Valentijn Driessen is critical of trainer Roger Schmidt in his analysis after PSV’s scoreless draw against Benfica. The chief of football of The Telegraph writes that the club management has met almost all his wishes, but that the German coach just can’t manage to deliver. Driessen therefore advises general director Toon Gerbrands to hold off for a while with a view to extending the contract for Schmidt. “Let the trainer, who has now picked up eleven players, first prove himself as a so-called wundertrainer.”
PSV had to clear a 2-1 deficit in front of its own audience on Tuesday evening. Despite the fact that Benfica played football with ten men for an hour after a red card for Lucas Verissimo, the people of Eindhoven were unable to score. PSV will not play in the Champions League this season, but in the Europa League. This means that tens of millions of euros are lost. According to Driessen, it is therefore questionable whether Luuk de Jong will return from Seville. “In any case, Schmidt could have used the Dutch international – if fit – to break the spell in the all-deciding meeting with the Portuguese.”
Driessen states that PSV must be on the blisters because a crowbar was missing against Benfica. He writes that De Jong is actually the only player that Schmidt has not received from the club management so far. “Since the arrival of the German trainer – in 2020 he came in with a lot of fanfare – the duo has actually given their trainer Schmidt everything he desired. He was allowed to determine the player policy, including transfers. But deliver. A consolation prize: the Johan Cruijff Scale.” Driessen also points to last season, in which PSV finished on sixteen points from Ajax in the Eredivisie, was quickly eliminated in the TOTO KNVB Cup and did not overwinter in the Europa League.
The people of Eindhoven made a strong impression in the preliminary rounds of the Champions League. “Although the stripped-down Galatasaray was not an indicator and FC Midtjylland was seriously weakened by a huge corona outbreak in the player group,” said Driessen. “Only the real price that everything revolved around these first two months at PSV – group stage Champions League – they missed out in Eindhoven. From a European perspective, PSV has not made any progress during the Schmidt era.”
Schmidt responds to criticism: “That’s not the way we can score”
Roger Schmidt received strong criticism following the duel with Benfica.
Driessen saw that PSV had the better of the game twice against Benfica and got the best chances. “But at the same time, PSV messed up those opportunities and ten Portuguese crossed the finish line in a hard-fought 0-0. Then you can talk about a failure, how beautiful it all looked beforehand and which great talents are breaking through in the meantime, such as Cody Gakpo and Noni Madueke.” According to Driessen, the veterans Eran Zahavi, Mario Götze and Marco van Ginkel also did not give up. “And Schmidt himself with the umpteenth inexplicable substitutions – Van Ginkel and Madueke in the 70th minute – since he settled in Eindhoven.”