In sequence of errors, PSV costs the win against Ajax

It is a fragment of less than twelve seconds, after playing for an hour in the top match against Ajax. A ball from backwards, from goalkeeper Matej Kovar on teammate Jerdy Schouten. The PSV supplier has only one obvious plaster option: back. Because the road to the other players who stand around him is carefully protected by the midfielders and attackers of Ajax.

Still Schouten tries it. A pass aside, carelessly seems, towards midfielder Ismael Saibari. The attempt is simply intercepted, after which Schouten must commit a violation, not far from his own goal. He and Saibari forget to stand in front of the ball, so that Ajax midfielder Kenneth Taylor can immediately get the ball into depth, towards attacker Oscar Gloukh.

Anass Salah-Eddine, the left back of PSV, responds just in time. Through a bright sprint he can reach the ball just before that gloukh. To his right, defender Ryan Flamingo is completely free, the road to a quick switch through the flank. But Salah-Eddine dribbles straight ahead and loses the ball again. Three big mistakes, immediately in succession, with a huge opportunity for Gloukh as a result. Only he needs just too much time.

‘No trend’

The many goals against PSV all have ‘their own story’ this season, trainer Peter Bosz analyzed earlier this week, in the run-up to the meeting against Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League. In the first five league matches alone, PSV received eight goals, against just three a year ago. In the meeting with Union, that number rose even further, due to a disappointing 1-3 defeat.

Nevertheless, the Bosz did not worry. “We get too many goals,” he thought, but “I don’t see a trend.” It had little to do with his playing method, the PSV coach concluded, nor with the quality of the defense of his team. According to Bosz, the many goals were mainly the result of “personal mistakes”. Moments of carelessness, or a wrong choice.

Against Ajax, such misses again led to point loss, for the second time this season in a competition duel. Three weeks ago there was already the unexpected defeat against Telstar (0-2), now PSV is getting twice on a lead, and then simply gives it away. A result that was unnecessary in view of the football shown: the home team had more ball, more dominance, and at times pushed Ajax back deep towards its own goal.

Ajax is wrong

Initially it also seems to be a carefree afternoon, partly because the team of coach Johnny Heitinga in Eindhoven hardly insists. After six minutes, this already leads to a lead for PSV, an attack in which Ajax fog twice: first on the back of Owen Wijndal gives way too much space to Ivan Perisic, which can therefore give unhindered. Then midfielder Kenneth Taylor lets simply run Saibari out of his back for his own goal.

Ajax hardly sets any danger in that phase, is in a compact 5-4-1. After twelve minutes, the team only has 13 percent of the ball. Only once does Ajax come to a shot: from more than twenty meters, Kasper Dolberg, for the first time since his return to Amsterdam in the base, shoots over the goal.

But after twenty minutes, when a long ball from goalkeeper Kovar is headed back, things suddenly go wrong. Midfielder Saibari does not respond, in the expectation that teammates will solve it, opponent Davy Klaassen does. He gives to Taylor, who rapidly crosses midfield, and then gives a deep ball on Oliver Edvardsen.

Zoom in

It is a threatening situation, but not yet hopeless, because the road to the goal is still blocked by left central defender Yarek Gasiorowski. But from the other side, right back Sergino Dest decides to intervene, and he walks in the back Edvardsen. An awkward action, which leads to a penalty after intervening the video referee. Taylor shoots it inside.

There are more moments of carelessness more often, even just before half -time, if three PSV people try to cover left winger Mika Godts, but no one has an eye for Taylor, who runs into the depth behind their backs. His shot is stopped by goalkeeper Kovar. A minute later, Saibari is weak in a duel and is completely open on the right flank, also because substitute Esmir Bajraktarevic, who came in the team for the injured Ruben van Bommel, does not contribute to the loss of ball.

Beautiful rocker

Yet PSV seems to get away with it. After a whole series of attacker, defender Gasiorowski takes the lead again ten minutes before time. An attack that looks a lot like the opening goal: with his pass from the right, substitute Mauro Junior has plenty of time to give, and in the penalty area the long Gasiorowski can easily escape from its husband.

But just before time things go wrong, again due to a succession of mistakes. First the much larger Guus Til loses a duel from the small attacker Gloukh, and if that towards the goal dribbles, Veerman and Flamingo see no danger if Taylor moves backwards and provides himself with all the space. When he gets the ball, he sends Gloukh away with a beautiful rocker, after which the Israelan finishes beautifully. PSV’s eighth goal in a good week, after previously three against NEC and three against Union.

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