With a big smile, Noni Madueke left the playing field of the Gelredome in Arnhem after an hour of football. The wing attacker had beautifully prepared two of PSV’s first three goals against Vitesse. From the dug-out he then saw his team lead to a big win (0-5).
Madueke was happy and relieved, he said after the final whistle. ,,And I thank God that I have survived,’ said the 19-year-old Briton, with the title of best man of the game in his pocket. ,,I really don’t have any problems, my hamstrings also feel good. It was great to play football in the Premier League again. That is still special to me.”
Madueke started the season so energetically last summer that many PSV supporters feared that he would leave for a major European club before the transfer market closes. With two goals, he helped his team to a big win over Ajax (0-4) in the battle for the Johan Cruijff Scale. The Englishman could hardly be defended in Amsterdam. In the end he stayed with PSV, also because a dizzying offer was not forthcoming.
It was not the first half of the season that Madueke had in mind. The attacker sustained a muscle injury no fewer than three times and was sidelined for a long time. After the victory over Vitesse, trainer Roger Schmidt did not want to speculate about where PSV would have been if Madueke had stayed fit. ,,But last month we were not much less than Ajax and AZ”, he said. ,,We lose both games with 1-2. Madueke can certainly make the difference for us in big matches.”
Schmidt is experienced enough to realize that PSV had booked a much-needed victory over Vitesse. The German recently announced that he does not want to renew his expiring contract. A third league defeat in a row would probably have caused a lot of unrest in Eindhoven and distant surroundings. Schmidt was pleased with his defensive midfielders Ibrahim Sangare and Érick Gutiérrez, who allow Madueke and Cody Gakpo to excel on the flanks.
“We are still fighting on three fronts”, Schmidt referred to the title race in the Eredivisie, the KNVB Cup and the Conference League. ,,It didn’t help us with injuries before the winter break. And I’m not just talking about Madueke. He is still young and needs to get to know his body better. He has to feel when it can’t be done at the highest intensity. Did Louis van Gaal repeat that Arjen Robben is better off training at 80 percent than at 100 percent? I think Madueke should train at 100 percent so that his explosive body is not surprised in a match.”
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