“9 against 11, but you sometimes hold your heart in your hand”—is this harsh criticism of a defender who can hardly be called fair?
1 min readPSV recorded the third win in a row in the Eredivisie on Sunday afternoon. We can now safely conclude that Peter Bosz’s side is moving into top form, and this is also due to the fact that the coach from Apeldoorn has once again managed to create a winning formula.
If appearances don’t deceive, it seems that the selection for the 2026-2027 season could well become the strongest squad in Peter Bosz’s era at PSV. Especially since Jerdy Schouten is on his way back and is expected to be playing again for PSV in January.
PSV did fall behind in Utrecht, which means we can immediately label a worrywart, because the talented Ryan Flamingo definitely chose, especially in the early stages in Utrecht, to take the easy route rather than to give full concentration.
It was especially in the second act in Utrecht that it regularly felt like you were watching an opponent with two red cards, because the proportions on the pitch seemed to be 9 men against 11, so easily did Peter Bosz’s team manage to get to grips with the home side. At the same time, you sometimes hold your heart in your hands when we look at Flamingo’s real defending.
The defender who came to FC Utrecht from van can do much better when he is highly focused, which is not always the case. The equalizer by FC Utrecht proved to be a shining example of that. But is it fair at the same time to criticize a player who is actually not a real defender?
Flamingo could do little else about it that PSV after the break did not immediately manage to press through, but leaving that aside. On social media, though, the defender is getting a fair amount of criticism from large numbers of PSV fans. The ease with which Flamingo plays—could it be a lack of concentration, perhaps—can certainly be called a thorn in the eye from time to time. We all still remember the Champions League home matches against Sporting Lisbon and Napoli, in which a focused but very fiercely playing Flamingo left his direct opponents with no chance.
Comments11
I get the hype, but tbh PSV are still way too reliant on one or two creators. When they are marked out, the chance quality drops and you can see it. Not even trying to hate, it is just repeatable.
Im watching for one thing: can PSV control the tempo after 60 minutes? If they chase the second goal with the same spacing, clubs like us punish the gaps behind the midfield. But if they manage it, fair play, its scary. 🤬
Tbh i liked the way the article highlighted the overloads behind the last line. It makes sense why our best moments came when the 10 found the pocket between the lines. If we can keep that consistency, we go to the title run without excuses. 🚀
Goated if we keep the fullbacks high but only when the double pivot covers. Otherwise it turns into 2v2 chaos and every counter feels like doom. 💀🔥
"PSV need to be quicker in build-up" yeah but can we be quicker without forcing it? Im worried we will try to play through pressure and lose the ball on the edge of our own box. Smh.
Ngl if Pepi is starting again, i want him to press higher and not just wait to get service. We need that first ball into the half-spaces, otherwise the 9 becomes a bystander. 🚀
Lol at the idea that our buildup is clean every time. Against high press, the first pass is often mid, then we panic and lose it near the line. Also, we should not leave counters to chance. 💀
"PSV Inside" sounds great, but im judging the actual setup. If the fullback is pinned, the winger has to attack sooner, otherwise the ball is stuck in front of the box. 1-2 touches faster and its a different game. 👀
If PSV want to play brave in possession, i hope the article is right about the midfield staying compact because teams will punish that space behind the pivot. 👀 Also, these rest-defence transitions are where we always seem to leak silly chances.
ngl the midfield balance is still the weak point. When Veerman drops too deep, we lose the second phase and opponents just step in. We need quicker verticals, not more sideways passes. 😅
If PSV really pushed that inside channel more, it explains the extra cutbacks we saw. But dont get me wrong, Lang and Til need to be more ruthless when the half-space is open. 🔥⚽