The Premiership champions side came apart at the seams to fall 5-1 to the Dutch giants as the boss reiterated his demand for more
Celtic have earned acclaim for dismantling some heavy hitters over the past two pre-seasons and the plaudits keep coming despite Ajax ripping them apart amid a second half mauling in the Como Cup.
Brendan Rodgers’ side came apart at the seams to fall 5-1 to the Dutch giants as the boss reiterated his demand for added quality at the final whistle but their tactics before the second half implosion left a telling impact on the opponents.
And it was a far cry from the side who roughshod over Manchester City, Chelsea, Sporting and Newcastle in recent summers after the interval, however, Ajax boss John Heitinga was quick to note the job the Premiership champions did in an impressive opening salvo as they created multiple chances before Yang cancelled out Steven Berghuis’ opener.
Speaking to ESPN, Heitinga said: “It was a good practice match. In the first half, we didn’t always apply the pressure properly.
“We were sloppy and unfamiliar. You’re happy with the win and you saw some good things.
“We needed to grow into the game. Jaros made several good saves. During the first half, we became more settled.
“We were sloppy in possession, and Celtic exerted good pressure. You can see their automaticity. A team that will start next week.”
And Heitinga conceded Kieran Tierney brutally exposed the perils of playing a high line as his inch-perfect pass released Reo Hatate to set up the oncoming Yang at the back stick.
The former Liverpool No.2 added: “The line of possession to their striker [Idah] was often open. When we pushed forward, we were often one-on-one defensively. Then you have to win all your personal battles.
“They had a lot of positional changes, and we struggled with that quite a bit in the first half.
“When we lost possession, we weren’t always positioned well. That’s the most important lesson from the first half.”
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