PSV icon Kees Rijvers died last Monday at the age of 97. Peter Bosz is the current trainer of the Eindhoven club and he recalled memories of the former trainer during the weekly press moment on Thursday. The then national coach of the Dutch Under-20s did not allow Bosz to go to the World Cup in Mexico.
In 1983, the Netherlands played under 20 at the World Cup in Mexico. Kees Rijvers was then national coach. In the run-up to that World Cup, Peter Bosz played for the national youth team. “But when Rijvers took over, I was no longer there. Of course, I was very disappointed about that, because I would have liked to work with him.”
Bosz still remembers things about Rijvers. “He really started working with the younger generation. A new period began for the Dutch national team. Under his leadership came a new generation of players who later won the European Championship in 1988.”
“According to the people of that time, PSV would not have been such a big club without Kees Rijvers.”
This week Bosz also noticed the impact the death had within the club. “Everyone who worked with him says that PSV would not have become such a big club without Rijvers. You can’t get a greater tribute.”
A minute’s silence will be held on Friday evening before the Go Ahead Eagles-PSV match. This also happens in other professional football matches.
“Veerman and Saibari must first train with the group if they want to be an option for the match against Dortmund.”
PSV wants to take the next step towards the title against Go Ahead Eagles. It will most likely have to do so without the injured Ismael Saibari and Joey Veerman and the suspended Andre Ramalho. The injuries to Saibari and Veerman are particularly worrying in view of the crucial match against Borussia Dortmund next Wednesday.
“I can’t say yet whether they will be fit again. We really have to take it one day at a time. They are already training individually, but they will have to train with the group to play against Dortmund.”
