'Tiki-taka and more' - Calvin Bassey reveals lessons after his Ajax league debut

Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey has opened the lid on some of the lessons he has picked up at his new club Ajax Amsterdam. 

The 22-year-old finally made his Dutch Eredivisie debut for Ajax on Sunday, playing from start to finish in a 1-0 victory away at Sparta Rotterdam.

The former Rangers defender's league debut was delayed as the Nigerian international had to serve a two-match ban after picking up a red on his Ajax debut during the Johan Cruyff Shield match against PSV Eindhoven.

Bassey impressed in his debut against Sparta Rotterdam, playing centre-back alongside Jurrien Timber as the Alfred Schreuder-led side kept a clean sheet.

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In his post-match press conference with ESPN as reported by Ajax Showtime, Bassey specifically thanked his manager and teammates for helping him to make his league debut go well.

Bassey said: “I thank God, the team and the manager that he fielded me. It is a blessing to make my starting and league debut for this club. I keep working to improve every game. I'm trying to learn and get better.

"It was a reasonable game. The first half was better and in the second half we fell back a bit. In the end, we did well by taking the three points. In some matches you don't play your best game, but it is important that you win and get the three points. We did that well."

On bonding with the Ajax side, Bassey acknowledged that he is learning to play the Ajax way, incorporating the tiki-taka methodology and learning space awareness for his game.

"Ajax is known for tiki-taka football. You have to move into other rooms to receive the ball. It's about learning and building connections with the team. I have to learn what certain players feel comfortable with. We have to work on it every day," Bassey explained.

"It's about different positioning, the spaces and which passes we want to give. Of course, the game looks different from the side than it does from another perspective. They try to help me and make it easier for me."

Bassey will hope to retain his spot in the starting XI when Ajax travel to the Stadion Galgenwaard on Sunday, August 28 to face FC Utrecht for their next Eredivisie fixture.