Ajax secured a crucial victory against Atalanta in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday night.

In the first half, both teams had a few opportunities, but Ajax were the more dominant side and had more possession.

In the second half, Ajax continued to take the initiative. Julian Brandt came close to putting Ajax ahead with a header, but that was the only significant chance Ajax managed to create until Tolu Arokodare finally made it 1-0. 

The Nigerian forward showed his strength to win the duel, and then followed that up with a composed finish to break the deadlock late on.

Shortly after, Tolu played an important role in setting up Abdellah Ouazane's goal. It was a tight angle, but Ouazane managed to find the back of the net with an outstanding finish to double the lead and secure all three points for Michel Sanchez's side.

In the first half, Ajax had several chances to counter-attack, but failed to create any chances of real significance from those situations.

One reason for that is that Ajax did not commit enough numbers forward quickly enough. Atalanta almost always had an overload in those situations. The second reason is that Ajax do not really have forwards who can make runs in behind. Leonardo can, to a certain extent, but Ajax need speed on the wings. Davy Klaassen and Oscar Gloukh did not give them that today, and it limited what Michel Sanchez's side could do on the counter-attack.

Ajax need to sign a winger in January who is quick and can make runs in behind to stretch opposition defences and help Ajax be more efficient in attacking transitions.

Brandt played as the no. 10 against Atalanta, as he has done for Ajax throughout the season, but during the game, and particularly in the second half, he often dropped into a deeper position next to Sofyan Amrabat to help Ajax in build-up, with Jorthy Mokio being the most advanced of the three midfielders in such situations.

Brandt could certainly play in the no. 8 role for Ajax when required, and that could potentially allow Michel to use Ouazane as the no. 10.

Leonardo played well against FC Groningen, but Tolu Arokodare should have started against Atalanta, and he showed why when he came on. He scored a very well-taken goal and played a pivotal role in setting up Ouazane's goal. 

Atalanta has a very tall centre-back in Thomas Kristensen. By starting Tolu, it would have allowed Ajax to opt for the long ball more often as the Nigerian forward could win the duel against the Danish centre-back.

Leonardo can still be a success at Ajax, but he needs to be used as a substitute as he looks to regain confidence. Tolu is playing well and regularly makes a big impact. He needs to start the majority of games at the moment.

Amrabat has had an underwhelming start to his Ajax career, but he produced a fairly decent performance against Atalanta. On the ball, he still has room for improvement. He made a few poor passes, and in certain moments, he needs to move the ball at a faster tempo. He is on the ball a lot and therefore can be very influential.

Especially against teams like Atalanta that do not press high aggressively, he can also do more to help Ajax progress the ball forward and take more initiative in that aspect.

That being said, out of possession, he had a fairly good game. He worked hard, covered ground and won the ball back on multiple occasions. He made 11 ball recoveries during the game, which was the most by any player.

It was not a perfect performance, but one that the midfielder can take positives from.

Oscar Gloukh's performance against Atalanta on Thursday night is similar to a lot of performances that he has produced for Ajax. He is often very involved in the game and looks to make things happen, but his end product was once again very poor.

Gloukh had four shots against Atalanta, but failed to find the back of the net. In the Eredivisie this season, he has scored 1 goal from an xG (expected goals) of 3,70. He often does almost everything right until the final action. It is an area of his game he desperately needs to improve.

Ouazane needs to start for Ajax on the left wing instead of Gloukh. He has almost always played well in the minutes he has played this season, and his goal against Atalanta was a great example of the quality he has.