Champions League: 4 reasons why Ajax will knock out Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur are one of the big surprises in this year’s Champions League campaign. After an intense group, they were able to rank themselves above Inter Milan and PSV Eindhoven with a late equaliser in the Camp Nou.

In the knockout stages, the English club dominated Dortmund. A result which no one expected, especially considering the great form of BVB at that time. In the quarters, Manchester City awaited, and were again knocked out by Spurs in a thrilling second leg encounter, where Pochettino outsmarted his opponent, Pep Guardiola.

Ajax Amsterdam might even be a bigger surprise. The young team’s journey started in the qualifiers, where they were able to win against Graz, Lüttich, and Kiew. In the group stage, Ajax survived their group of Bayern, Benfica, and Athens quite easily.

In March, one of the biggest uprisings in the competition’s history occurred: Ajax Amsterdam upset last year’s winners, Real Madrid, in their own stadium. However, the joy was soon muffled after the Dutch side tied with Juventus, one of the biggest favourites for the title. However, again, Ajax went through in a magnificent and impressive way.

Today we can expect a very good match. Both teams have a great offence, which is built on a strong defence and two great coaches. The sides have great individual talents, as well as young and fast players, and will not be afraid of trying to score as many goals as possible.

Tottenham and Ajax are both able to progress to the final and are definitely title contenders. However, in this article I will show why the latter are favourites to go through, using four points that will make this clear.

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#1 Form in recent games

Tottenham Hotspur - In the last four games, they have lost three times

Recent games are often a sign of how the sides are doing and how good they are right now. For the English side, this is not a good omen. In the last four games, they have lost three times (once against West Ham and twice against Manchester City), even conceding their first goal and defeat in their new stadium.

In all of those occasions, Spurs were not able to even leave their best players on the bench, as Alli, Eriksen, Son etc, played most of the possible minutes.

Amsterdam on the other hand, only dropped points twice in their last 15 games, losing to Alkmaar and drawing with Juventus. They overtook their local enemy Eindhoven, after winning against them in a dominant way, placing themselves on the top of the table.

This shows that Ajax is on a great run and can dominate the best teams with their possession-based style of play, despite still being slight underdogs in the Champions League.

#2 Ajax’s tactics

Ajax might be the team that is suited better for this kind of football

Pochettino and Ten Hag play their teams in a similar fashion: 4-2-3-1 formation, smart offensive players, physically great fullbacks, and technically solid centre backs. Both sides are very effective in possession but also are competent against the ball.

Despite their similar way of playing, Ajax might be the team suited better for this kind of football. De Ligt and Blind might be the definition of ball-playing centre backs, whereas Tagliafico and Mazzoui are both fast and good on the ball.

De Jong is an amazing midfielder, who is able to progress the game in every situation and will dribble around the Spurs midfield like they are not even there. Their offensive trio in Tadic, Neres, and Ziyech, are always in for a goal and will definitely get the best out of the Tottenham backline.

Even though Tottenham and Pochettino are a great team and have shown on several occasions that they are able to outsmart and outplay their opponents, the Dutch seem stronger and more consistent. They dominated sides like Real Madrid and Juventus in their path so far and probably will do the same today.

#3 The absence of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son

Spurs will lack the potency to crack the solid Ajax defence

In the first leg of the Manchester City game, Kane injured his ankle again, as he collided with Delph. The England captain directly went to the team doctor, who diagnosed him with a ligament injury. Due to that, Kane will most likely be out for the rest of the season.

In the second leg, Son replaced the striker. He scored twice before getting a yellow card in the 48th minute. This means that he will miss the first leg.

This might be the worst-case scenario for Spurs. The other two options that could replace them are Lamela, who played his last game in March, and Llorente, who despite scoring the decider against Manchester City, will not be able to replace the forwards adequately.

Without their most prolific attackers, who have both participated in around 30 per cent of the team’s goals each, Spurs will lack the potency to crack the solid Ajax defence, at least in the first leg.

#4 Dusan Tadic

He is the focal point and leader of a talented attack

After Tadic swapped the Premier League for the Eredivisie, many thought that his career was declining and that the player is past his prime. How he proved them wrong.

He is the focal point and leader of a talented attack that is able to outscore every team in the world with their youthful and fancy style of playing.

Dusan basically had a second renaissance in Amsterdam, where he has participated in 55 goals in 51 games so far this season. His numbers surprisingly also do not drop off in the Champions League, where the attacker has participated in as many goals as he has played.

In seven games against Tottenham, the Serbian was able to participate in three goals, which is not bad, considering Southampton lost five of them during that time. He knows the EPL and the defenders of the league, as well as the hard tackling style of his opponents.