Sofyan Amrabat after his debut with Ajax: “We want to be champions”

Sofyan Amrabat played his first minutes in an Ajax jersey on Saturday, as they were defeated by PSV Eindhoven (1-3) during the 5th round of the Eredivisie. Coming on in the 54th minute, the Moroccan international expressed his satisfaction at experiencing the Johan Cruijff ArenA, while regretting the outcome of his first appearance.

“It was obviously nice to make my debut in a full ArenA. The supporters were enthusiastic and we wanted to give them something in return, but unfortunately that was not possible,” the midfielder shared. Amrabat also explained why starting would have been premature: “I will never say that I cannot play, but we must be realistic. When your last match was nearly three months ago, starting directly against PSV would not have been reasonable. I understand this decision.”

The Lion of the Atlas, however, assures that he worked hard before arriving in Amsterdam. “I feel good. I continued to train during the holidays and worked very hard individually, every day. I wanted to be ready upon my arrival. But it is impossible to replicate the pace of a real match in training. It still takes a little time,” he acknowledged, before adding: “I am not yet at 100%, but that will come. I hope to quickly find my competitive rhythm.”

Despite the defeat, Amrabat appreciated the commitment shown by both teams. “It was a match with many chances on both sides, but it was also demanding. The pace was immediately very high. I love this kind of match because that’s why we play football.” In his view, Ajax could have turned the game around after equalizing: “We had the most important chances. If we had scored to lead 2-1 or 3-1, the match would have been over. We didn’t do it, and in that case, anything can happen.”

When asked about the brutal intervention by Ruben van Bommel on Aaron Bouwman, the Moroccan did not wish to fuel the controversy. “Everyone saw what happened. It’s not for me to talk about it further, but for others to judge this action. For me, the situation was very clear.”

Finally, Amrabat discussed his integration and expressed his ambitions with the Amsterdam club. “I was welcomed with open arms and I am very grateful for that. We have a good group and a very good coach. But we need time, as Míchel is not a magician: not everything can work immediately.” However, the former Manchester United player refuses to present himself as Ajax’s savior: “I will simply work very hard to help the team. We want to become champions and we must give everything to achieve that goal. I hope to be able to contribute.”