Journalist VI scrutinized for taking a position in the rear guard: ‘To be used for tactical experiments’
1 min readIn preparation for the 2026/2027 season, the question of who will play in the left-back position at PSV is still up in the air. Coach Peter Bosz has already tried out many players and, in addition, it is expected that another left-back will be signed since Anass Salah-Eddine has returned to AS Roma.
Noah Fernandez is one of the players that Bosz has already deployed on the left position. The same applies to fellow talents Boet Mulders and Gino Verhulst, who both originally play in midfield.
''The left-back position remains Peter Bosz’s choice for tactical experiments. Whereas in the first practice matches he gives the youth talents Boet Mulders and Gino Verhulst (both midfielders) a few more difficult minutes in a defensive sense, in his first team match against Union this time he puts Noah Fernandez at left back, with Mauro Júnior precisely as number 6 in the middle,'' writes journalist Sam Planting in Voetbal International.
Especially Fernandez is familiar with the role of left-back. ''Fernandez has experience with this experiment: during preparations for 2025/26, Bosz already had him deployed a few times as a left-back, to give him defensively intensive flying hours'', Planting continues.
The journalist also thinks that Bosz puts the young Belgian into that position to move him along as a kind of fourth midfielder. ''But the position swap between Mauro and Fernandez seems not only intended to challenge the 18-year-old Belgian a bit more in his (impressive) development. In possession, we regularly see PSV forming a box at the midriff, by having Fernandez shuffle inward as a fourth midfielder in the middle,'' so the report says.
Planting believes that Fernandez will be able to get many minutes on the pitch in the 2026/2027 season. "Given his strong performances in the closing stages of the 2025/26 season, his similar performances in the current preseason, and his ability to move smoothly across multiple positions, we seem to be able to expect a considerable amount of playing time for Noah Fernandez in 2026/27," said the reporter.
Comments9
"We controlled the tempo" is cap sometimes lol. We were good in patches, but there were moments where they bypassed our press way too easy. Still, the late push looked dangerous, so im not complaining. 😅
Eens. If the coach wants stability, we cannot rotate the back line that much in big moments. Otherwise it feels like we are playing catch-up instead of dictating the game. 👏🚀
Loving the attacking intent, but do we have to leave so much space between the fullbacks and the 6? That gap is basically a taxi for every opposing winger. 🔥⚽
I like the plan, but i dont buy the hype around our central defender distribution. When it slows down, we give away set-up for counters. IMO we need faster combinations between the fullback and the winger, especially in transition. 🙄
Commentator had it right, this was peak PSV when we win the second balls. How they created chances from wide areas is pure rocket stuff. 🔥🚀
Ngl i felt that X-factor was missing in the middle. The article mentions how we build from the back, but if the 6 is not brave on the ball, its gonna be long nights. 👀
"PSV Inside" sounds like they want to keep everything calm, but tbh the pressing intensity still looks inconsistent. When Xavi starts drifting, the press loses its shape and it gets messy fast.
If PSV really went in with that pressing trigger, you can see why teams struggle after 20 minutes. Frimpong looked like the first option every time, though idk if we lose control when he drifts too high. Still, the balance felt better than last season.
If PSV really went with that midfield setup, i get it but we need more control in the last 20 minutes. 🙄💀 Sangare and Veerman must touch the ball quicker, otherwise teams just park and counter us.