Roger Schmidt sees more players drop out at PSV for the final competition

It was a big party in the Philips Stadium after the won cup final. In the run-up to the away game against Cambuur, Schmidt looked back on the successful Sunday. “It was a great day to coach PSV. I really enjoyed it, especially the fans. They supported us throughout the game.”

The euphoria on Sunday was great, but Schmidt wants to quickly focus on the competition, where there are still five games on the program. Whether the cup final gives a boost towards the end? “I don’t believe in a boost. I might rather see it as a danger. It’s dangerous that we are less focused now. But of course the feeling within the group has only got better after Sunday.”

In the run-up to the end of the competition, Roger Schmidt again saw players drop out. Armando Obispo is no longer in action this year. “It’s a complicated injury. He has a weak spot in his knee. If we put a load on that now, it will get worse. He will probably be out for two months and focus on next season.”

Due to the retirement of Obispo, PSV only has two central defenders in the A-selection. When Andre Ramalho and Jordan Teze drop out, Schmidt has to do some puzzling. “We have already done that before this year. Erick Gutiérrez and Philipp Max have even played at the center back in international matches. In addition, we are also taking defender Jenson Seelt from Jong PSV.

Yorbe Vertessen also seems to be able to focus on next season. But just maybe he can still participate in the last game of the season. Due to his retirement, Johan Bakayoko rejoins the first team.

Noni Madueke is back on the training field but still training separately. He will probably be back next week.

Tomorrow evening a battered PSV will travel to Leeuwarden. The kick-off is at nine o’clock. A few hours earlier, competitor Ajax is visiting NEC. But no one at PSV is still looking at that. “We focus on our own game. Tomorrow is a difficult game for us.”