Neestrup: "Positive conclusions from Ajax friendly"

Panathinaikos coach Jacob Neestrup found positive takeaways from his team's friendly match against Ajax, despite acknowledging some shortcomings. The Danish coach was generally pleased with the team's image on the field, although he pointed out specific moments where the execution faltered.

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The conclusions are positive, except for the last 10-12 minutes at the end of the first half, when we didn't do the things we worked on correctly, with or without the ball.

"The conclusions are positive, except for the last 10-12 minutes at the end of the first half, when we didn't do the things we worked on correctly, with or without the ball," Neestrup stated. He specifically mentioned the contributions of several players, including Jagusić, Tetê, Kamara, Trujić, and Cherin, noting their positive impact on both sides of the pitch.

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Calabria felt a pain in his stomach, nothing more, he is not injured and that is the important thing in such games, not to have superficial injuries.

Neestrup also provided an update on player fitness, confirming that Calabria experienced stomach discomfort but did not suffer an injury, which he deemed the most important outcome for such matches. Reflecting on the team's progress compared to previous friendlies, he emphasized the difficulty of maintaining peak performance against a strong opponent like Ajax for the entire 90 minutes. The coach stressed the importance of controlling the game and managing the opponent's pressure, noting that a temporary loss of control stemmed from weakening ball possession, an area requiring correction. Overall, Neestrup expressed satisfaction with many aspects of the game and the conditions of the friendly, which he felt resembled an official match.

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When you play against Ajax, you cannot be better for the entire 90 minutes, the important thing is to control the game as much as you can, but also the pressure they exert on you.