PSV’s importance in defense: “Wins back more balls and also sends significantly more passes.”
1 min readIn October of this season, captain Jerdy Schouten was moved from midfield to defense by coach Peter Bosz. This change worked out excellently, as PSV at that time started turning things around better and ultimately set course for the earliest championship title ever in the Eredivisie.
An analysis by ESPN shows that the captain, who suffered a serious ACL injury in the home match against FC Utrecht (4-3), is of great importance to Bosz's back line. ''The injured Schouten statistically has major advantages over Flamingo and Gasiorowski'', Thijs Zwagerman says on ESPN.
After that, Zwagerman goes deeper into the cause of this. ''The PSV captain recovers more balls than his teammates and also sends significantly more passes towards the highest zone on the pitch'', according to the ESPN analyst.
According to Zwagerman, it also has to do with the fact that Schouten is not, by origin, a defender. In both cases this is because Schouten, originally of course a midfielder, is also found more often as a centre-back higher up the pitch than Flamingo and Gasiorowski. With his insight, Schouten anticipates well defensively here and he recognizes in his passing where the forward options are'', explains the ESPN analyst.
The conversion of Bosz ultimately cost Ryan Flamingo his spot in the starting lineup, but despite that, Zwagerman still sees plenty of areas for improvement in Flamingo. ''Where Flamingo, for the time being, takes less risk when pressing than Schouten, in the past duels with the ball he has nevertheless regularly tried to take over the sliding movement of his captain. Against Sparta and PEC, the right-sided centre-back moves the midfield more than once after a forward pass in order to create a numerical advantage in the middle'', according to the ESPN analyst.
Comments17
That match vs Utrecht, and then this defensive impact... it makes you think how much PSV relies on Schouten's reading. The article makes him sound like the link between winning the ball and immediately making it dangerous.
Neutral on the whole debate, but the ESPN explanation is convincing. A midfielder in defense can be dangerous if the timing is wrong, but if he keeps finding forward options early, PSV's build-up gets sharper.
Worrying that Schouten got a serious crossband injury in the Utrecht game, because the whole setup depended on his passing and anticipation. Hopefully the next center back can replicate those interceptions and the quick forward options.
Herovert more ballen than the teammates, that is the key. When Schouten is back there, it feels like we win the second ball more often and the whole team plays forward quicker.
Gasiorowski gets dragged into this comparison, but the article makes it clear Schouten was doing more of everything. Winning duels and also pushing passes forward, that's a different level.
The most interesting bit for me is Schouten's positioning. Since he is a natural midfielder, he reads the game earlier, so even defensively he is basically playing like a connector.
Flamingo taking Schouten's role when PSV has the ball sounds promising. I liked the idea of him sliding into midfield to create an advantage down the middle, especially in those Sparta and PEC games.
I get the praise, but I still think the biggest thing is how risky Schouten can be when he steps up. That said, his anticipation and passing make it feel worth it.
Flamingo losing the starting spot is understandable, but I like the idea in the article that he can create that central overtal by stepping into midfield. If he keeps improving his pressing decisions, he could be crucial again.
I get why Zwagerman compares him to Flamingo and Gasiorowski, but I still miss how stable Flamingo can look when he is not under pressure. The part about him trying to cover the forward runs is smart, though.
Shame about the cruciate injury, because the numbers sound huge. Also interesting that it's partly because he is not a natural defender, he just plays smarter.
Bosz switching Schouten to center back felt risky at first, but the numbers make it look spot on. More ball recoveries and those extra passes into the top zone are exactly what we need to break lines.
Ryan Flamingo pressing less aggressively than Schouten sounds like it could be a tradeoff. Still, I hope he keeps working on being brave in pressure, not just copying the movement after the pass.
Love that Bosz moved Schouten back and it actually worked. If he's winning more balls and hitting more passes into the highest zone, that is exactly what you want from a center-back who reads the game.
The part about Schouten not being a natural defender is actually encouraging. His midfield instincts to anticipate and spot forward passing lanes can turn a defense into a real first-phase outlet.
Flamingo losing his spot makes sense if Schouten is outperforming him. But I like that Zwagerman still sees improvement for Flamingo, especially that timing to slide into midfield to create an overload.
Schouten moving back into defense always felt like Bosz cooking something smart. If the stats are true, winning more balls and firing passes into the top zone is exactly what you want from a center-back.