Ricardo Pepi will soon return as a PSV striker. This is what coach Peter Bosz said on Sunday evening in Alkmaar after the 1-5 win over AZ. In recent weeks, Bosz has opted for attacking midfielder Guus Til at the point of attack. Ismael Saibari plays shortly behind. That formula is very successful.
Both know how to find it easily. Til scored three times against AZ and now has eight goals in the Eredivisie, just like Saibari. “Because things are going so well with those two now, we have a little more time to bring Pepi back. He is coming back from a very serious injury. You really have to be fit for these types of matches. Pepi also agreed that he would not start now, but he will be my first striker again,” said Bosz.
“You shouldn’t make changes based on one match.”
PSV’s trainer saw Pepi equalize as a substitute in the Champions League meeting with Olympiacos on Tuesday, but this did not cause him to have doubts. “You shouldn’t make changes based on one match. Then it becomes a dovecote.”
Bosz enjoyed Til’s second goal, who took the ball after a long sprint, played it over AZ defender Wouter Goes and hit the ball hard. “He came from his own half, in full sprint. I really enjoy this.”
After the 3-0, PSV became lazy, Bosz saw. “We actually took ourselves out of our game. Suddenly we no longer had to act quickly and we had plenty of time. The fact that AZ did not make it 3-2 shortly before half time was an important moment. We had more possession of the ball again in the second half.”
“We don’t become less when we change.”
Bosz praised the substitutes, including Couhaib Driouech. “That’s what you want to see from a substitute. We don’t get any worse at such times when we make substitutions. If you always know how to do that, you have a chance of becoming champion.”
AZ captain Sven Mijnans, who attracted serious attention from PSV earlier this year, resigned himself to the big home defeat. “It was a bit like the big boys against the little boys today. You give away the entire match because you concede three quick goals. It is distressing that we were able to join in today and that we are not all there together. We have to blame ourselves for that.”
