PSV is having a very mediocre season, but trainer Ruud van Nistelrooij mainly points to the leadership of the club for the cause of those performances. According to the trainer, the situation his team is in is a logical consequence of the unrest within the club and a messy transfer period. The former striker says he gets the most out of it himself.
This season, PSV’s performances are anything but to write home about, and that also hits Ruud van Nistelrooij hard. “I’m a PSV player. That hurts”, the trainer starts an argument.
“But you can’t see it separately from what’s happening this year. It’s a messy season. That is the result of the policy, the troubled transfer period, injuries, suspensions and the whole sad story of Thijs Slegers”, the former striker sums up.
“If you sell the best players in the winter, the chance of a championship becomes smaller.”
And so the trainer calls for reality in Eindhoven. “If you sell the best players in the winter, the chance of a championship becomes smaller. You can’t hide the unrest within the club either. The arrival of Earnest Steward makes all the difference.”
And so the logical question follows whether PSV has sold the title? “That will become clear in May. But we couldn’t have done better so far.”
“We couldn’t have done better so far.”
The Eindhoven club can still compete for second place in the competition and a place in the cup final is up for grabs. A new test awaits a visit to NEC on Saturday. In the infirmary it is a coming and going. While Olivier Boscagli is likely to return to the starting line-up, Armando Obispo and Jarrad Branthwaite are not available. Walter Benitez is now training again, but on Friday Joël Drommel will play again in the absence of the Argentinian.
In terms of internationals, everyone has also returned fit. Only Ibrahim Sangaré only arrived in the Netherlands on Friday morning. He could possibly be replaced by Erick Gutiérrez.