Ter Stegen called a “statue” as Míchel comes to his defence

Ter Stegen was labelled a “statue”, prompting Míchel to defend him. At a press conference, a journalist compared the goalkeeper to one of the wax figures at Madame Tussauds in Amsterdam. The coach also placed his response against the backdrop of Ajax’s uneven start to the season, both in results and in their play: the team have drawn their last two matches and are fifth in the Eredivisie, five points behind Feyenoord.

Míchel rejected the comparison, pointing to the demands on Ter Stegen when he is involved in building an attack: “I don’t agree that he is a statue in goal; when you have the ball at your feet and you are the free man, it is very difficult to create an overload.”

The goalkeeper, on loan from FC Barcelona, appears to have put behind him the injuries that affected him over the last two campaigns. Míchel nevertheless acknowledged that Ter Stegen sometimes held on to the ball for too long, taking responsibility alongside his team. He said they should have played shorter passes and prompted more movement from the opposition to create overloads and space in behind.