According to Everybody Sport, Ter Stegen, who was loaned from Barcelona to Ajax, hoped to regain his confidence through this opportunity, but his performance against PSV Eindhoven was disappointing.

Michel still has much work to do, and his task is not easy. With full support from technical director Jordi Cruyff, the man from Vallecas has an exciting yet stressful challenge: to return Ajax to where it belongs in the Netherlands.

To achieve this, the team underwent significant restructuring, with high-level players such as Leonardo, Julian Brandt, Amrabat, Blind, Tsygankov, Caio Henrique, and Barcelona players Joffre Torrents and Marc-André ter Stegen joining the club.

It is precisely because of this significant investment that Michel needs time to integrate the new squad. The team achieved its first objective this season by qualifying for the Conference League, and now it's time to focus on the Eredivisie campaign. This Amsterdam side hasn't won the Eredivisie since 2022, when Erik ten Hag was in charge.

Ajax convincingly beat PEC Zwolle in their first match, then drew 2-2 with Heerenveen, and won 4-0 against Telstar. However, in a genuine tough test against defending champions PSV Eindhoven, managed by Peter Bosz, Michel suffered his first defeat in Amsterdam.

Although Ajax dominated possession for much of the match, they squandered chances at both ends and ultimately lost 3-1. Tolu managed to equalize at 1-1. Michel still needs time to get everything functioning properly and to implement his new plan as he had envisioned.

One of the most difficult situations has been for Ter Stegen. The goalkeeper secured the starting position from day one after joining, hoping to regain stability following recurring injuries in recent seasons, including a failed loan spell at Girona. Now he's back in Amsterdam on loan, and under Michel, this is the right place for him to rebuild his confidence and perform at his best.

He's not playing at the expected level

However, his performance drew criticism in the Netherlands. Former player and "Good Morning Eredivisie" commentator on ESPN Hans Kraay Jr. bluntly called Ter Stegen's second-half performance "unbelievable," especially when Ajax was trailing 2-1: "From the 60th to the 70th minute, Ajax couldn't even get the ball out of their own half. The team was down 2-1, but they were playing as slowly as if they were ahead 3-0."

He attributed Ajax's slow pace to the German goalkeeper, stating that he "felt Ter Stegen was completely accepting this. He didn't even seem to realize Ajax was trailing 2-1. He was walking around the pitch for ten minutes. Honestly, I think that's remarkable!" However, Kraay Jr. also acknowledged that it's "great" for Ajax to have a goalkeeper of such caliber in their squad.

The German goalkeeper's performance was indeed not ideal. PSV went ahead in the 4th minute when Pepi headed in a cross, and Ter Stegen misjudged it. The German goalkeeper failed to catch the ball in the air and was helpless to prevent the goal.

He was equally helpless for the second goal, a curved shot from Gertruida following a corner kick. In the closing stages, with the team completely exhausted, Ter Stegen conceded the third goal: a diagonal shot from Bayraktarevic, which he touched but couldn't stop.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

Situs web AF kini hadir! Lihat berita lengkap, komentar, detail pertandingan, dan statistik di komputer Anda. Kunjungi: www.allfootballapp.com