-backs to support and finish attacking moves. Ziyech proved himself once again as the most important player in the league, while Nicol\u00e1s Tagliafico seems like a bargain purchase for a mere (reported) \u20ac4 million.<\/p>\nDe Klassieker<\/strong><\/h3>\n