AFC Ajax suffered their first defeat of the season with a 1-3 loss to PSV Eindhoven at the Johan Cruijff ArenA on Saturday night. The result leaves Michel's side sixth in the standings, having taken seven points from their first four Eredivisie matches.
Ricardo Pepi gave PSV a fifth-minute lead, but Tolu Arokodare brought Ajax level before halftime. Lutsharel Geertruida restored PSV's advantage just before the break, and Esmir Bajraktarević sealed the win in second-half stoppage time. An analysis from roundtable.io concluded that PSV are currently the more stable team.
How did Ajax respond to the early setback?
The early goal from Pepi set the tone for a difficult evening. Goalkeeper Marc ter Stegen might have done better on the first goal and struggled with his distribution throughout the match. Ajax found a response through Tolu Arokodare, who scored his fourth goal of the season in all competitions and his second in the Eredivisie. The Nigerian had previously provided two assists during the UEFA Conference League qualifying rounds.
At halftime, manager Michel introduced three debutants. Sofyan Amrabat, Viktor Tsyhankov and Thilo Kehrer all made their first official appearances for Ajax. Simon Adingra, who completed his move on deadline day, was not yet fit to feature. The coach stated afterwards that in an ideal world, Ajax would have preferred to play this game closer to the winter break, when the squad would likely be more settled.
Which individual performances stood out?
Beyond Arokodare's goal, there were mixed individual contributions. Aaron Bouwman showed strong ball-carrying and passing ability, despite some defensive flaws. Unfortunately, the defender is currently sidelined and listed on the injuries page. Anton Gaaei had a tough night against PSV's attack, displaying the inconsistency that has characterized his Ajax career so far.
At left-back, Caio Henrique is likely to start many games in an attack-minded role. The team is clearly in a transitional phase and needs to improve parts of their system. With nine goals scored and five conceded, Ajax's goal difference stands at +4, as shown on the stats page.
What does this defeat mean for the title race?
The loss has immediate consequences for Ajax's position in the title race. The Amsterdam side now trails league leaders AZ Alkmaar by eight points. Their recent form of LWDW shows a lack of consistency. Michel acknowledged after the match that PSV are probably the better team right now, largely due to their greater stability.
This match was the last before the international break, providing time for reflection and adjustments. Ajax must now focus on their next fixture, an away match against FC Groningen on October 18th. Groningen currently sits ninth in the table. The full schedule is available in the fixtures overview.
