Ajax boss Ten Hag capable of big things, believes Bayern chief Rummenigge

Ahead of the Champions League face-off between the clubs on Tuesday, Karl Heinz-Rummenigge expresses his admiration for the Dutchman

Published : Dec 11, 2018 20:17 IST

Ajax head coach Erik ten Hag
Ajax head coach Erik ten Hag
lightbox-info

Ajax head coach Erik ten Hag

Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has tipped Ajax coach Erik ten Hag for bigger things ahead of the side's crunch Champions League clash.

The Bundesliga champion travels to the Johan Cruyff Arena atop Group E but defeat in Amsterdam on Wednesday would see Ajax replace them at the top

Bayern is nine points off the pace in Germany's top flight after a trying first few months at the helm for Niko Kovac.

Ten Hag has endured no such turbulence at Ajax, collecting 40 points from his opening 15 Eredivisie games to stay on the heels of leader PSV.

The 48-year-old former Bayern Munich II coach replaced Marcel Keizer last December and his stewardship of a vibrant attacking side has caught Rummenigge's eye.

"First of all, I have to say, that he’s a very kind man," the former Germany international told at a news conference.

"It’s not always easy to be on good terms with Dutchmen as Germans. We have witnessed this with Louis [van Gaal, Bayern's former coach]! But Erik is a very pleasant guy. I also think he’s capable of doing big things as a coach and he's proving this now"

"I think this Ajax team is the best one they've had for 10 years. Around the last years, they were not one of the top international teams, but he is leading them gradually back at a high level."

Bayern has 13 points to Ajax's 11, with both having secured a safe passage to the last 16.

The teams shared a 1-1 draw at the Allianz Arena in October, when Noussair Mazraoui cancelled out Mats Hummels' early opener for the hosts.

"They’ve got an attractive, young team and you could see in the first game that Erik prepared them well," Rummenigge added.

"That might happen again and we have to adjust that. He knows Bayern well, because he was working here a for a long time.

"It will be a hard task and certainly he will try to make life awkward for us." 

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment