Roger Schmidt admitted on Saturday that he was quite a bit relieved after PSV’s victory over Vitesse (0-5). “It is of course a bit difficult if you have to go to Vitesse after two home defeats in a row in the competition,” said the outgoing trainer of the Eindhoven club. “I can only be happy with this win.” Prior to the visit to Arnhem, PSV lost to Ajax (1-2) and AZ (1-2) in front of their own audience.
“We could have won those games too,” said Schmidt. “It wasn’t very bad. But now I wanted to see a response. Fortunately, my players gave it.” Schmidt announced just before the defeat against AZ that he would not extend his expiring contract with PSV. A defeat against Vitesse would probably have caused a lot of unrest in Eindhoven.
“The most important thing is that we can now look ahead with a good feeling,” said Schmidt. “Thursday we play against Maccabi Tel Aviv for the Conference League. And I just heard that we will meet Go Ahead Eagles in the semi-finals of the TOTO KNVB Cup. There are still challenges on three fronts.”
Many eyes were focused on Noni Madueke on Saturday, who once again impressed the people of Eindhoven. He already impressed on Wednesday in the cup match with NAC Breda, when he made his comeback after suffering a muscle injury for the third time this season. Against Vitesse he was the basis of two goals with beautiful actions. “He is a top player, a very great talent. I am very happy for him. He had a hard time when he was injured, but has fought back. That is now paying off,” said Schmidt.
“If he had been continuously fit in recent months, he would have been even further in his development. But he’s back now and we’re all happy about that. He has the potential to be extremely good. Noni is so fast, so dynamic. That’s a gift. His whole body is a gift. He can make a difference anywhere. Also in top competitions. Many players need time to get into the rhythm, but Madueke is there right away. That’s not normal.”
Schmidt points out that in his active career he was not a sprinter himself and therefore never had muscle injuries. “Noni, on the other hand, runs 36 kilometers per hour. Then there is more chance that something will happen. Now he had the time to learn to take care of his body. He could use this period to gain experience. Not that he was lax, but now he has been able to work on his muscle building. Top football demands a lot from a body. Now the staff has been able to help him with that.”