Rik Elfrink fears for PSV attacker: 'You can see it in certain moments'
1 min readPSV, as a closer of the FAN day last Saturday, did not have a good rehearsal in the run-up to the lights ladder derby against city rivals FC Eindhoven on Tuesday evening. The team of Peter Bosz went down 1-3 after the break, and in particular the defense had to face criticism from its own supporters and in various media.
That also was not missed by PSV watcher Rik Elfrink of Eindhovens Dagblad. In the AD Football podcast, Elfrink goes deeper into PSV's defeat against the Spaniards.
In addition, the PSV watcher takes it up for the attackers Ruben van Bommel and Alassane Pléa. Both forwards suffered a serious injury at the start of last year’s season, which meant they were both sidelined for the entire season.
''If you put so much pressure on the opponent up front, then you won’t get very far. You also can’t blame Ruben van Bommel and Alassane Pléa for that. In any case, I didn’t think Van Bommel played that badly at all'', the journalist emphasizes.
Where Van Bommel therefore still made a good impression on Elfrink, that is not the case for Pléa. ''Pléa, yes, he really still needs a lot of time after that severe knee injury'', the reporter concludes.
At the same time, the PSV watcher is a little worried about the Frenchman. ''You really have to be very careful and ask yourself whether that’s even possible. Last year he suffered such a serious injury, it really needs time. You can see that in certain moments. It’s partly in the head, but also in the body. And you can’t do that after a year away, when you’re 33,'' Elfrink concludes.
Comments7
Bosz will have to adjust the pressing triggers if "dat zie je aan bepaalde momenten" is really about his timing. Otherwise we get the same problem again, press high, open spaces behind, and the backline pays the price. That 1-3 is gonna haunt us if we dont manage the workload.
"Dat zie je aan bepaalde momenten" is precies waar het misgaat. Niet elke actie is dramatisch, maar net die fracties van seconde zijn anders bij Pléa. Als Bosz hem blijft gebruiken als motor, moet er in defensieve organisatie wel iets compenserends staan.
Tbh Ruben van Bommel is echt niet het probleem, vond hem na rust ook nog gewoon actief. Als je voorin zó druk zet en je verdediging krijgt geen balans, dan klap je jezelf toch op. Pléa lijkt me vooral nog herstellende, maar ngl het kost ons telkens momenten.
I actually like the take on Van Bommel. If Elfrink says he wasnt that bad, i believe it, because the effort and positioning were there. With Pléa though, that knee story really shows up, ngl. 👀
"Heel voorzichtig moet je je toch afvragen of dat wel mogelijk is." man i get the point, but thats also why we should stop expecting miracles from Pléa right now. If he needs confidence and match rhythm, put him in situations where the ball sticks and let the others do the first wave of pressure.
Dat stuk over Pléa herken ik wel. Als hij druk zet en net iets te vroeg in de duels gaat, zie je gewoon dat het lichaam niet altijd reageert zoals vorig seizoen. Zonde, want zijn waarde kan echt hoger zijn.
That quote about "certain moments" is scary, because when Pléa looks hesistant you can feel it in the whole press. imo PSV need to protect him better so he can play 60 minutes without forcing that high intensity all the time. 🥲