Ajax secured a 1-0 victory against AZ Alkmaar on Saturday night thanks to a goal from Tolu Arokodare, who put Ajax ahead within 10 minutes of play.

That turned out to be Ajax's only big chance of the game. They created very little, and that might have partly been down to the fact that Julian Brandt, who has been Ajax's most creative player this season, had to go off in the first half due to an injury. That being said, even when Brandt was on the pitch, Ajax offered very little on the ball. They did not move the ball around quickly enough and struggled to get up the pitch. 

In the Eredivisie this season, Ajax have averaged around 40 touches per 90 minutes in the opposition's penalty box, but against AZ Alkmaar on Saturday, they only had 19, while Leeroy Echtheld's side had 34. The visitors also accumulated an XG (expected goals) of 2.3, while Ajax's was 0.72.

It is positive that Ajax are finding ways to win even in games where they do not necessarily play well, but AZ Alkmaar were, by quite some distance, the better team in the Johan Cruijff ArenA on Saturday night and were unlucky to leave empty-handed.

Speaking in his post-match press conference after the game on Saturday night, Michel Sanchez explains how AZ Alkmaar made it difficult for his team, both with the ball and without it, in terms of how it made it difficult for Ajax to press.

"Ideally, we just want to press high and play in the opponent's half," Michel explained.

"Unfortunately, AZ had two wingers and two full-backs of an incredibly high standard, in a league of their own. They made it incredibly difficult for us.

"They didn't let us come up with solutions on the ball."

When it is difficult for Ajax to press, they need to be prepared to sit in a mid block to close spaces in central areas to make it difficult for the opponent to progress the ball up the pitch. Ajax have shown in glimpses that they can do this, but they are too inconsistent in this aspect.

Ajax have conceded an xG (expected goals) of 15,9 this season, which is more than FC Twente, Feyenoord, AZ Alkmaar and PSV Eindhoven. If Ajax want to win the league title, they need to become more defensively compact.

Both Youri Baas and Aaron Bouwman, who started together in central defence against AZ Alkmaar, are exceptional defenders in possession, but they are not the best box defenders. In games where Michel knows Ajax will be put under pressure, one or both of Thilo Kehrer and Dies Janse should start, as they are great box defenders, although they offer less in possession than Bouwman and Baas.