Opportunity knocks for Ajax against Man United in Europa League final but boss Peter Bosz isn't feeling the pressure

Ajax have not played in a European final since their glory years in 1996 but Bosz’s young team has impressed everyone this season

Peter Bosz is relaxed ahead of Ajax's clash with Manchester United (AFP)

Ajax manager Peter Bosz said that his team feels “no pressure” at all as they prepare to face Manchester United in next Wednesday’s Europa League final in Stockholm.

Ajax have not played in a European final since their glory years in 1996 but Bosz’s young team has impressed everyone this season and are on the verge of a remarkable achievement if they can beat United.

This will be the first European final contested by a Dutch team since Feyenoord won the UEFA Cup in 2002. So the whole of the Netherlands, according to Bosz, will be cheering Ajax on next week. But that does not weigh heavily upon his shoulders.

“No, actually I don’t feel any pressure at all,” Bosz said at his press conference at the Amsterdam ArenA this afternoon. “I see a lot of opportunities, instead of pressure. Everyone has been dreaming of playing this kind of final. So I don’t feel pressure, only a big, big opportunity.”

Ajax have just missed out on the Dutch title to Feyenoord in a tightly-contested title race, but Bosz said that all Dutch football fans will be united behind his young team this week. For Ajax to have reached this stage, given their budgetary constraints, is an impressive feat.

“It is important to be there in a final again,” Bosz said. “Many in Holland said it was not possible for a Dutch team to play in the final, because of the financial difference in Europe between the big clubs and the Dutch clubs is so big now. But we managed it. Also I have the feeling in Holland that everyone is proud, not only Ajax fans but other fans too. I think that’s good for Dutch football.”

The final will be Manchester United’s 64^th competitive game of the season, a workload that prompted Jose Mourinho to stop trying for fourth place in the Premier League and focus on winning this competition instead. Bosz did not want to get drawn into commenting on Mourinho but did point out that this will be his side’s 56^th game. Not exactly a light workload, especially for a team with such little experience of elite competition. “We are going to play our 56^th game on Wednesday,” he said. “And look at the age of the players we have, we have a really young team, who have played a lot of games.

Bosz repeatedly insisted that he was only concerned about how his team play, not how United play. Bosz is a disciple of Johann Cruyff and said that he wanted to win playing attractive football, rather than compromising because of the stakes of the game.

“We try to win in an attractive way, we show it is possible,” Bosz said. “Some people say it is naïve. If you play attacking football and you lose, people can say its naïve. But we show this season that we can win in a nice way, what I call our way, but with attacking football. It is possible.”