Kevin Begois played for four years in the service of PEC Zwolle as a goalkeeper. Currently, the Belgian is goalkeeper coach at several youth teams of PSV. We look ahead to the match with him and look back on his time in Zwolle.
PSV the better side
Who will win this weekend is clear according to Begois: "I expect PSV to win if they can put PEC Zwolle under pressure right away and push the gas pedal hard. I still know a lot of guys at PEC, they are not going to go down without a fight. But PSV will be the better side I think. PEC Zwolle is a very down-to-earth and close-knit club. That's their strength, but PSV has a lot of quality. Still, PSV's players have to be careful not to underestimate the Zwolle players."
Schaars' moment
"I had four nice years at PEC Zwolle. I was even under the crossbar in PSV's championship match in 2016" Begois says. "Stijn Schaars, who is currently a colleague of mine with PSV O13, was supposed to substitute then. But because I managed to keep a ball inside the lines he did not come into action during the championship match. I hope he is not still angry with me" says the former goalkeeper with a smile.
Gaining confidence
As goalkeeper trainer, Begois is concerned with the level of goalkeepers in the Eredivisie. According to him, Jeroen Zoet is a good example for young goalkeepers: "Jeroen shows good mental resilience. A lot was talked and said about him but he shows resistance and resilience. He gets the trust and also shows that he deserves the trust. Those are the qualities of a good goalkeeper and we try to teach that to the youth players as well. You have to get confidence but also enforce it and pay it back."
Goalkeeper training
As a goalkeeper, it is important to Begois that young goalkeepers are trained well. At PSV, he works to keep the level of goalkeepers in the Netherlands as high as possible: "Together with goalkeeper coaches of other clubs, we want to set the bar high. For that we also look abroad and consult together how we can train our goalkeepers as well as possible. That is what I am doing now at PSV. There is a lot of talent walking around here who can get far with a good education. The Eredivisie and PSV are good learning schools for young goalkeepers."