Brothers Van de Kerkhof clear about a possible PSV target: “We can’t use them.”
1 min readAlso PSV prodigies Willy and René van de Kerkhof watched last Sunday the World Cup final Spain - Argentina (1-0) and voiced their irritation about the Argentine team. After the match, the Argentinians showed themselves to be bad losers, and that is something the Helmond brothers also did not miss.
''A disgrace for football and unworthy of the final'' and ''It had nothing to do with football'', say the former PSV players in the Willy & René podcast by Omroep Brabant. Both played themselves as footballers for the Netherlands the World Cup final against Argentina in 1978, which was lost 3-1 after extra time in a nail-hard match.
Willy finds the final from last Sunday even worse. ''It was much harder now; back then it was also mean, but it was usually about the ball. Now it was always yanking the shirt, running into your back, and rolling through,'' says Willy. Then René chimes in: ''Thank God Spain became world champions.''
Then René goes into the behavior of former Ajax player Nicolas Tagliafico and the fact that the left back was tipped by the outlet FootballTransfers as an option for PSV. ''I would say: please let him stay right there, because we can’t use him. He doesn’t belong at PSV. A winners’ mentality is fine, but not like that. Shoving, pulling, kicking. It’s unimaginable'', René tells.
The men also discuss who the new head coach of Oranje should be and what all needs to happen after that under the new head coach. ''Suppose Arne Slot becomes the new head coach, then he will have to replace some players. In particular Virgil van Dijk and Memphis Depay will likely say goodbye'', says René, who also goes into the name of former PSV player Michael Reiziger. ''I think he's a good guy, a nice guy, but not a national coach.''
Yet René is of the opinion that Peter Bosz would have been the ideal candidate for the role of national coach. ''But he’s staying here for the next two years. But if I were Nigel de Jong, I would have signed Bosz up in February. I'm happy that it didn't happen, because then there would be two more league titles'', said René.
The brothers also discuss PSV's selection for the 2026/2027 season. ''Aside from what has already left, I don't see many departures. Also, Veerman actually still has to stay here for another one or two years,'' René suggests.
Brother Willy does not expect a major exodus, but he could understand it if Veerman were to leave. ''He achieved everything here that he wanted; he wants to take a step, and I understand that too'', said Willy, who also points to the fact that in 2024/2025 the club management kept the squad together for the most part, while some players had their sights set on a transfer. ''And that turned out completely the wrong way. We’ll just wait and see; I have full confidence that Earnest Stewart will ensure a good squad is in place'', Willy concludes.
Comments11
I think the biggest difference will be how the fullbacks overlap without leaving gaps. When they do it right, it looks like a rocket, when they dont, it turns into a counter-attacking trap 🤡⚽
Watching the described matchups, i think it comes down to our left side. If we can win those duels and stop the cutbacks, the tempo goes straight to PSV and it feels like a win 🚀
"PSV need to be clinical" yeah sure, but also they need to be more aggressive in the box. The chances are there, we just hesitate and the striker gets marked out way too early 👀
"Tactical flexibility" is a nice phrase but i just want results. If we start switching shapes and then lose the ball in midfield, thats when games get ugly 🤡.
BRO that quote about being "more brave" better means more direct runs. If we keep recycling at the back, its not bravery, its stress 💀🔥
No way you can call it "perfect" when the finishing is still mid. We need more clean chances, or this becomes another frustrating night 💀.
The quote about "intensity from the first minute" better be real, because we drop off too often in the second half. Still, the pressing triggers look promising if we stay compact in the middle ❤️⚽
Got the feeling the article is right about our buildup. When we bring the fullback early, the whole game becomes easier for Luuk and the 10 can turn quicker 👀.
If PSV keep playing that high line, we are asking for trouble. Tbh midfield has to be sharper with cover when the ball goes to the wide channels.
ngl i like the intent, but the pressing triggers have been way too slow lately. If the midfield is not stepping up together, teams will just play around us 😅
If PSV are actually shifting the buildup again, it needs to be cleaner through the half-spaces. Otherwise we just invite pressure and make Saelemaekers-like panic passes.