Ajax coach Schreuder happy with ‘great reward’ for Pasveer and Taylor

One thought it was super cool, the other reacted a bit more sober. Ajax coach Alfred Schreuder is not surprised that Kenneth Taylor and Remko Pasveer have been included in the selection of the Dutch national team.

“I spoke to them and they were of course very happy. It is wonderful for both of them to be there for the first time,” says Schreuder at a press conference in the run-up to the top league against AZ on Sunday. “Remko is a bit older”, he explains the sober reaction of his 38-year-old goalkeeper, “but in his heart he will also be very happy and proud.”

“Remko already had a very strong season last year, but had bad luck with his finger. For him it is fantastic that he is there at his age and in this form, that is a great reward.”

Pasveer and Taylor are two of the eight Ajax players who have been called up by national coach Louis van Gaal for the Nations League games against Poland (September 22) and Belgium (September 25).

“Steven Bergwijn is brought to Ajax as an international”, Schreuder puts that large number into perspective, “but it is of course nice that Pasveer becomes international at Ajax and that Taylor comes through from the youth.”

“I am fortunate to have good players. If they play well here, the Dutch national team is close.”

Ajax lost 2-1 to superpower Liverpool in the Champions League on Tuesday, but that European defeat is no reason for Schreuder to do anything about his playing style. “We always want to play with intensity and we tried that against Liverpool. They were better than us, that’s no shame at all. We have to pick it up again and do it in our own way.”

AZ met an opponent of a different order in the Conference League this week, the small FC Vaduz from Liechtenstein was defeated 4-1 with some difficulty. “After sixty minutes, after the red card, I saw that they were going to switch, but I didn’t have the idea that their heads were already with Ajax,” said the Ajax trainer.