Ajax Captain Klaassen Reflects on 'Hard Lesson' After Marseille Defeat
Ajax captain Davy Klaassen shares his thoughts on the team's 4-0 loss to Olympique Marseille in the Champions League, calling it a 'hard lesson'.
“We played against a good team. A team like Marseille are currently ahead of Ajax...”
Ajax captain Davy Klaassen described the 4-0 loss to Olympique Marseille as a “hard lesson” for his team. Marseille's Igor Paixao scored a brace within six minutes, setting the tone for a dominant performance that culminated in a 4-0 victory. Mason Greenwood and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang added to Marseille's tally, scoring in the 26th and 52nd minutes, respectively.
Klaassen noted that this defeat reflects Ajax's current state, calling it their “new reality.” The team struggled to contain Marseille's attack and created few meaningful chances, leading to their joint-largest away defeat in UEFA Champions League history. This loss comes after Ajax's 2-0 home defeat to Inter Milan, highlighting the team's challenges in the competition.
“We at Ajax need to take a good, hard look at ourselves,” said Klaassen. “A few years ago, teams like this were far behind us, but now it's the other way around. That's a hard lesson for us to learn.”
Ajax narrowly avoided an even more lopsided defeat after Olympique Marseille eased off in the second half. Despite this, Ajax remained ineffective in attack and struggled to exert any influence over the game, ultimately succumbing to Marseille's dominance.
“We played against a good team. A team like Marseille are currently ahead of Ajax. They let us play until a certain point. We get to the 16, but without really posing a threat.”
Ajax captain Davy Klaassen acknowledges that the team is still adjusting to Johnny Heitinga's leadership, following a tough start to the season. Heitinga, the former Liverpool assistant, has faced intense scrutiny over his tactics and decision-making. Despite Ajax's 2-1 win over NAC Breda, critics argue the team's performance was subpar, with some questioning Heitinga's ability to implement the desired playing style.
“You want to find out why we are so sloppy. We need to build as a team and try to create more stability. That is a process, and these lows are part of it.”
Taylor Disappointed with Ajax's Performance
Kenneth Taylor, one of Ajax's most active players with four shots, acknowledged that his team struggled throughout the match. “Nothing went wrong in the first five minutes,” Taylor said, “but after that, we just weren't good enough.” His comments reflect the team's overall disappointment with their performance in the Champions League.
“We'll find out soon enough, of course. You know it's going to be a difficult match, and ultimately you'll find out soon enough, and then it will be tough,” Taylor said.
“Ultimately, we always have confidence in ourselves, and for the first five minutes, I think nothing is wrong. We knew that's how they played, of course. The ball went to the striker, he passed it on, and they scored immediately.”
Kenneth Taylor attributed Ajax's struggles to bad luck, suggesting that their high-pressure system with man-marking wasn't inherently flawed. Instead, he implied that Marseille manager Roberto De Zerbi's effective countermeasures exposed vulnerabilities that didn't quite work out for Ajax.
“We had devised a battle plan, but it didn't work out well. Ultimately, football is a game of mistakes, and those mistakes are punished mercilessly. That makes it difficult.”
Any questions about whether or not Ajax should employ a different system went unanswered. “That's up to the coach, of course. But I think you expect something different in every match. Marseille sat very deep and wanted to play one-touch football, like they did for the first goal,” Taylor said.
“But anyway, there are always two sides to it, because when we win the ball back, we have a lot of space there.”
— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) September 30, 2025
Future Prospects
Ajax's upcoming Champions League match against Olympique Marseille will be a crucial test for Heitinga and his team. A srong performance could help alleviate some of the pressure, but a poor result may further intensify the scrutiny surrounding Heitinga's leadership.
Ajax will face Sparta Rotterdam in an away match on Saturday, October 4th, at 15:30 WAT (16:30 CET) at Sparta Stadium Het Kasteel in Rotterdam. This upcoming Eredivisie clash promises to be an exciting encounter between the two Dutch football clubs.
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