Tag: Willems

October 29, 2019 by Jan

Ajax invincible with Daley Blind

The 29 year old multi functional player is in his best season ever. Every week he takes Ajax by the hand and has them on course for another Eredivisie title.

He has the most minutes of them all and he scores the highest rates. In terms of quality and quantity, Daley is riding high. And off the pitch, lady Fortuna is smiling down on him too, with the birth of his son Lowen. These days, a player could easily get onto Cloud #9, but not Blind. He is too down-to-Earth for this and he has seen more than enough in football.

Blind was the Man of the Match vs Feyenoord, yet again. He ruled on the ball from his defensive position, was always an peaceful island in a sea of turmoil around him and was able to find the solutions moving forward. And defensively, he never got in trouble. Joel Veltman: “His interceptions, his choices with the ball, I can really enjoy watching him play. He dribbles as easy as Frenkie does and he always finds the footballing solution. Trust me, playing next to him makes it look really easy for me, you know. He is always relaxed and that radiates into the whole team.”

Blind is Ajax’ leader, exactly like he was planned to be when Ajax lured him back to Amsterdam. A silent leader, as Blind is not like Memphis playing loud rap music in the dressing room, or sporting huge lion tattoos on his back. Tadic is the leader up front, and the captain. Blind is vice captain and he lets his feet do the talking. When Blind left for Man United, Ajax just won 4 titles in a row. With Blind away, Ajax didn’t win anything. And once Blind was back at the club, the trophies came back as well.

“It feels amazing to get all this praise and to important for the team,” says Blind humbly. “I try to play a 6,5 every game, at least! I don’t want to go below that. I need to reach my base level, do my tasks well and then see if I can add to my game. I am here for the team, not for Daley Blind. And as a central defender you need to ooze calm, you know. Even when you’re not, or even when you get under pressure. Never panic.”

Those moments are rare though. Since last weekend, Ajax is on the throne. PSV is put on 6 points, as is the gap with AZ and Vitesse. And Ajax has a far better goal tally so it’s actually 7 points.

“I mentioned it to Siem after the Feyenoord game. This is the first time we have a gap with the number 2 before the xmas break. I’m not used to that. In the previous title races we had to come back from trailing. And this means, that we’re not there yet. I have played in teams that had to cover 10 points, and did! Even once 13 points and in those seasons, PSV wasn’t too shabby either. So, we shouldn’t relax and sit back!”

He was hunter and becomes prey. Blind will be on the look out for complacency. The difficult match vs RKC fresh in his memory. “This 4-0 win was nice, but we don’t win the title by beating Feyenoord. We need to win all the games vs the so-called smaller clubs. We know we can play well in big games, but we also need to bring it in the more difficult matches away vs VVV and PEC Zwolle. We can be our own biggest opponent in those matches. The away game vs PEC Zwolle is actually next weekend. “That’s what I mean! I compare that with Heracles away. We lost that one, 0-1 last season. So we need to be vigilant, even if we are 6 points loose.”

October 27, 2019 by Jan

Memphis Depay: Downs and Ups

After a disappointing week for Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord in Europe, we can look forward to an interesting weekend, with Ajax-Feyenoord on the cards. Although it will most likely be a walk-over for Ajax, as Feyenoord is really lost, it seems.

Some comments: PSV should have won their EL match, hitting the woodwork twice and having so much possession. Feyenoord…what to say. Unlucky with the second penalty (I don’t think it was a foul) but that first handling of the ball by Ie?? Really dude???

Ajax was robbed! The photo clearly shows the VAR fukced up! How bad is this! Millions of dollars / euros are involved and they simply can’t pick the proper still. Un-believable!!

Left is the image used by the VAR, right is the image they should have used

AZ is holding our honour high, as we say. AZ played like Ajax normally played. Focused, with grit, with gusto and desire. Forechecking and with quality. I really think every single player in the team is top notch, except for Dani de Wit. I never really saw his value. He’s just average in every department. He does have a strong physique and runs a lot. Reminds me of Davy Klaassen.

Also good to mention here (as we do have some Bazoer fans) that after 4 clubs, Vitesse is now also considering kicking him out. The youngster has a tremendous ego and the mentality of a thug. Two weeks ago, he kicked an opponent in the face, but got away with it. This week, he picked a fight with Jay-Roy Grot and threatened to fukc him up after training. When Slutsky interfered, he said: “Fuck off, I don’t even want to play for your stupid team!”. Vitesse is considering next steps now.

He’s trouble, he’s toxic, he’s full of himself and can forget about his career.

The man on the rise now, is the guy who was criticized for so long in the country, in Manchester and for a while, here too. Memphis Depay. The new skipper of Olympique Lyon.

He plays and played a vital role in Holland ressurrection. Yes, Virgil our fearless leader. Yes, Frenkie our gifted playmaker. But you need someone who delivers the goods upfront: goals and assists. Memphis (25) is the new figure head and attacking leader of the Dutch: “Yes man, you really want to be part of this!”

This is everything Memphis stands for in Orange. It all happened in one minute: result, honour, team, desire, fighting spirit. His goal in injury time vs Northern Ireland, his second of the night. The explosion of joy, his team mates around him, Memphis acknowledging the man with the assist (Frenkie) and then the Memphis stance: standing still, fingers in his ears and eyes to the heavens. And he yelled out to the fans: “This is what fighting looks like!”

The last international game (for now) vs Belarus, he couldn’t play due to a slight injury. But he was standing next to the team on telly, singing the anthem, with his right arm around his tv screen. Being part of it all.

Memphis is happy at Oranje. No more tension, no more awkward moments. Every since Koeman took the coaching job, Oranje got rejuvenated and Memphis was the ultimate personification of that. Personally, he entered a period of peace, of balance. And on the pitch, Memphis is turning into a leader. The proponent of the New Wave. Tense interviews are a thing of the past. And no one cares what kind of headware he is sporting.

It’s a interaction between player and fans, between player and coach and between private and profession. “I am doing well, personally, and it translates to the field. The results help of course. But the vibe in the Dutch camp is incredible. We are all mates and we created this, on purpose, with a mission. And we also keep track of each other when we’re at the club. We really care about each other. We have the group app and we find each other there. Talk about life, about the games we played and the stuff we experience. This, we need to keep in tact.”

“We are building something with this Dutch team. And we put a lot of positive energy into it. And even if it doesn’t work at club level, we all come to the NT with positive mindset. I’m really happy to come to the Dutch camps and it reflects in the performances.”

Team building and clarity are two core values Ronald Koeman applies. From day 1 he stressed: we need everyone! There will be no dominant egos in my squad. Yes, the squad as a variety of types, personalities, backgrounds and stories, but the mission is the same. After two missed major tournaments, we want to get back to the top. Koeman created consistency in his selections and in the playing style and we’re seeing pretty decent results now.

Memphis didn’t have a great time at Lyon, until now, with new coach Garcia handing him the captains band. Before that, Memphis never knew what the coach wanted from him this time. Koeman never worried. “Memphis is super strong, mentally. And whenever he had issues at Lyon or the results weren’t there, he would show his quality in Oranje. And it’s not just because he scores for us, his overall game is top. You always miss those types of players.”

In the first hour vs Northern Ireland, Memphis had it tough. His mates weren’t able to reach him and if they did in those compact spaces, he was fighting with the ball. It did resemble the semi finals vs England in Portugal, when he was struggling but still ended up with two assists. Against Northern Ireland, Koeman moved him to the left flank where there was more space for him and he paid it back with two goals.

When a junior, at PSV, he used to tell his coaches: don’t sub me, even if I’m playing bad. Because he always had it in him to decide a game. That cocktail of quality and confidence is demonstrated in Oranje regularly. In all 17 international games he was available, he played. He only got subbed ones, in the friendly against Portugal (3-0).

Koeman likes to use players in combinations. A combination that works well in Oranje is the tandem Memphis – Wijnaldum. “Our partnership is authentic,” Gini Wijnaldum says. “We learned to play together at PSV and we always try to create space for one another. We constantly monitor each other movements, so we can benefit from it. We don’t talk, it’s all about observing. The mutual understanding is key, that is what makes a team tick or not.”

And while Oranje looked light in recent years with our offensive players (Vincent Janssen, Bas Dost, Steven Berghuis, Anwar El-Ghazi) today, we are seeing more and more world class talents emerge, in Gakpo, Danjuma, Dilrosun, Bergwijn and of course Donyell Malen. Memphis on Malen: “Donyell is a fantastic talent, with fine technique and blistering speed. And he can score goals! Donyell is now taking that next step, from a promising talent to a player on which you can build. It’s great to see that process develop. I’m proud of him and happy for him.”

Memphis is creating friendships in life and in Oranje. Quincy Promes has been a close mate for many years. “I’m so happy how Promes is doing at Ajax. I knew it would come. People always put pressure on new signing, look at Hazard at Real Madrid. Some players are ready for their new role, because of the fit… Like Frenkie at Barca, and some players need to find their spot. But good players will always emerge. I never worried about Quincy. He’s strong mentally and he believes in himself. Most if not all internationals are playing so well. We work hard and we realise quality alone is not enough. It’s quality and mentality. It’s great to be part of it man, it’s really amazing to be part of this!”

This year, Memphis is the first international in this century to have an involvement in 14 Oranje goals (6 goals and 8 assists). With two more international games this year, he might add more to this list. In the 18 months under Koeman Memphis was involved with 21 of the 38 goals! Second on the list is Gini Wijnaldum, with 7 goals and 2 assists. Oranje had 114 shot on goal in those 18 matches. 45 of these were Depay’s (40%). And in the list of created chances, Memphis leaves his colleagues far behind him.

Memphis in Oranje

Aspect	Before Koeman	Under Koeman*
International games	34	17
Goals	8	11
Assists	7	10
Shots per 90 minutes	3,4	4,5
Shots on target per 90 minutes	1,6	2,6
Chances created per 90 minutes	1,8	3,1
Dribbles per 90 minutes	5,7	3,8
Successful dribbles per 90 minutes	2,9	2,2
Touches in the box per 90 minutes	3,8	6,4

*Since 23 March 2018

Other forwards with Wijnaldum under Koeman

	Wijnaldum	Babel	Promes	Bergwijn	Malen
International games	16	16	15	9	4
Goals	7	4	3	0	1
Assists	2	1	2	1	1
Shots*	2,0	1,8	2,6	1,4	3,0
Shots on target*	1,0	1,0	0,9	0,3	1,3
Chances created*	1,0	0,7	1,9	2,3	2,2
Dribbles*	2,2	1,8	1,7	3,7	3,0
Successful dribbles*	1,3	1,1	1,1	2,7	1,7
Touches in the box *	3,3	2,8	3,0	4,0	9,0

*Per 90 minutes

October 17, 2019 by Jan

Oranje’s Future

CIRCUS XAVI SIMONS

Oranje U17 – Kosovo U17. Final score: 1-1

The last two squads of Oranje U17 won the European championship and Wednesday, a new campaign will start. Team coach Mischa Visser, taking over from Peter van der Veen temporarily, started the qualification with a match vs Kosovo, and they do so with 20 new names. These talents practiced twice against France and won both matches. This Kosovo also seemed to be prey for the Dutch talents, in particular when PSV midfielder Jimenez scored within 10 minutes with a shot from distance.

After that quick goal, Oranje has extreme possession, close to 90%, but they can’t create more chances. Kosovo plays terribly defensive. When Oranje fails to clear a ball, it’s a freak goal by a Kosovarian: 1-1. The home team can’t believe it. Visser immediately brings Xavi Simons on to the pitch.

Circus Xavi can start, although it already started when the midfielder exits the players bus. It’s unreal to see how popular the 16 year old is. This squad is full of talented young lads, but we don’t know any of their names. With Simons, it’s different. In the 100 meters from players bus to the dressing room, dozens of fans raced to Xavi for an autograph and when he starts his warming up, the excitement can be sensed on the stands.

Once Simons is on the pitch, Simons demands the ball continuously and is close to scoring, twice. First with a tremendous free kick and later with a shot that flies over the bar. After the game is over, no one talks about the strange stats. Possession 90-10. Attempts on goal: 21-1. Goals 1-1. The fans who are present all chase Simons as if he’s a Beatle. He patiently joins in on the selfies and joins his family once he can. After this Circus Xavi performance, one has to feel for the 16 year old who probably feels the pressure from the extreme hype to perform conform to expectations in the coming years.

WORLD CUP FAVORITE

Oranje U18 – Belgium U18. Final score: 3-2

In two weeks, the Dutch NT U18 will participate in the World Cup in Brazil. This might well be a historical tournament for us, as this group oozes talent! Peter van de Veen won the European title twice with one hand tied to their back. And against Belgium, in this friendly, at times it’s just sumptuous to watch these lads play. In particular, the combinations between Naci Ünüvar and Mohamed Taabouni (see main photo) are of exceptional quality. Taabouni scores early after a trademark outside foot pass by Ünüvar, who repeats that feat once more later on. This team has so much football in it, that at times it all goes a tad too easily.

Belgium, with Wesley Sonck as the team manager, benefit from the this complacency and score twice from a counter. Jayden Braaf comes on as a sub and rectifies it all with two identical goals. Coming inside and placing the ball with his right into the far corner. The left winger started his season at Man City strong and it says a lot about the strength of this team that he started on the bench. Braaf gets the spotlight with his two goals, but man of the match is Taabouni. The 17 year old playmaker constantly draws the game towards him and always finds the right solution. AZ has another gem in their midst.

HOPE FOR FEYENOORD (AND ADO)

Oranje U19 – Lithuania U19. Final score: 8-2

NT manager Maarten Stekelenburg’s team is a week in Lithuania for the Euro qualification tournament and plays top drawer football. First, it’s Moldavia with 5-0 and last Friday they won 8-2 vs Lithuania. It’s the role of the Feyenoord players in particular that catches the eye. Seven of the eight goals were scored by players who are signed with Feyenoord. Cry Summerville, on loan with ADO Den Haag, scored four goals, while Azarkan and Burger also scored.

It offers hope for Feyenoord, whose youth academy has had some lean times recently. Five years in a row, the Feyenoord Academy was considered the best of the country, but the last seasons, AZ and Ajax is topping the bill. Of all the youth teams’ players, 55 in total, 13 are from Ajax and 13 from AZ. Feyenoord offers 5 players and PSV a mere 2.

A talented generation is coming through for Feyenoord, and it’s exciting to watch Cry Summerville play for ADO Den Haag, who can use some goalscoring capabilities.

THE INBETWEENERS

Oranje U20 – Portugal U20. Final Score: 1-1.

In theory, Bert Konterman could well be the most fortunate coach at Oranje U20, with the ability to play Mathijs de Ligt and Donyell Malen, but both players have moved to the big Oranje and most likely foregood. Young Oranje has players who could also play for this team. Tahith Chong and Mitchell van Bergen are two more experienced players of repute but both players were not able to play due to slight injuries.

Konterman had to change his team on three spots and the lack of flow was noticeable. The Portuguese do all they can to stop Oranje playing and to suck the oxygen out of the game. The Dutch goal is the result of a dead ball set play. Ekkelenkamp is first to react when the Portuguese goalie spills the free kick of Obispo.

This Under20 team is a sort of inbetween-team. Players who can’t play for Young Oranje anymore can still play here and make minutes. The interest in the matches of this team is much less than with other teams. The time this team plays, for instance, is at the same time as the big Oranje, vs Northern Ireland.

ORANJE’S SHOWROOM

Young Oranje closes the international week with a strong 4-2- win over Portugal and a 0-4 win over Norway. The matches resulted in one big AZ show. Five AZ players are in the starting line up and three claimed a key role. Koopmeiners, Stengs and Boadu showed what was clearly visible in other rep teams: AZ has gold in their hands.

October 11, 2019 by Jan

Weak Oranje bullied by Northern Irish

We saw our beloved Oranje in the doldrums for a couple of years, and we had to sit out two major tournaments. Our newly found confidence, the string of new players, Ronald Koeman as the new NT Manager, the sun started to shine again.

We played “Dutch football” again, we won vs France, Germany, England and we reached the finals of the Nations League.

And right at the time when Frenkie claims “there is a lot of growth still in the team” our Oranje crashes through the floor in terms of quality level.

Of course, a team can never be an “8” every match. There will be games where we are an “9” in one half and a “6” in another half. But yesterday vs a very average Northern Ireland, we dropped below the level that I would call acceptable. I’d say every single player from the starting line up except for Virgil van Dijk deserved a bad mark on their report card.

And yes, Mathijs de Ligt, Daley Blind and Jasper Cillesen all had a howler in a comedy caper sequence leading up to the goal. But it was the whole team that disappointed. From Dumfries, to Wijnaldum, from Memphis to Babel. But the biggest disappointment for me, was Frenkie de Jong.

I would like to start by saying that Northern Ireland is completely entitled to play the way they do. They cheat for seconds, they don’t play to score but they play to destroy. And why wouldn’t they. They play Klopp-Liverpool style football but without the amazing forwards.

It’s annoying, it’s negative, it’s anti-football but…it’s their prerogative to do this and it’s up to us to break them down.

I believe it all started to go wrong with the starting eleven. This is typical a game where you need Donny van de Beek and you don’t need Martin de Roon. De Roon is our destroyer, but we didn’t need to destroy. We needed to create. And move. And stretch the opponent. Something Donny does in spades.

So why didn’t Koeman start with Donny? Unclear. “So he could bring him in when the team needs him”. BS.

Also Dumfries. A great athlete, good runner. But hard feet. Doesn’t have the subtlety in his game to play along in this pass and move game we needed. We could have used Veltman better in this match, I feel. A good cross, solid passing and experience and physical strength.

I can imagine Koeman didn’t want to start with Malen as you do want to be able to bring an explosive attacker in from the bench, and Babel did have some good games before, but Van de Beek vs De Roon… I can’t understand it. When you play a strong opponent, maybe De Roon is better, allowing Frenkie some support, but against this type of opponent, you do need a runner like Van de Beek.

But lets not kid ourselves. Koeman made mistakes but the eleven on the pitch simply were terrible. Touches, passing, understanding, pace, moving without the ball, it was all sub par.

In these type of matches, you need to pass and move. At pace. One or two touches. Don’t play backheels or funny shimmies or don’t try and dribble. They won most one on one duels and most second balls. Stay out of the duels and pass the fricking ball!

You also need to keep the pitch wide, and use the half spaces to reach the byline and cross the ball in low and hard (like Malen did!).

Northern Ireland wanted to suck the oxygen out of the game and sadly, our playmaker Frenkie de Jong helped them but taking so many touches of the ball. Trying to dribble, trying to turn, left, back to right, back to left again. And all to no avail. There wasn’t enough movement up front, yes, I’ll give him that, but when you are being man-marked (as he was) you know another player gets some freedom. Pass the fricking ball!

This is where Ronald Koeman could and should have changed his team, even 10 mins in. Take De Roon out and bring a player with ball skills. Even Steven Berghuis on that right midfield position would have done better than De Roon as Berghuis can pass a ball and take on a player.

And our wing play? In the first half you could see ever so clearly that Dumfries isn’t trusted by his team mates. Frenkie de Jong, Bergwijn, Van Dijk, they all prefer to open on the left – to Babel – instead of using Dumfries, no matter how open Dumfries was. Reason why? They don’t trust him to do the right thing! And they were right!

Can’t wait for Karsdorp to be 100% fit!

Second half, it all started to get a bit better. Northern Ireland was getting more fatigues and there was more pace and more grit in our team in the second half. When Van de Beek was introduced he received a thundering ovation.

But for the first time in 19 years, Oranje faced a 0-1 score line in De Kuip, when the first and only attempt on goal by the Northern Irish got promoted to a goal thanks to the 3 Stooges: De Ligt, Blind, Cillesen.

The first time we reached Malen in the half space on the left resulted in his low cross and a magical Memphis touch resulted in the 1-1.

Another freak goal got Luuk de Jong the hero status in the dying minutes, when a deflected defensive header got onto his stretched out leg and the ball went high up, only to land just in front of the goal line. L de Jong quickly grabbed the post and was able to flick the ball over the line.

And finally, when the game was played, Frenkie got his chance to dribble forward and that immediately resulted in Memphis’ 3-1.

They crucial game in our group was won. And after the game, a lot of relief and optimism about the future, but it was merely the result that we should be happy about.

Lots and lots of things to think about. For Koeman and his staff, yes. But also for Frenkie, Mathijs, Daley, Gini and the rest.

As the whole team, including technical staff, failed. Despite the win.

May 23, 2019 by Jan

Ajax wins trophies, PSV deserves applause

The season has ended… Most of the decisions are in. Yes, the play offs for European Football and Promotion/Relegation are still on, but the key decisions are in: Ajax wins the double (and had one leg in the CL finals as well of course), and NAC gets relegated.

We will congratulate Ajax here on a sensational season! A season that made us all drool. Not just us Dutchies, but football fans from across the planet fell in love with this Ajax team!

They won matches, they won trophies, they outplayed the bigger guns (Benfica, Bayern, Real Madrid, Juve, Spurs) and were so close to playing the CL finals! And all of this with great football.

So, expect more posts on Ajax and Oranje in the coming month!!

Interviews with Ten Hag, Overmars, analysis of their games, the Ajax future, etc.

Expect more on the Nations League too, of course.

But despite Ajax’ successes and my inbred support for Feyenoord, this posts needs to give some deserved credit to PSV Eindhoven!

It’s not my club. But this season they really impressed and Ajax coach Ten Hag did praise them, as they kept Ajax sharp (and vice versa) throughout the season.

Because we tend to forget that PSV had its complete technical management replaced, this last summer. Marcel Brands left for Everton. Cocu went on his Turkish ~~dream~~ nightmare job and the youth academy coach left as well.

WK 2010 reunion, with from left to right: Mark van Bommel (standing), Arjen Robben, Technical Manager John de Jong, Nigel de Jong (unrelated), Wes Sneijder and Bert van Marwijk

John de Jong (former PSV midfielder) took over from Brands while Mark van Bommel was promoted from the youth system (PSV2) to the first team.

And the headstrong and outspoken Van Bommel left his mark immediately.

And credit where credit is due! He put his team out there. He instilled his principles into the team. And he started winning games like no tomorrow.

On the first day of the season, Ajax dropped points (Heracles) while PSV won. The two points lead was there all the way until only a couple of weeks ago!

And PSV didn’t dazzle. PSV did win some games in a “fortunate manner”. And they were bumped out of Europe in the CL group stages.

But lets look at at that more closely.

Van Bommel instilled a more modern and dynamic playing style into the team. “I want my teams to be the boss. That doesn’t mean we need the ball all the time, it also doesn’t mean we want to be playing some fantasy football or be attacking all the time. It means we determine what is going on, also without the ball.”

The personality of Mark van Bommel made its way into the team and with some strong signings, he did squeeze the best of out his – also young – team.

Van Bommel and John de Jong as players… the latter had his career cut short due to injuries…

I could even argue that Van Bommel did a better job than Ten Hag. But I won’t.

So Van Bommel wanted his team to press higher up the park and have more grit, more fight and more of a killer mentality. Where Cocu tried to adopt a more Dutch football style (and with a lot of Barcelona DNA which never really came of), Van Bommel added some German and Italian elements to this PSV.

Jeroen Zoet is a capable goalie. Not world class, but definitely top for the Eredivisie. Schwaab and Viergever are vulnerable and limited centre backs. But they did show what focus and determination and communication can do. Schwaab is German and brings that solid and focused approach. Viergever is mainly experienced and an obedient soldier. Nothing flash.

But the full backs compensated in spades. These two made the difference. Angelino is quickly becoming an A team player for Spain. While Denzel Dumfries is already consider Oranje’s best right back. Both players have assists in their locker, both players love bombing forward and can create and score goals (Dumfries more so than Angelino, but the Spaniard has a gifted left and a good partnership with Luuk de Jong).

Denzel Dumfries… From Sparta via Heerenveen and PSV to the top?

Van Bommel learned from his father in law Bert van Marwijk and used two holding mids in his 4-2-3-1 set up. Initially, Hendrix and Rosario took the job but throughout the second half of the season, Van Bommel needed more and started to change the team around. Many criticaster will tell you that was the start of PSV undoing but Van Bommel will know better.

Rosario deserves a mention. The kid came from Ajax, via Almere City of AGOVV or something. “Not good enough for Ajax” although it probably was due to his behaviour and his dad’s behaviour.

But Rosario is a rare player. So young, yet so disciplined, so astute tactically and such a wonderful passer of the game. He would have been more effective in the Ajax team, I do think, but he was a joy to watch in his first real season as a starter.

Jorit Hendrix is a solid club player. With some outstanding moments, but something is lacking with him. He’s too average for my liking. He’s like Ten Hag was, as a player. He’s not quick enough, not tough enough, not tall enough, not technical enough, doesn’t score enough, etc etc.

Pablo Rosario

Which is the only true criticism Van Bommel probably listened to. The PSV midfield didn’t score enough goals! Hendrix maybe 1? Rosario literally zero goals in the Eredivisie. Not good enough. Vilhena scored 7, Toornstra scored 8, Schone scored 5… you want your midfielders to score… Criticism that applies to Frenkie de Jong too, but he creates a tremendous number of chances and criticism Jordy Clasie gets as well.

The #10 in PSV is a problem and Mark solved it eventually by putting Luuk de Jong there. That happened in the period of the season where PSV would end up losing the title, but still, it somewhat worked.

Mexican Gutierez wasn’t good enough (Van Bommel: “The pace is still too high for him”) and Pereiro simply doesn’t seem to be consistent enough. A truly gifted lad, but not dominant enough.

With Ihatarren, PSV has a gem for that role. And Mark tried him on the #10 spot and the youngster made his debut at 16 years old. But can’t carry PSV yet.

So with Malen as the #9, Lozano and Bergwijn on the flanks PSV tried it with target man Luuk de Jong as #10. It did work, but simply not good enough.

Luuk de Jong did win the golden boot, shared with Tadic, and had a very strong season but I do think the captain needs to lead the line… The #10 role is hopefully a temporary one.

Cody Gakpo and Ihattaren: PSV’s future?

Ramselaar realised that his game is over at PSV. Along with Adam Maher, another prospect that didn’t really enjoy his time at PSV. Gutierez might well be the next one…

Lozano had a good start this season but somehow the Mexican doesn’t seem to be consistent. He picks up a lot of yellows and reds for petulant behaviour, diving and at times vile tackles. He seems to be playing for Lozano and seems to be wanting to make his mark and leave to a bigger club.

Bergwijn had a break through season. Scoring goals, using his explosive runs, creating goals and he made his way into the Oranje squad.

But the last months, he seemed to slow down. Not enjoying his game, maybe? Or…getting ready for a big move to his old stomping ground at Ajax?

Anyway, PSV deserves credit and Van Bommel deserves credit for the next wave of talented youngsters coming through. In the olden days, Sparta and Feyenoord would be the harbingers, alongside Ajax… Today, it’s PSV and AZ along side the Sons of Gods developing and keeping talent.

Potential new signing from Germany…

Ihatarren, Gakpo, Salinec, Malen, Rosario…all lads who played under Mark in the B-team and are making their way into the first team… Gakpo reminds me of Beckham, Ihatarren of Afellay, Salinec is a young Van Bommel and Malen and Rosaria, well…you know enough after seeing them play this season.

Van Bommel might be on hitlists in Europe already (AC Milan, Bayern) while numerous players will be scouted too (Angelino, Pereiro, Luuk de Jong, Lozano, Zoet)…

So who knows where PSV will be next season, but they definitely contributed to Ajax’ success (and Ten Hag rightfully thanks PSV) and they gave us some exciting new talents to watch!

Next season, we actually might see a new exciting Dutch talent coming in from a Bundesliga club: Arjen Robben… He doesn’t want to go to China, the sand pit or the US. He needs his medical team close and he wants to be close to his family… He also doesn’t want to compete for 6th spot, so it seems he is exclaiming quite loudly “PSV!!” but we’ll need to wait and see…

March 28, 2019March 30, 2019 by Jan

Naive Oranje falls in German trap. Again.

When Ronald Koeman criticised his team for playing gallery football vs Belarus, he was clearly trying to temper the optimism in and around the team… Good goals, no goals conceded, some nice gallery play… Oranje will win the Euros AND the World Cup.

Koeman knew, that with a vengeful Germany coming to Amsterdam, he needed to get his team to be sharp and forget about Belarus. I mean… Belarus!

People in Holland were already claiming Oranje would beat the dreadful Germans 5-0!! As if. And Germany was never in the same situation as Oranje recently. We didn’t qualify for 2 major tournaments! In a row. That is not the same as an older Germany team that disappointed at the World Cup.

And that is what we saw in the Holland – Germany game. There was nothing mediocre about Germany.

On Saturday, before the game, Koeman already predicted that it was going to be a tactical game. “You never know which Germany shows up. They have been trying at least three systems in the past year… We don’t know who he’ll play or in what system he’ll play.”

Koeman is another coach in a not so long list of coaches who adapts his team and tactics to the situation. 4-3-3 was sacred for a long time. Van Basten made some changes in that system, Van Marwijk followed him and stuck to 4-2-3-1 for a long time. Van Gaal even went a step further with 5 at the back. A system Koeman tried and tested too.

Just like in an earlier match vs our neighbours, Koeman needed a tactical switch at half time to get his team to respond to a very good playing Germany.

The first 25 minutes…

Koeman already emphasized before the game that it was ridiculous for people to be too optimistic about the result. Oranje was tremendously effective in that 2-2 match, which Germany didn’t deserve to draw and decided to use Promes for Bergwijn, as the former has been playing as a wing back for Sevilla and doing really well in that role, allowing for more flexibility in his team. And with the tactical trick Low came up with (Goretzka playing as offensive mid to make Frenkie’s life hard), this was a good thing too.

Oranje without possession

Koeman and Lodeweges jotting down new tactics for 2nd half

When Oranje doesn’t have the ball, they revert back to a 5-4-1. With Babel (right), Promes (left) and Wijnaldum and De Roon in the mid section behind Memphis. Frenkie de Jong would drop back as third centre back, just like we did against France. De Ligt and Van Dijk can pressure forward when the situation arises, in this set up, as Gnabry and Sane love to wander and drift. Once Oranje loses possession for a spell, Holland plays even more compact, with Promes dropping back as left back, Blind squeezing inside as centre back and Frenkie de Jong pushing into midfield to put more pressure on the ball.

Oranje in possession

When Oranje does have possession, they stick to the 4-2-3-1. The main issue in this situation, is Goretzka, as he interrupts the passing line to De Jong, which blocks a quick and direct build up for Oranje.

Build up to the 0-1

The lack of grip in the first stage of the game is apparent in te 15th minute. A long ball doesn’t arrive, Gnabry drops back to midfield, plays into Kroos who has the field in front of him and without real pressure on the ball. Then, it all goes quick for Germany. Kroos launches Schulz on the left flank and his cross is expertly finished by Sane. De Ligt slips, which is a bonus for Sane, but Oranje’s centre is complete played off the turf by the running patterns of Sane and Gnabry. And even with Frenkie and Daley assisting Van Dijk and De Ligt, it simply isn’t enough for Oranje to get grip on the dynamic Germans.

Minute 26 – 45

Midway the first half, Koeman makes changes. Babel moves to the left and Promes will play on the right, converting to a classic 5-4-1 once Germany has possession. A copy of the tactics from Gelsenkirchen when Holland wiped the 0-2 off the board, to finish 2-2.

Oranje when Germany in possession

This seems to work wonders. In the first 5 minutes, Babel gets two massive opportunities, both presented to him by Promes. Germany realises quickly, by realising that they can now find space via the axis on the pitch. In the 34th minute, Gnabry benefits from this, when De Ligt doubts whether he should press on. Van Dijk has similar doubts with Goretzka. Rudiger recognises the moment and plays over the top to Gnabry. Van Dijk seems to push him to the left wing, but he doesn’t do enough. Gnabry turns inside and curls the ball into the top corner: 0-2.

Minute 46 – 87

In the half time break, the situation seems desperate. Holland is 0-2 down and has no control over the match, whatsoever. The biggest pain points: De Roon can’t get close to Kroos. And Gnabry is continuously unmarked while Oranje has no alternative for build up if Frenkie de Jong can’t be reached. Frenkie de Jong: “Our biggest issues were in midfield. Gnabry, Sane and Goretzka were constantly free. We were simply not positioned right and didn’t press on well enough. We also didn’t press Germany to the side well enough.”

Koeman brings Bergwijn for Babel and that was the difference. Holland switches to 5-3-2 and goes toe to toe with Germany. And suddenly, Germany is struggling to find the free man.

Another switch was made by Koeman in midfield. Now, Wijnaldum takes care of Kroos and he does a much better job. And Memphis and Bergwijn manage to push the ball to Ginter, which stops Germany using the strong left side (Schulz, Kroos, Sane). And Germany resides to long balls forward, which is bread and butter for Van Dijk and De Ligt.

These are all the ingredients needed by Oranje to stage a comeback.

It helps that Holland gets the 1-2 very early in the second half, from a super cross by Memphis onto the head of De Ligt. His first Oranje goal.

A good attacking move, started by Blind and executed well by Promes before it reaches Memphis via Wijnaldum, and Memphis scores the 2-2. Low tries to regain control by bringing Gudogan for Goretzka but Holland controls the match, as it is easier for the Dutch to forward press with Frenkie in midfield and Daley as third centre back.

But, as per usual, it is the individual class that will determine the end result. In this case, its Marco Reus. He surprises De Roon on the inside and passes the ball to the forward runner Schulz. It’s a combi of Reus’ class and miscommunication in Oranje that causes this goal, with De Roon ending up as right back and Dumfries completely lost.

The loss was unnecessary. Also something Koeman realised. “I am to blame. I could have made the change. It was 10 minutes before the end, I considered bringing Ake for Promes and cherish the draw. But we kept on attacking and Promes looked fresh and I figured we would win this 3-2 at the death. But we lost it.”

But the loss is not that terrible. Oranje should win all other matches and get a result away in Germany. Why not? And matches like this are necessary for the team to learn to self adept. In stead of waiting for the coach to come up with the solutions. Daley Blind, Virgil van Dijk, Frenkie de Jong, Gini Wijnaldum… You’d expect some initiative from them too.

With Davy Propper fit again and Donny van de Beek chomping at the bits, I can see Marten de Roon lose his spot. I also believe we have better right backs available… I hope Karsdorp will have a string of games soon as I believe he is better at this point than Dumfries…

Source: The Excellent VI Pro

January 16, 2019 by Jan

Happy New Year, Oranje fans!

Hi all, I will start with apologising for taking a bit of time off, with the Eredivisie (and Oranje) in their winter break. Sure, I noticed the EPL was still going, but I just wanted to take a breather.

Every year, I contemplate the future of the blog. In 2010 and 2014, I considered stopping at the high point of Oranje’s World Cup exploits, expecting/hoping that we would win gold.

We didn’t.

Then we ended up in the boondocks with Oranje and I simply couldn’t quit while things were so bad. And now…we’re heading back up again. So… maybe I’ll hang in a bit longer.

Having said that: do let me know if you wish to contribute or partner or even take over this blog. I do believe time will come soon now, for me to retire and rake in the big bucks. Well… not rake in the big bucks actually… This little hobby costs money, but hey…

So leave a comment below if you want to join in. We’ll see how we can set that up.

By the way, this is also the right time and place to thank you for all your support and ongoing participation!

For 2019, I think I can only see great things.

Oranje will probably win the Nations League. We are so hungry now and Koeman will want to get his team in the habit of winning. So check! That is trophy number 2 for Oranje. And with the Euros coming up, I think we need to make space in our trophy cabinet. Or better: we should actually first make a trophy cabinet…

Ajax will dazzle in Europe, which is great. Can they win the Champions League? Why not! The draw will be key but I firmly believe they can beat any opponent on a really good day. But lets avoid PSG and Man City for now.

PSV will get stronger too. Van Bommel is doing a great job and it’s good to see some solid players come through there in Eindhoven. Rosario, Malen, Bergwijn. There are some others in their youth system too! Excellent.

Feyenoord has brought Stanley Brard home as the new Youth Academy leader. He used to be in charge back in the day when the likes of Wijnaldum and Fer came through. I think Gio will move on and it might well be an idea for Feyenoord to consider a coach like Wagner (recently fired at Huddersfield), who can bring some new vibe into the club. Usual suspects Henk Fraser (just signed with Sparta) and Dirk Kuyt (too early) or Kevin Hofland (doesn’t have proper diploma yet) might be considered in the stage beyond Wagner?

Our youthful talents are getting the headlights again. Hoever at Liverpool? Wow!! Chong at ManU? Great. And with Danjuma, Delrosun, Van Drongelen et al, the future looks bright.

Ajax’ success will mean their key players will leave. I think Onana will be off to the EPL (Spurs?) with Frenkie hopefully chosing between Barca and Man City. De Ligt will probably make a move too (Barca or Bayern) while Ziyech might be off to Italy.

The youngsters coming through in Amsterdam are of high calibre as well and players like Blind, Schone, Tadic, Labyad and Veltman will probably not go anywhere.

Still, challenges ahead for Ajax, but it’s a good thing Overmars has started to spend some money on good quality players. A guy like Tagliafico will definitely make the club money so investing/spending wisely will pay off.

October 9, 2018 by Jan

Oranje’s future: Arnaut Danjuma

The dark, barren days truly seems behind us now. Those days, when we couldn’t qualify for a big tournament, remember that? Now, we have some world class central defenders, exciting top notch full backs, a midfielder on the scouting list of many a big club and coming from nowhere (seemingly) some new attacking talent!

Arnaut Danjuma Groeneveld suddenly appeared. From second tier club NEC to Belgium’s top club, Club Brugge. And yesterday, he joined the Dutch national team squad in Zeist. “My nerves are holding up well. I do wish to find new challenges all the time and this is a top example. And I don’t want to just be here today as a one-day-fly. I wanted to proof myself and come back regularly.

Asked what his secret is: “I don’t have one. It’s a matter of confidence with me. I work hard every day and this is the result. People tell me things go really fast for me, but I don’t see it that way. I work hard and this is where I am at now. And it’s almost normal, you know. Ever since I was a child, I wanted this.”

“I spoke with Ruud Vormer about it of course and with Stefano Denswil and Sofyan Amrabat (all Brugge players). It’s sad Ruud had to bail with his groin injury. This is a huge honour for me and I hope I’ll get the chance to show something. These two games, vs Germany and Belgium. Amazing of course. And there are two mates of Brugge called up for the Belgium team. That is extra cool.”

Danjuma has scored 5 goals and offered 4 assists in 14 official games. He’ll meet some old friends at Oranje. “That makes life a bit easier, I know Rosario and Bergwijn from my time at PSV. It’s special for sure.”

When the 21 year old was presented at Brugge, son of a Nigerian mother and a Dutch father, the experts could see what his thing was. “A mouthy Dutch lad, who cuts inside to shoot on goal with his right. The whole Belgium competition will know this within weeks.” But like with Arjen Robben, knowing that he’ll do it and stopping him from doing it are two different things.

Club coach Leko signed Groeneveld from NEC, now called Danjuma. And after a couple of training sessions he knows enough. He’ll start Danjuma in the super cup match vs Standard Luik. He breaks open that match with an assist in the first half. Leko is convinced. Aad de Mos, ex top coach and football fanatic, watches the first match this season in the competition of Brugge. And he knows after 45 minutes. He grabs his phone and tweets: “The Dutch top clubs have been sleeping again: Groeneveld is at Brugge and is a top player!”.

After three matches in the competition, Danjuma is the most discussed player / topic. Club wins and Danjuma has to face the media again and again. Ruud Vormer looks at with approval from a distance. The blue-black jersey tightly fitting the muscles on the upper body, legs like concrete pillars and a twinkle in the eyes.

Danjuma is not keen to discuss his past. He had a life of ups and downs and one day, he’ll tell his life story. Not now. “That is too personal”. Because life in Lagos, Nigeria isn’t easy and neither is moving to Holland and being caught up in the social services system of child care. He did say something once… He was in three different host families until his dad finally got custody. He doesn’t want to say more. He used to confuse attention with affection and was hoping on positive re-affirmations. Like the 8 years at PSV, where he suffered from many injuries. Every coach could see he had talent but he needed to stay fit.

In Nijmegen, at NEC, he changed from an inconsistent talent to a man with a mission. Danjuma finds inspiration in athletes who had to fight to get to the top. Players like Zlatan or Neymar. Or Memphis. Or a boxer like Mike Tyson. “Setbacks make you stronger. Let’s just say I experienced more than most at my age. I think I built up more resistance.”

When Arnaut was Arnaut at NEC, he already told anyone who wanted to listen: I am good, I will become better, I will play for a top club and I will win trophies. Danjuma at Brugge seems to fulfil his promise. And he did play against Almere and Helmond Sport last season. This season he’ll play Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. The goal vs Atleti and more specifically Jan Oblak already went viral across the globe.

At NEC, they are looking forward to the day Brugge will sell Danjuma to a big spender, as NEC will receive a % from that future deal. They sold him for 1mio euros which enabled NEC to almost build a complete new team as a result. How was it possible that NEC got this gem?

The Dutch youth international made his way to NEC two years ago from the PSV youth to the NEC youth and in two seasons Danjuma got 14 goal and 17 assists in 46 matches. Not bad!

Danjuma: “It is not true that the Dutch top clubs were sleeping. There was interest. There was also interest from Germany, England and France, but I followed my instincts. I can’t explain what it was. Everything clicked for me here. They really wanted me, courted me. I love that. Manchester City was interested too, but I think this is the club where I can really develop and make my minutes.”

Groeneveld did have to adjust a bit. “In Holland, at NEC, it was rough at practice. We’d go in full throttle, rough tackles and very feisty. Here at Brugge, I started yelling at players at practice and Ruud Vormer had to talk to me and said “that is not how it is done here,” hahaha.”

Danjuma played for Young Oranje but was also entitled to select Nigeria. He always expressed his wish to play for Oranje and Koeman decided to not allow Nigeria a shot at the winger. “I would have considered an invite for Nigeria, I do feel the Nigerian roots. But my dream is to play for Oranje.”

NEC was able to present their 11th new player some weeks ago, thanks to the transfer sum that they banked for Arnaut Danjuma. General Manager Oversier: “I was just here, at NEC, when I saw him play and I thought “that kid will one day play for Oranje!”. He is really good eh? He’s not even that super fast, but on the ball he is explosive, threatening and able to go on the outside or inside of the opponent. And his kicking technique is out of this world. He has so much potential. You should analyse his goals, they’re all differnt. I have seen right full backs fall over, so dazed and confused from playing him, hahaha. He never made it at PSV due to his injuries, otherwise he would have played there now, for sure.”

September 1, 2018 by Jan

Dutch football on the up and up (again)

Wow! Two clubs in the Champions League group stages! What a luxury. Well done Ajax, well done PSV! A wonderful start to the season, particularly with Salzburg missing their chance, meaning that The Netherlands have surpassed Austria (sic!) on the coefficiency list of the UEFA and if all goes well and we get more than enough points together, we could have a direct placement in the CL group stages again in the 20/21 season! Yay!

And based on the draw, I wouldn’t be surprised if we actually get quite some points. Ajax doesn’t have that big a shock. Bayern Munich is definitely too good for us now, but, we play them the second time on the last day. This could be good. Bayern will most likely be placed already and might field a B-team!

The other two opponents seem doable. Beatable.

PSV however will have a mountain to climb, but with sensational ties. Spurs, Barca, De Vrij’s Inter…. Mouthwatering. And I do think PSV could well finish third in the group and go into the Europa League after the winter break.

Bloody annoying that Feyenoord and AZ didn’t do what they could have done and pulled their weight too!

Mark van Bommel deserves praise for the way PSV plays. It’s not all silky smooth yet, in particular in the Eredivisie PSV is not on steam. PEC Zwolle played PSV off the pitch, but…PSV didn’t concede while they took their chance in the last minute of the game to seal the win. That is a quality too.

But the team impressed vs Bate Borisov. Energetic, on the front-foot, playing like a real team. With much criticized Luuk de Jong as one of the leaders, a perfect target man and he is also finding the net again!

Pereiro being found in between the lines

Gaston Pereiro was the most skilled PSV player to never fulfil his promise, for a long time. Every one can see and could see he has tremendous qualities, but will he ever be consistent? Well, under Van Bommel he is the key man. The Dreh-und-Angel punkt. The metronome. Whenever PSV has trouble finding him, like against PEC Zwolle, PSV is under par. Whenever they can find him, like vs Utrecht and Bate Borisov, PSV plays well.

PSV is getting better and better in finding the man more situation on the pitch and the new full backs, former City man Angelino and ex Heerenveen back Denzel Dumfries are perfect for Mark’s game plan. They offer energy, runs forward in the channel and most importantly, great final balls.

And with Lozano and Bergwijn, PSV can dominate games and they can play on the counter attack! Promising, indeed!

PSV in counter attacking mode

The technical management of the club is as pro-active as the players, with two key signings on the night PSV secured CL football. Mexican midfielder and bossom buddy of Lozano Guiterez was signed, while Australian international full back Aziz Behich is coming in as well.

More news this week, Koeman’s Oranje squad. It lacks Weghorst (understandable), Berghuis (lacking form) and Bergwijn (harder to understand) and it will offer a debut to Frenkie de Jong (long overdue) in Oranje. Obviously, Wesley Sneijder will be part of the squad for the Peru game, as he will be farewilled in that game and start as captain.

Koeman called Van Bommel to explain why Bergwijn was not in the squad and why Kluivert (not a starter at Roma) is. Van Bommel declined to tell the media what Koeman told him. Most likely, Koeman wasn’t impressed with Bergwijn’s first matches (he only started to fire in the last week or so). And, Bergwijn is a player who, like Memphis, loves to come into the ball and doesn’t so much go deep or in behind without. This is what Kluivert will give you. That seems reasonable. But Bergwijn will definitely get his spot in the limelight, for sure.

July 31, 2018 by Jan

New Season: PSV

This last title won by PSV appeared to be the closure of a era for PSV. Phillip Cocu decided to move on. He probably felt there wasn’t any more room for him to grow at the level of the Eredivisie, working with the confines the Dutch league brings. He wanted something bigger and Fenerbahce would be a logical next step for him. But the change in Eindhoven wasn’t limited to the coach, as the Technical Director was also lured away. Marcel Brands, serially successful, couldn’t withstand the opportunity to work in the Premier League. Everton had an interesting challenge in store for him. A bigger club on a bigger stage. Bigger budgets to work with. A rare opportunity for a technical director and Brands – former playmaker of RKC Waalwijk and Feyenoord – who had success in the managerial job with his old club RKC, AZ Alkmaar and now consistently with PSV also felt he was ready for a big step up.

These two exits forced PSV to make a big shift. Former PSV player John de Jong will take on the Marcel Brands role and another former PSV player has been prepped for the coach job. When Mark van Bommel made it clear during his playing career that coaching would be his next logical career move, PSV knew they wanted the former captain on the bench at some stage.

General Manager Toon Gerbrands, Technical Manager John de Jong and head coach Mark van Bommel

The ex Bayern Munich, Barca and AC Milan player was prepped in the youth academy for this role and last World Cup he assisted his father in law Bert van Marwijk with Australia.

Is he ready already? Is he forced into the job too soon with Cocu leaving?

Who knows, but I think not. Mark van Bommel was already a coach as a player and the first signs are positive for PSV.

At his introduction press conference, Van Bommel was clear in his football vision. “I want to be in control, of the game and of the ball. We want to be the boss on the pitch. preferably with ball but if need be without the ball. We want to play further up the pitch and taking advantage of the weaknesses of the opponent.”

Where Cocu was criticized for playing a bit passive, a bit counter-attacking style, Van Bommel wants to impose the Barcelona / Bayern Munich philosophy onto his team.

PSV’s pre-season was quite a success. The hand of Van Bommel was visible in the first games already and Gaston Pereiro in particular was the most remarkable player (Hirving Lozano returned late to PSV due to his contributions to Mexico’s World Cup campaign).

Van Bommel: “Every one can see Pereiro is a special player. Even non-PSV fans will like to see him play. I use him in the #10 role. He’s not a winger for me. Yes, he still has his moments where he seems to be dreaming a bit, we’ll work on that.”

Luuk de Jong decided to stay in Eindhoven and said no to several offers from Mexico, France and other competitions. The striker is scoring prolifically and is currently PSV’s captain. Van Bommel will select his skipper for the season in the coming week.

Steven Bergwijn is already high on the hitlist of many big clubs in Europe, but Van Bommel is adamant. “I want to keep Steven at the club. There is still a lot to learn for him and I believe he can make a big move if he stays a bit longer here.”

Marco van Ginkel is not going to be part of the plans for now. PSV would have loved to have signed him but the poor bastard’s knees are giving him a lot of grieve again and he’s out for another 8 to 9 months most likely. Sad story. Will he ever get back to 100% fitness?

Van Bommel is building his foundation at PSV and it seems he’s doing good business. Jeroen Zoet is the number 1 goalkeeper of course. Nick Viergever seems to be the left central defender, with either Schwaab or Luckassen as his partner on the right. Denzel Dumfries came from Heerenveen and the assist king will take the spot on the right, with Arias most likely moving up to Atletico Madrid. Angelino, the former Man City man, will take the left spot at the back.

Ramselaar and Hendrix will be the two holding mids in the middle of the park with Pereiro the playmaker, attacking mid. Van Bommel has a couple of tremendous talents available to him as alternatives of course, such as Mauro Junior and Pablo Rosario.

Mark van Bommel is still looking for a replacement for Van Ginkel though and is also still a bit concerned that there will be a mega offer for Lozano or Bergwijn. But otherwise, these two with Luuk de Jong will be the front men. Sam Lammers is off to Heerenveen to get some playing time there, will young talents like Romer0, Gudmundsson and Malen are chomping at the bits for playing time as well.

In the pre season, PSV beat three serious opponents and seems to be ready for the season opening vs Feyenoord for the Johan Cruyff shield. PSV beat Galatasaray, Panathinaikos and Valencia (the latter finishing third in La Liga last season!).