After just eight games, Ajax are now already five points behind Feyenoord, who are currently top of the Eredivisie table.

Ajax have had some very strong performances and have been dominant in several games, but have dropped points in four games.

They lost 1-3 to PSV Eindhoven and drew with SC Heerenveen, Excelsior and NEC Nijmegen, all of which were at home.

In the three draws Ajax have had this season in the Eredivisie, the Amsterdammers were the more dominant team and created enough chances to win those games.

Ajax beat Telstar 0-4 and defeated both Fortuna Sittard and Willem II 5-1. Those games show how good Ajax can be when things click, but Michel Sanchez's side is struggling for consistency in the early stages of the season. That is, however, quite logical when you consider they signed 12 new players and also appointed a new head coach. 

After that much change in a short period of time, it can sometimes take time for a team to reach its full potential.

Sofyan Amrabat made his second start in an Ajax shirt against NEC Nijmegen. He has made five appearances this season, coming off the bench on three occasions as he continues to adapt to life in Amsterdam.

In an interview with NOS after the game against NEC, Amrabat opened up on Ajax's start to the season and where they stand in the title race.

"Five points is not insignificant, but it is not an insurmountable gap either," Amrabat explained.

"You just have to stay positive, keep working hard, and keep the faith. I also want to thank the fans for the fantastic support."

Amrabat is still optimistic about Ajax's chances of winning the Eredivisie, but admits they need to find consistency quickly.

"We just have to remain a team. The season is still long, but we need to start improving quickly because we can't keep repeating this story every week.

"We are working incredibly hard on it, and I think we are slowly making progress, but it has to get better. Because ultimately, you have to start winning these kinds of matches."

"I still have faith. It is still early, but we really need to hurry up. You can't have this happen too often, because then the gap becomes insurmountable."

While Ajax have dropped points on several occasions this season already, Amrabat believes that it is just a matter of converting chances in front of goal before performances improve.

"I think we are on the right track.

"The results aren't helping entirely at the moment, but the performances are okay. We aren't playing badly; we're creating enough. You just need to start scoring," Amrabat said.

In football, teams are judged based on results. Amrabat is right, however. Ajax's performances this season have been better than what certain results suggest. In the games against Heerenveen, Excelsior and NEC, Ajax were the team that controlled the game, and in all games, they created several chances.

The system is not yet perfect, and that is completely understandable, given that Michel only arrived in the summer and several of the new players did not have a pre-season with Ajax as they joined late in the transfer window.

Ajax are already playing fairly well, and as the season goes on, they should continue to improve even more. They are already playing catch-up in the title race, but the gap is only five points, and there is still a very long way to go.