Ajax's preseason matches had been arranged with a clear purpose.
They needed to sharpen the team's tactics, build the players' chemistry, and help them understand and implement Yang Yang's tactical ideas, while also avoiding damage to the players' confidence and the team's morale.
This was also determined by the new season's schedule.
The season would begin with the life-and-death battles of the Champions League qualifying rounds and playoffs.
If Ajax focused solely on building cohesion, trying to develop the team against strong opponents and uncover its weaknesses, then the final result would be Ajax losing so badly that their trousers would fall down, with the players' morale sinking and the team completely devoid of fighting spirit.
Young players still had to be encouraged above all else.
Yang Yang had always believed this, but he also recognized the necessity of challenging strong teams. Thus, the club had arranged five preseason matches. The first two opponents were roughly at the upper level of the Eredivisie, which was more or less the level of the Champions League qualifying rounds. The next two were mid-to-upper-table teams from the Premier League and Serie A, while the final match was against a weak Belgian side.
The results had not surprised Yang Yang. The first two matches were lost because the team was still building up its physical reserves in preseason and had only just begun to gel. The next two matches were also defeats, including a humiliating three-nil loss to Naples. That had been a complete and utter rout.
Fortunately, Ajax crushed their opponents two-nil in the final preseason match.
By comparison, the two matches against strong teams in the middle had offered the most valuable experience and exposed the most problems.
There was also one particularly interesting phenomenon: Yang Yang had not played even a