Head coach Peter Bosz , and Sven Mijnans were pleased with the decisive victory following their 4-1 win over Sparta Rotterdam. Still, according to them, PSV also gave away too many chances on the counterattack. Mijnans was the star of the show with three goals and received high praise from Bosz afterward. “He’s been working incredibly hard from day one.”
PETER BOSZ
How do you look back on tonight’s game?
“We’re taking the three points, and that’s important, but especially during transitions, we gave away too many chances. There will likely be more clubs that will use that as a tactic. We handled it well for the most part, but it still wasn’t good enough.”
You kept Shakhtar Donetsk well away from your goal, but Sparta Rotterdam did pose a threat. How is that possible?
“Against Shakhtar, we sprinted back much faster after losing possession, and we did so with an intensity that we perhaps lacked a bit tonight. That could play a role. They also have a fast player in Van Bergen, which might make it a bit harder to play against them. In addition, I gave a few guys a rest. Kodai and Paul, for example, also played against Shakhtar, and you can really feel that when you have to play again just two days later.”
Does conceding a goal really matter if you’re scoring a lot yourself?
“Yes, it certainly matters. It stayed 2-1 for a long time, and even though you have a lot of possession, it can just as easily become 2-2.”
A lot of strong players came off the bench again today. What did you think?
“Fernandez came on strong, just like Pepi and Perišić, for example. It’s a luxury to have such good players on the bench who can then come on and make such a strong impact.”
Sven Mijnans: How did you see him come in and what has your experience with him been so far?
“From day one, he’s been working incredibly hard, and that’s the foundation. Our attacking midfielders are always involved in pressing, and we do that differently than AZ does. That takes time. He’s a good guy who gets along well with his teammates and is a pleasure to work with. I see that last goal of his almost every day at practice.”
You’re back on top. What does that mean?
“I’m glad we’re on top, but it doesn’t mean anything yet. I don’t know what else we’ll face this season, but we have to be ready. We have to stay composed and keep winning.”
SVEN MIJNANS
You scored three times today—with your head, your left foot, and your right foot. Your last goal was really beautiful, don’t you think?
“I aim for the far corner, and then of course you hope it just drops in like that. I train and practice that a lot.”
PSV has many starting players, but you consider yourself one of them now, right?
“I’m growing right now, both in training and outside of it. I’m also working on how I want to perform on the field for PSV. That’s being rewarded today with a starting spot, and I’m glad it worked out this way. I’m just trying to show what I can do. There’s so much quality and confidence in this group—you can see that again today.”
How do you view PSV’s level of play?
“The level ofthe entire roster is very high, and everyone is at a certain level. There are many players who have already been through a lot, myself included. I try to position myself well within the group.”