Frank de Boer saw positives to his Ajax side’s performance at Barcelona, but admitted that they also gave away at least two goals.
The Dutch were hit with a 4-0 defeat in Champions League Group H’s opening match, thanks to a Lionel Messi hat-trick and a Gerard Pique goal.
However, periods of play saw Ajax assert themselves with possession and leave their Coach satisfied to a certain extent.
“I was satisfied with the first half, when we created almost as many chances as they did,” commented De Boer post-match to UEFA’s official website.
“We also did very well in terms of playing football. Obviously it could have been better, because we lost the ball unnecessarily at times.
“It is a shame that very early in the second half we conceded the second goal. After that second one from Messi, suddenly everything was wide open.
“One moment of not paying attention and the ball is in the goal. That is something you know already before the match and that cannot happen.
“The same also applied for the 3-0 goal from Gerard Pique. We gave away two goals and that's what really annoys me.
“In the end I think the 4-0 defeat is a blow, because – again – we gave away two unnecessary goals. Without those two goals we had almost as many chances as them.
“We certainly were not better than them, but I thought we played pretty well. I think that at times we showed good game play, despite the pressure and the lack of top form, against a big team like Barcelona.
“We have shown that we are able to play good football.”
