PSV ended the season with a convincing 5-1 victory over FC Twente and also crowned itself the most dominant champion ever. Head coach Peter Bosz and Ismael Saibari called it a fine conclusion to a strong season and praised the team's attitude. "Besides good footballers, they also have a good mentality," Bosz said.
PETER BOSZ
The cake wasn't over yet today, was it?
"That marks this group. When you see what they manage to get out of it, it's clever. We have good football players with a strong mentality and they have shown that in the last five games."
You hammered on that too, right?
"After the title, we wanted to keep giving one hundred percent. Everyone can bring it up. At one point Ivan sprinted back for a ball, then Ricardo Pepi immediately went with him. Players light each other up."
How do you look at the game and the difference between the first and second halves?
"I thought FC Twente was better and more well-kept on the ball in the first half. It was actually against proportion that we went into the break 2-1 down. At halftime we worked on improving our play. As a result, our positional play in the second half was better and we were closer to the ball, so the victory was never in danger. If you saw how Guus put pressure in the second half, that was a master class on how to put pressure on the opponent."
You finish with 101 goals. How do you view that?
"I think that's very special, especially since it's already the third year in a row that we've scored more than 100 goals. If you look at the last few weeks, we had to make some more. FC Twente is the team with the fewest goals against, so if you then score five against, that's still clever."
Alassane Pléa wasn't there today after all. Why not
"He had another regular injection in his knee yesterday, something that is sometimes necessary and after which he has to rest for a few days. We didn't want to take any risk. In consultation with himself and the medical staff, we therefore decided not to bench him."
ISMAEL SAIBARI
You were injured and might not make any more minutes this season. That worked out anyway, how do you look at that?
"It was important to protect myself by not returning too quickly and taking time for my recovery. I think I could have come back even sooner, but I didn't want to take a risk. Besides, I've already played a lot of games this season, including during the Africa Cup."
How do you look back on the end of this season after you have already clinched the title?
"We are all top athletes with a top mentality, so even after the championship we want to win. You got the title, but it's also about finishing nicely. This way it's even nicer."
How do you personally look back on your season?
"I think I had a good season with a title and nice games, so all in all a successful season. We obviously wanted to advance in the UEFA Champions League and in the cup tournament, so there is always room for improvement."
You set the record of most dominant champion ever. Did that live within the player group?
"It definitely lived in the group and so did achieving the 100 goals. We went full steam ahead."
Do you see the level of connecting youth going up with you guys?
"They are all doing very well with good mentality and intensity: Noah [Fernandez], Jim [Koller], Joël [Van den Berg] and Jordy [Bawuah]. They have a good future ahead of them."