PSV fans united after substitute’s appearance

The critical following is fairly unanimous after PSV - Villarreal. The Spanish club won 1-3 at the Philips Stadium, but the statistics behind the defeat are only really worrying to call.

The Spanish club fired no fewer than 23 times at the PSV goal, and those are not exactly championship-worthy figures. The concerns among the supporters are therefore great, but on the other hand there are enough points to be made because next week five internationals will return from their vacation.

But there are more bright spots to note. Substitute Amir Bouhamdi was also a bright spot for PSV on Saturday evening. Bouhamdi showed some fine individual actions. The necessary PSV fans are already being lyrical about his performance, and coach Peter Bosz is also enthusiastic about what he saw.

Bouhamdi gave a lot of praise at the start of the second half for Ruben van Bommel. The youngster regularly went looking for his opponents and dribbled past them with playful ease. 'What technique and speed. He is really a bright spot; everything he did was fun to watch", writes a surprised PSV fan on X. Another PSV supporter saw in Bouhamdi 'one of the best players' at PSV. "People go to the stadium for players like Bouhamdi", the PSV fan posts, getting support from other PSV fans. 'Is this another talented winger from the academy who’s going to break through?', people wonder on X.

"There I sprang up. I found it fun to watch, because he played well and without inhibition. It was nice to see", is the conclusion of Peter Bosz.

"It is striking that Bouhamdi may come on earlier than Couhaib Driouech, who is indeed in the squad. Only in the closing stages does Driouech also come on, as a substitute for Dennis Man on the right flank. That suggests that Bouhamdi, the former Excelsior player, has been passed over in the pecking order", writes Voetbal International journalist Pieter Zwart on social media.

Rik Elfrink from the Eindhovens Dagblad saw a dazzling young and uninhibited player at work. "One of the few bright spots at PSV was Amir Bouhamdi’s performance. It whetted the appetite for more. Otherwise it was largely doom and gloom on the Eindhoven side. Very ghastly mistakes with the ball, little pressure on the opponent, and a striker who, however logical it may be,  needs time", said Rik Elfrink.