Ajax goalkeeper Remko Pasveer has admitted he was left pondering how they could have done better in this week’s defeat to Liverpool.
The Dutch side travelled to Anfield on Tuesday for matchday two of the Champions League group stages, looking to make it six points from six following a win over Rangers in matchday one.
They headed into the game as slight favourites, with many predicting a shock result after Liverpool’s slow start to the season and heavy defeat to Napoli.
It proved to be a chastening evening, though, as Liverpool dominated possession and created numerous chances throughout the game.
They eventually won 2-1 courtesy of a late header from Joel Matip, but in truth the score line could have been more comfortable.
That is not to say, though, that Ajax played poorly and Pasveer admits he was left pondering what more they could have done.
“At night I was still thinking: what could we have done better?” Ajax Showtime report him saying.
“We have to learn from that and move on again. Especially in possession we could have done better.
“If you see how we score, a lot of passes precede that, and everyone is involved. That was a strong point of ours and we should have done more. Showing more that we want to have the ball. That’s our quality.”
Pasveer was arguably Ajax’s best player on the night, with Liverpool peppering his goal with a number of chances throughout the 90 minutes.
He was forced into eight saves in total, with Liverpool managing a whopping 24 shots in total and ten on target.
It is a credit to him, then, that the score line wasn’t a greater one as Liverpool continued to build pressure and looked likely to add to their tally sooner rather than later.
That’s been a common occurrence at Anfield during Jurgen Klopp’s reign, and Pasveer admits they weren’t accustomed to the intensity.
“At a club like Ajax, if you’ve seen the previous ones, that pressure doesn’t come a lot,” he added.
“That’s nice for me as a goalkeeper too sometimes, but you want to see that accompanied by results. It wasn’t to be, but it was nice for myself that I had a few good balls.
“From a goalkeeping point of view, it was certainly fine. Of course, you are critical of the footballing aspect.
“You have to deal with team-mates offering you the right options and what you yourself can do to indicate those options. Those are things we have to work on. Especially in games like this where you come under pressure.”
