Ajax boss Alfred Schreuder has scoured the blueprint of predecessor Erik ten Hag as he looks to deepen Liverpool's Champions League gloom.
The Dutch side are at Anfield on Tuesday looking to strengthen their early grip on Group A having smashed Rangers 4-0 at home last Wednesday. By contrast, the Reds suffered their heaviest defeat in European competition for 56 years when they were downed 4-1 at Napoli.
It was their second loss in eight games this season, having been beaten 2-1 in the Premier League at a Manchester United side helmed by former Ajax manager Ten Hag.
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And Schreuder, who was Ten Hag's assistant at the Johan Cruyff Arena, said on Monday evening: "I have looked at the match what they did. There are certain things they did that are applicable to us from the Man United match.
"We have a team meeting tonight and we will have a look at what we have to do and maybe do a few things differently. We'll put our best team on the pitch to challenge for us tomorrow."
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has come in for criticism following his team's indifferent start to the campaign, which has left them off the pace at the top of the Premier League.
But Schreuder leapt to the defence of his Anfield counterpart, and said: "In the the last seven years he has performed so well, three Champions League finals, he is a fantastic manager. The way he goes about dealing with players, the respect he shows is a lovely example for other managers.
"We expect to go into a storm. We are also good. We try and play our own game. But Liverpool are a team that is really good. You have to have courage and tomorrow if we can do that we have a chance. If you don’t have it, it is going to be difficult, especially one-on-one.
"I think he (Klopp) is just going to ask the players to play in a defensive way better than they did last time. Managers admit if you haven’t played well."
Ajax, who reached the Champions League semi-final in 2019 and the last-16 last season, are top of the Dutch Eredivisie and have kept clean sheets in each of their last five games despite losing a host of key players over the summer, including £86million winger Antony to Manchester United shortly before the transfer deadline.
"Ajax has shown in the last years we can compete at this level," said Schreuder. "It's a big compliment for the people here (at Ajax) to get a strong squad again. We signed a few players and some young players have come in, which fits into Ajax (method). It gives us new energy.
"We have players who want to improve. The moment wasn't perfect (to lose Antony) but it's a challenge to move on. We have moved on. Every game is a new test."
Ajax were beaten 1-0 at an empty Anfield on their last visit in the Champions League group stage two years ago. And Ajax winger Dusan Tadic, who played in that game, said: "Without the fans it was definitely different, it was a really strange match, 1-0 we lost, we had some chances and it was a 50-50 match. The fans will make a difference. It's what always happens, they give us energy. We have fantastic fans and they'll do what they always do."
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