Ajax boss Alfred Schreuder reckons it's straight shootout with Rangers for a Europa League spot after admitting Napoli and Liverpool are streets ahead.
Schreuder appeared to echo Giovanni van Bronckhorst 's controversial sentiment that his side couldn't compete with the Champions League elite after suffering their own bruising defeat in Amsterdam last month. On Tuesday night, Ajax were smashed 6-1 by Napoli while Rangers went down 2-0 to a dominant Liverpool at Anfield.
And the Eredivisie club's manager reckons it's almost impossible to compete with both the Italians and Anfield giants - mirroring what Van Bronckhorst said, to much criticism, about going head-to-head with the very best. After the game, Schreuder told Dutch TV: "If you look at Napoli and Liverpool, you see that they are clubs who are too much for us. We are not good enough as a team at the moment. We have a lot of good players, but we are not good enough as a team. I can point to the players sold, but that doesn't matter now.
"The only thing I said before the game is that we had to be very brave on the ball. We weren't. We were not good on the ball and then you get into trouble against Napoli when you do that. If we are realistic, it is very hard for us to qualify now from this group. We have to go to Napoli next week and win.
"We will have to take a completely different approach because this result is unworthy of Ajax. We cannot accept that. We have to analyse this and look at what is best for Ajax."
And Ajax star Steven Berghuis admitted they had no answer to the Serie A leaders. He said: "Napoli have outclassed us, this result is unacceptable for Ajax.
"We have to raise the level and Napoli have made it clear to us that we are a long way from what is required. I am convinced that our team has the qualities to do it, but we have not shown it here. It is disappointing and frustrating because losing 6-1 is unacceptable for us."
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