Heatinga: Ajax is comparable to Inter in the first half, but Inter performs better in the second half

In the first round of the Champions League held this morning, Ajax lost 0-2 to Inter Milan at home. Ajax coach Heatinga attended the post-match press conference.

What do you think of this game?

We were at the same level as our opponent in the first half. Hotz had the opportunity to score alone, but failed. In the second half, everyone saw Inter Milan performing better than us, but Ajax also played with courage. We know Inter's strength, especially in wing and set pieces, and unfortunately, we were going to do better in corner defense. Our idea is to defend well and try not to concede the ball, but obviously it still needs to be improved.

I have not yet analyzed the goal conceded yet. Klasson needs to better guard against Turam and not give the opponent space. This detail is very important in this level of game. We were facing a very strong team, but in the first half I saw the courage I wanted and we put pressure on the opponent's half. I also want to congratulate my players, especially the young players. It is not easy to face Inter in a one-on-one situation. We know that the opponent may create opportunities, but in the first half, only Touram Jr. posed a threat to us, and we did not see that Inter had too many opportunities after that.

Ajax was scored by Inter Milan in the game with two corner kicks.

In my career, I have also lost to the Italian team, but this kind of moment is always sad. We have been doing corners specifically and trying to prepare, but now we need to re-analyze what happened at that time. My players have tried their best to try to win games, they don’t always find space, but they fight bravely, but in the second half we see the real strength of Inter.

Is this the best game Ajax has performed this season?

In the first half, we were evenly matched with Inter Milan, so we should know that they are a team that dominates the European arena. But we were at the same level before Toulam Jr. scored, which was a compliment to my players. There are 7 rounds of Champions League next, and we will start over from this performance in the first half of this game, but we also need to pay attention to some details. At some point, we have not met the standards we should have. As for the second half, the team with better performance won.

Why don't you arrange a taller player than Klasson to mark Turam Jr. when defending corners?

It is disappointing to lose two corners, but in every game, this critical moment is very important. Inter Milan performed very well in the second half, and we didn't. Clarson? It is always easy to say these after the game, but what I evaluated is the players' fighting spirit and determination, and Tulam's physical fitness is different. We know there are many aspects to improve.

What do you think of Inter Milan coach Ziwo?

I was hoping to see Zivo again on another occasion, but it really made me happy to see him and shake hands with him this time. Inter Milan showed strength throughout the game and was indeed better than us. We still need to improve, and we know this. But we also have to consider the reality, we hope to achieve the same level and did it in the first half. I wanted to wait a few months before playing against Inter, but that's the schedule. We hope to press high pressure in the opponent's half-time, we won some confrontations and sent some crosses, which felt pretty good. We believe we can score a goal but failed to do it. Unfortunately Hotz failed to score that goal that decided the game, but he proved that he was important to the team.