Ajax coach Francesco Farioli has blamed his team's Europa League exit on the absence of Chuba Akpom and some other important players, Soccernet.ng reports.
Ajax were knocked out of the Europa League on Wednesday after they suffered a 4-1 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt in the second leg of their round of 16 game. Over both legs, the Godenzonen lost the game 6-2.
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The loss means that Ajax have only the Dutch Eredivisie to fight for as they have also been knocked out of the Dutch KNVB Beker after losing to AZ Alkmaar in mid-January.
After their loss to Eintracht Frankfurt, Farioli was quite disappointed, and he cited the absence of some players as a key reason for the loss.
“It is difficult to play at a high level in three competitions if you lose Devyne Rensch, Chuba Akpom and about six other players,” Farioli said, per Ajax1.
Next up for Ajax is an Eredivisie game against AZ Alkmaar this weekend, and the Godenzonen will be looking to get back to winning ways as they push for the league title.
Did Chuba Akpom make the right decision by leaving Ajax for Lille?
However, since he moved to Lille, his game time has not gotten a significant increase from what it used to be at Ajax. He has featured in seven games, with two goals to his name.
Nonetheless, if Akpom starts scoring goals aplenty, his minutes could increase significantly, and Lille could even sign him permanently. With Jonathan David likely to leave Lille in the summer, he could just become the main man at Lille next season.
