A poorer second half and losing the second ball. According to Jerdy Schouten and Peter Bosz, these were the reasons why PSV lost to NEC (3-2) in the semi-final of the KNVB Cup on Tuesday evening. The coach of the Eindhoven team even talks about a pattern when he talks about PSV’s poorer second halves. Mauro Júnior was injured and will not be available for the time being.
“I can’t handle losing very well, so I’m really sick of it,” Bosz says after the match. The coach was satisfied with the first half. “We fell behind 1-0, but then I sat quietly on the bench because we played well. I am angry with NEC that they played so well.”
PSV then also took a 1-2 lead, but conceded the equalizer before half-time. Unnecessary, says Bosz. “That was a shame, because then you give them new energy.”
And things went wrong in the second half, conclude captain Jerdy Schouten and Peter Bosz. “In the second half we found it difficult to get away from the pressure,” says the coach. It’s difficult for him to put his finger on the sore spot. “It’s hard to explain how that can be. There is a pattern of lesser second halves. I don’t know how it can be, because it’s not something physical.”
Schouten does have an explanation. “Having to be keen, to be sharp. I think we left it there in the second half. We were in a phase when we were playing less good football. We went along with the NEC game and we are not very good at that. Their pressure is so good that we quickly chose the long ball.”
The Nijmegen team’s approach to the game was clear in advance: a fast long ball, followed by a duel for the second ball. “That ball was always won by NEC, and that sometimes has to do with positioning and sometimes with dueling power. However, it often went well for NEC, that is no coincidence,” says Schouten.
Ricardo Pepi was expected in the starting line-up for the match, but Bosz again opted for Myron Boadu. “I could have started with Pepi, but he couldn’t play 90 minutes. I preferred to bring him on when the opponent was tired.”
Mauro Júnior was forced to leave the side during the match due to an injury. “We will be without him for a number of weeks,” Bosz said after the match.
Even though PSV can no longer win all the trophies, the season has still been a success, according to the 62-year-old coach. “The fact that we are 17 points ahead says that we are having a good season. And then everyone can say that Feyenoord and Ajax are inferior, but we have very few losing points. If we become champions this year, that will be a top achievement.”
