Who is the better player between the two? Quentin Timber, whose twin brother is ten minutes older, had to think about it for a while. However, he left no doubt about his answer. “Goren. He is currently playing at a higher level: Ajax, Champions League, Netherlands national team”.

But the best is not always with flowers at the end. Winning does not come naturally. Ajax had to pay for the fact that the team wanted to get rid of it with Jante-van-Lied against FC Utrecht, while this opponent is always happy to frustrate the team from Amsterdam. Ajax played football without rhythm, refusing to tear up the reinforced Utrecht defense with several changes in position and depth and missing the sharpness in finishing the chances that came with that.

At the final stage, present Ajax with the invoice. Substitute Quentin Timber scored the winning goal. With a gentle pass, he passed the ball on the left flank to Django Warmerdam, just like Timber of Ajax youth. Warmerdam scored in the far corner, although the ball seemed passable to goalkeeper Rimko Pasfer. Coach Eric Ten Hag saw something else: “It is not possible for an opponent’s left-back to have a lot of space to score.”

More adventurous

With his insight into the game, his daring and his kicking technique, Quinten Timber was the basis for Ajax’s first defeat of the season, the first against the Johan Cruyff Arena in this competition as well. His brother Jurriën, a sober defender, had to bow before the more cheerful midfielder from FC Utrecht. “I’ve always been more adventurous,” says Quentin Timber. “When we used to be on the field together, I would dribble and Jurriën would stay behind. He thought that was good. That’s why I became a midfielder and he’s a defender. He’s in a place where he has to ensure security. I like to go for a walk.”

Jurriën has made huge strides forward at Ajax within a year. It turned out to be a key player and the undisputed international. Next week he will play with Orange against Latvia and Gibraltar. Quinten Timber chose to move to FC Utrecht this summer. He will report to Jung Orangi this week. So, the brothers have not been home for a while in Utrecht, sharing one room. Jurriën Timber: “Fortunately, I don’t have to see my brother for a while.”

personal error

The defeat was due to Ajax’s own fault, a big bump. The team did not put in enough energy in the match, wasting the first two chances of the match (David Neres and Sebastian Haller) and was unable to break the defensive code of FC Utrecht – strong both tactically and mentally. In addition, goalkeeper Martin Paes has grown to become the best man on the field. After the break he saved two shots from Haller and rebounded from Dusan Tadic within a few seconds.

The Ajax captain was disappointed by the loss. “We had opportunities to open the score, they have to hit the goal. But above all we have to do more to win a match like this. It may look easy from the outside with the way we play, but believe me, it doesn’t happen by itself. Energy and intensity. And willpower and concentration – all this should be one hundred percent. ”

no regret

Ten Hag later had no regrets for leaving Daley Blind and Anthony out of his main team. Left-back Nicholas Tagliafico certainly wouldn’t have been able to. And David Neres may have played a game less: judging by his substitutions in recent weeks, and his level during training, he deserved a chance, according to the coach. “Plus, I have to keep Anthony fresh. He played football for a year in a row, and this summer also in the Olympics with Brazil. I don’t want Anthony’s light to go out in December or January.”

Also with Anthony, Blind and Davy Claassen on the team, Ajax failed to score in the last half hour. “It didn’t go well today,” Jurriën Timber concluded. “That’s a real sense of loss. The pace was so slow, there was so little movement that we couldn’t get past it.”

Conclusion: Ajax is therefore unbeatable. And that, for the credible Premier League, is a reassuring thought.