Chapter 214: The Young Talents of Ajax

The Luton squad spent two days in quiet at the Feyenoord training ground.

Before the start of the game, the team's training and preparation were still very intense, and the players spent the two days in hotels and training grounds. Of course, I don't want to go to Amsterdam's red light district. And even if someone wants to go, they don't have the courage to go - before the big game starts, Gao Bo will definitely not allow the players to mess around.

And the media in England and the Netherlands have been paying close attention to this Europa League match for the past two days.

On the media side of England, there are mixed opinions on the prospects of Luton's Europa League tie.

“...... Defeating Roma undoubtedly makes Luton full of confidence, in the elimination of a strong team like Ajax, Luton's luck is not good, but Gao Bo's team is very strong in tactical execution and discipline, and they also have some quite talented players, and on the other hand, Ajax's side, although Ajax is also a youth army, their player talent is not below Luton, or even more than Luton, but the football game is more important on the tactical and discipline side, and in this regard, Ajax is a lot worse than Luton! Ajax have a group of young talents, but they are not as consistent and disciplined as Luton Town, who have been built into an iron army by Gao Bo. The Daily Mail said in the report.

“..... Offense wins fans, defense wins championships. The all-attacking Dutch football is indeed quite gorgeous, but Gobo's team is known for their defense, and his tactics are based on dense formations and the integrity of the team, from this point of view, it is really difficult for Ajax to bargain at home against Luton, for Luton, they only need to get a draw on the road, and even if they can score away goals, a small defeat is not unacceptable, and in the two legs, Luton play away first, and they have a slight advantage in terms of the field. The Telegraph reported.

Of course, there are also English newspapers that are not optimistic about Luton.

'Luton Town were very good in the group stage, but the knockout games are not the same as the group stage. Compared to Luton, Ajax has a lot more experience! ”

"The value of the two teams compares to the value of Ajax and Luton Town is too much, although the value does not determine a game, but it at least shows that the young people of Ajax are better than the young people of Luton."

The media on Fleet Street was full of buzz.

In the Netherlands, the Dutch media is very consistent.

The Telegraph, a major Dutch newspaper, is very optimistic about Ajax's home win over Luton.

'It's really great to be a third-tier team to get out of the group, especially when they beat a team like Roma over both legs. However, in terms of strength, Ajax occupies a certain strength, and Ajax at home has a wealth of European experience, while Luton's team, from their players to coaches, has no experience in the Europa League, plus they have a very dense schedule in the league, and it is not easy for this small team to play away. ”

The media is talking about it.

And the time for the game is approaching.

On the afternoon of 17 February, the players took a short break after lunch and in the afternoon did a little low-intensity physical training in the hotel gym to keep their bodies excited.

At about four o'clock in the afternoon, the team had an early meal at the hotel, as the game was played at six o'clock in the afternoon.

The players weren't allowed to eat too much, about fifty percent or so. Because they are about to face a fierce competition, the peristalsis of the stomach and intestines will increase the burden on the human body.

After refueling for the evening's game, the players boarded the bus from the hotel and headed to the Amsterdam Stadium.

The Ajax stadium has a capacity of more than 50,000 fans.

By the time the team arrived at the stadium, it was already crowded and brightly lit outside.

The latitude in the Netherlands is a bit higher than in England, so at this time the sun is already half blocked by the river embankment in the distance.

Judging by the crowds outside the stadium, the Amsterdam Stadium was absolutely full today.

.....

Luton's bus stopped in the stadium's parking lot.

Gao Bo was the first to step off the bus, and the reporters not far away pressed the shutter in their hands.

Then the players also walked down one by one to the away team dressing room on the pitch.

The players put their things away in the dressing room and then started to sort out and change their equipment.

"Hurry up!! Speed up!! John clapped his hands and said.

"We only have thirty minutes to !!"

The players quickly changed their equipment and warmed up on the pitch under the guidance of the assistant coach.

Gao Bo didn't go out, he stayed in the locker room.

The soundproofing of the visitors' dressing room was not good, and the sound of the tsunami on the pitch was clearly transmitted to the dressing room.

Gao Bo got Ajax's starting line-up for today.

From this starting list, Gao Bo saw many acquaintances.

For example, their right wing-back Van der Wiel, central defender Vertonghen, Alderweireld, Van der Wield later played for the French giants Paris Saint-Germain for a few years, while Vertonghen later transferred to Tottenham Hotspur, Alderweireld later played for Atletico Madrid for a few years, but at that time Atletico Madrid had Godin and Miranda, a stable pair of central defenders, so Alderweireld, who had no chance, reunited at Tottenham Hotspur.

In addition to these people, what makes Gao Bo more familiar is of course Suarez on the front line.

The Uruguayan striker has the title of a genius in the frontcourt, he often has some unexpected moves and actions in the front, and later made a name for himself in the Premier League after his transfer to Liverpool, becoming the striker of the Reds Liverpool after Torres left, and later transferred to La Liga Barcelona, forming an attacking MSN combination with Messi and Neymar.

However, Gao Bo's impression of Suarez is more on his several bites.

In the early morning of November 21, 2010, in the 15th round of the Eredivisie, Suarez's Ajax drew 0:0 with PSV Eindhoven. Before the end of the game, Ajax player Lindgren was shown a red card by the referee, and the players from both sides gathered together for mediation, and the Uruguayan, who was the captain of Ajax, suddenly opened his mouth and bit Eindhoven midfielder Bakar on the shoulder, but the referee who was close at hand did not seem to see this scene, although Bakar showed the wound to the referee, Suarez did not receive any punishment on the spot, and then the Dutch Football Association immediately announced a seven-game ban on him.

On April 21, 2013, in the final round of the English Premier League, Liverpool faced Chelsea, in the 65th minute of the game, Suarez, a Liverpool player, received the ball in the Blues penalty area and tried to dribble past Ivanovic but failed, and the two sides made physical contact in the subsequent scramble for position. Suarez lowered his head and bit the opponent's arm in a hurry, and the referee on duty ignored Suarez's bad behavior again and did not make any judgment. Suarez then received a 10-match ban from the disciplinary committee and said goodbye to last season early.

On June 25, 2014, in the third round of Group D of the World Cup in Brazil, Uruguay played against Italy, in the 78th minute, Suarez had a suspected bite of Chiellini's shoulder, and the Italian guard then opened his shirt to the referee, but the referee did not give a penalty. [51] On June 26, FIFA announced after an investigation into Suarez's bite that Suarez had been banned from all football activities by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee for nine matches and four months from participating in all football activities.

Suarez has been banned three times just for biting, and later the media broke the news that Suarez had bitten people on the pitch five times during his domestic time in Uruguay.

When Gao Bo saw Suarez's name, he was thinking, I hope this guy won't be interested in this competition....

In addition to these people, there are not many of the remaining starters who have an impression of Gao Bo.

Although the name of Ajax's world star factory is still retained, the quality of the players they produce is slowly starting to fall short of the requirements of the big clubs in Europe.