Young players benefited greatly from more intensive coaching.
A week later, Ajax dominated at home, crushing Venlo 6–0.
It was another emphatic victory, but what made Yang Yang happiest was not the team's over-seventy-percent possession, nor its impressive ninety-three-percent passing accuracy. It was that the goals had come from six different players.
Jović, Sancho, Neres, Van de Beek, Ødegaard, and Haaland, who had made his Ajax debut.
The Norwegian youngster Haaland came on for Jović in the seventieth minute, with Ajax leading 3–0. Ødegaard then extended Ajax's lead, before setting up Haaland to score. Late in the match, another Ødegaard assist allowed Van de Beek to find the net.
The standout player of the match was Neres, who scored once and assisted once. But in Yang Yang's eyes, the best performer was Ødegaard, who had come on as a substitute. The Norwegian prodigy had produced his finest performance since joining Ajax.
In just twenty minutes, he had proved his ability and immense potential with two assists and a goal.
Clearly, he was beginning to launch his strongest possible challenge for a place in the starting lineup.
Whether it was Van de Beek, who was bearing the brunt of that challenge, Frenkie de Jong, or Ndombele, all of them were clearly feeling the pressure.
There was also Haaland, another Norwegian, who scored on his Ajax debut. His imposing physique had left a deep impression on the fans, especially the momentum he generated when he accelerated, which was truly spectacular.
With Jović's breakout season, the Serbian center forward had attracted the attention of many European giants. Ajax fans had previously been deeply worried that his departure would deal the team a devastating blow, and that one careless step might even cause them to repeat the tragedy that had followed the Europa League