Head coach Peter Bosz and Guus Til looked back on the heated match after the impressive 3-1 victory in Amsterdam. According to both, the key to the victory lay in PSV’s effectiveness and their hard work for one another. Especially after halftime, the team showed a mature side. “In top-level matches, small moments determine the outcome.”
PETER BOSZ
Why did you win this match?
“We were more effective than Ajax. They played long balls to get past our high press. When we intercepted those balls—and we did so several times—we were able to quickly create danger from our press. In the first half, the game went back and forth, but in the second half we were able to control it much better, and that led to the victory. We’re very happy about that, and we celebrated it properly in the locker room.”
What are you most satisfied with?
“I especially enjoyed my team and the way we fought together. It’s not easy to come off the bench in these kinds of matches, but everyone who did so led the charge. It was a real classic. I love it when the intensity is high on the field and it doesn’t turn into a game of chess.”
How do you view the goals?
“That first goal was amazing, and the second one went in nicely too. On the first one, we switched sides well. Against a team that defends in a diamond formation, the space is often on the other side. Perišić and Van Bommel did that well, and Pepi finished it off nicely.”
What did you think of Geertruida’s first-team debut?
“Very good. He’s a young player with experience, and he’s played in matches like this before. He had to spend a few weeks observing how we defend—since we play man-to-man coverage—and on top of that, he had to mark who I consider to be Ajax’s best player today: Julian Brandt.”
What do you think of Ruben van Bommel’s performance?
“These are games you have to play with a knife between your teeth. Ruben van Bommel did that brilliantly. This is football.”
How would you assess the moment with Van Bommel?
“You can see that he anticipates the ball will bounce. But just as he’s running in hard, he sees that Bouwman is very close by. If you run into Van Bommel at that point, it’s like running into a wall. We all celebrated, but Ruben didn’t. He was shaken and visibly shaken up. This was absolutely not the intention.”
GUUS TIL
What was the key to the victory?
“We played very maturely, especially in the second half. In the first half, the game went all over the place, but after halftime, we didn’t give away many real big chances.”
After the 1-1 tie, things got a little tough just before halftime. Was it a crucial moment when Steven Berghuis missed that chance to make it 2-1?
“In top-level matches, the results are often decided by key moments. That was the case today as well. If you fall behind, it’s a whole different story, but we took the lead. Because of that, we were able to play more on the counterattack in the second half, for example. Ajax had to come at us, but they didn’t really manage to do so. As a result, we had a number of good opportunities on the counterattack.”
It seems like you have sixteen players or more who are very close in skill level. How important is that deep roster?
“The way Sven, Esmir, and really everyone who came off the bench played was truly fantastic. That shows just how deep our roster is and how important that is.”
You’ve been dominant in the Netherlands for three years now, and you’ve won here again. How does that feel?
“It’s wonderful to win here. It was about time, too.”