Dies Janse made his second start of the season for Ajax on Sunday afternoon against FC Groningen, the club where he spent the 2025/26 season on loan.

Janse started 30 games for Groningen last season and was a very important player for the club, often starting next to Thijmen Blokzijl in central defence.

Janse's minutes this season have been limited as Ajax have Youri Baas in the left centre-back position, and Daley Blind, who has not played a game in over two months, also started a few games during UEFA Conference League qualifying before picking up an injury.

Despite the fact that Janse has not played much this season, Ajax seemingly have a lot of confidence in him as his contract was extended, keeping him at the Johan Cruijff ArenA until June 2030. 

A report from Voetbal International during the summer claimed that Ajax were prepared to sell Baas due to the fact that they see more long-term potential in Janse. The 20-year-old will likely become an important player for the Amsterdammers when Baas leaves.

It is uncertain when Baas will leave, whether that be in the winter or in the summer. The defender attracted interest from Eintracht Frankfurt and FC Porto during the summer transfer window, but neither transfer materialised.

Michel praises Janse for performance vs Groningen

Against Groningen, Ajax started with Janse and Aaron Bouwman in central defence. Speaking in his post-match press conference, Michel praised Janse for his performance against his former club.

"He played very well and is strong in duels," Michel said.

"Dies was fantastic in the build-up. The positional defence was also good. He played extremely well."

Janse should play more

As Michel said, Janse was very good against Groningen. He needs to continue developing, and given that Ajax has a busy schedule, there are enough games to ensure Janse gets enough minutes.

Baas could also play at left-back. Simon Adingra has only played once so far, but he is capable of holding the width. That means when he does play, Michel can choose a more defensive-minded left-back, which Baas can be. Caio Henrique and Owen Wijndal, who are the players who have played the majority of minutes for Ajax at left-back this season, both like getting forward.

The dynamics on the right-hand side also suit a more defensive-minded left-back like Baas. Davy Klaassen played well in his role against Groningen on Sunday, and it is plausible that Michel will use him in that role more often. He played on the right wing, but often came much more central.

Both Steven Berghuis and Viktor Tsygankov also like moving into central areas, which means Ajax's right-back needs to overlap, which would allow Baas to stay deeper if he were to play as the right-back.