Ajax secured a 2-0 victory against Atalanta in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday night.

Ajax were the dominant side, but Atalanta defended well and made it difficult for Ajax to create quality chances. Late in the game, though, Tolu Arokodare, who came on as a substitute, put Ajax ahead with a very well-taken goal. A few minutes later, Tolu assisted Abdellah Ouazane, who made it 2-0 with an outstanding finish.

Ajax have now won their last two games and have also produced very good performances. One of their standout players recently has been Jorthy Mokio. He scored twice against Groningen and was once again very impressive against Atalanta.

At the start of the season, Mokio often played as a No. 6 following Youri Regeer's departure. Sofyan Amrabat is now starting to play very regularly, though, and he is playing as the deepest of Ajax's midfielders. That has allowed Mokio to play in the No. 8 position and be more involved in the final third. 

Speaking in his post-match press conference after Ajax's win over Atalanta, Ajax head coach Michel Sanchez praised Mokio for his performance against the Italian side and said that he believed Mokio was Ajax's best player on Thursday night.

"Today, Mokio was the best player for me," Michel explained.

"He interpreted the pressure perfectly. Mokio knew immediately how to press high, and Davy Klaassen's positioning was also very important. That was the key. It ensured that they dropped back. In general, we also pressed well after losing possession."

With Mokio beginning to establish himself as Ajax's first choice no. 8, Klaassen has played on the right wing for Ajax in their last two games, often coming into central areas when Ajax have the ball. The 33-year-old has played quite well in that position, and it could be a position Michel will use him in more often throughout the season.

As Michel said, Ajax's counter-press against Atalanta was quite good. Ajax's press has been quite poor this season, but in the last two games against Groningen and Atalanta, it has improved significantly.

Ajax often gave the opponent too much time on the ball and were far too passive, but in the last two games, they have been a lot more aggressive when pressing.

Their mid block has also improved significantly. Groningen had three big chances against Ajax, two of which were goals and one was a penalty, but apart from that, they struggled to create anything else of real value against the Amsterdammers, and they struggled to progress the ball up the pitch.

Atalanta registered an xG (expected goals) of 0,97 against Ajax on Thursday night and Maurizio Sarri's team failed to create a single big chances during the game.