Peter Bosz has already forgotten the loss in the semi-final of the KNVB Cup: “You are disappointed until the next day, now I have forgotten it.” The full focus is now on the competition, in which AZ is the next hurdle on Saturday. If PSV wins, the team is on course to become the earliest ever champion of the Eredivisie. The coach of the Eindhoven team also announced on Friday that he would like to participate in Ramadan and gave an update from the infirmary.
“We are winners and winners cannot cope with losing. We are sick of it,” Bosz briefly looks back on the lost match in Nijmegen. “It’s not that we weren’t top. I thought we were top in the first half and in the end NEC also did well. Sometimes you can take your hat off for that.”
But the 62-year-old coach does not spend a lot of time thinking about elimination. “Until the next day, now I’ve forgotten.” PSV will play again in the Eredivisie on Saturday, at home against AZ. “It is a team that has been close to the top three for years. Now things are going a bit slower. They have already changed coaches this season, which is often not a good sign.”
If PSV beats AZ, PSV can still become the earliest champions ever in the Eredivisie. “If that is possible, because that means we will win the coming matches. And if that is not the case and we still become champions, that is also fine.”
Bosz will not have access to Mauro Júnior in the Philips Stadium on Saturday, he was injured in the match with NEC on Tuesday: “It is not something very shocking, but it will take a few weeks.” Nick Olij, Alassane Pléa, Ruben van Bommel and Guus Til are also still injured.
The latter will be back on the training field, Bosz says. “He is not yet training with the group, but that is going in the right direction.” Who seems to be back again this weekend is Anass Salah-Eddine. He has been training again since Thursday.
Bosz does not want to say whether Ricardo Pepi is ready for his first starting place since his injury. “He’s certainly not ready for 90 minutes yet.”
Ramadan
Within the selection, Salah-Eddine, Ismael Saibari and Esmir Bajraktarevic are in the middle of Ramadan. Assistant coach Ibrahim Afellay is also participating. “I talked to Ibi about the fact that I also want to participate in Ramadan, to see what it does to your body. Because that requires discipline. Afellay said that it brings you a lot. I just don’t want to do it if I’m still working,” says Bosz.
