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Former Liverpool assistant John Heitinga faced a barrage of questions from the Dutch press after Ajax suffered a 4-0 defeat to Marseille in the Champions League. The media questioned whether he should step down before being dismissed.
Heitinga, a former Everton defender, joined Arne Slot's coaching team at Anfield in the summer of 2024 and quickly became a well-liked figure within the club's backroom staff.
During his time at Liverpool, Heitinga even took on the role of acting manager for Premier League matches against Newcastle and Southampton in February and March. This was due to bans served by Slot and assistant Sipke Hulshoff following red cards they received in the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.
However, since returning to his old club Ajax in the summer, things have not gone smoothly for Heitinga. Ajax currently sit third in the Dutch Eredivisie, trailing four points behind Slot's previous club Feyenoord.
Ajax has also lost both of their Champions League matches without scoring, following a 2-0 loss to Inter Milan on Matchday 1.
Liverpool loanee goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros conceded four goals in the match against Marseille, a team Liverpool will face in the Champions League in the New Year. Meanwhile, fellow Liverpool loanee James McConnell was absent from the match due to injury.
Dutch journalists questioned former Everton midfielder Davy Klaassen about Heitinga's future following the match, and when they subsequently pressed Heitinga himself on whether this would signal the end of his tenure in charge, he responded: "No, I don't think so. It's fair. If you want to ask that question, then you should ask it. But I hear you're looking for it with Davy too.
"Listen, the fans are disappointed, we're disappointed. The players were completely exhausted, fought until the very end. We kept playing football, with courage. But we're a team in construction. And eventually I know we'll get it right, but that will take some time."
Marseille surged into a four-goal advantage before the hour mark at the Stade Velodrome, with former Feyenoord striker Igor Paixao netting twice whilst Mason Greenwood and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang also scored.
"You're simply playing against a very good team, the one that beat Paris Saint-Germain (1-0 in Ligue 1) last week," Heitinga continued. "A team that has given Champions League lessons. I complimented the boys. We played with courage, fought, and even after being down 4-0, we kept fighting.
"I'm definitely sticking to my plan. We're trying to play with courage. I see them every day. You only see them under the four floodlights. In football, you can make a mistake.
"Only in the Eredivisie are they not punished, but here they are. We want to get back to Champions League level, but we have to grow in that area."
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