With a virtually empty sickbay, the options for head coach Phillip Cocu are increasing. As a result, Cocu has to make choices and sometimes disappoint people, he said Friday afternoon in the weekly press conference. Against Vitesse, too, there is plenty to choose from. PSV takes on the number five of the Eredivisie on Saturday night at 7:45 pm.
Van Ginkel or De Jong?
One of the choices Cocu has to make is between Marco van Ginkel and Siem de Jong. For the past two weeks, De Jong successfully replaced Van Ginkel. That gives Cocu options now that Van Ginkel is fully fit again. "We consider everything and do what is best for the match. The more players are in good shape, the harder the choice for the coach. In doing so, we take into account the opponent and where the opportunities lie."
'Convinced of what we still want to achieve '
That requires attention to the players Cocu has to disappoint, he explained. "With players who are not playing, we put a bit more emphasis on their own development. You're working on that all week. In addition, everyone is convinced of what we still want to achieve in the last eight games, we have to do that together and we are working on that with the whole team."
Cup finalist for a reason
Upcoming opponent Vitesse is an opponent to be reckoned with, Cocu said. "They have a lot of footballing ability and creative players. Especially on the ball, they are strong. It is a team that can play good positional play, but also plays very directly toward goal. Therein lies the danger of this team. Vitesse is not cup finalist for nothing. Although in the league they are a bit more changeable," Cocu analyzed the opponent.
Willems questionable
One who may not be there tomorrow is Jetro Willems. He followed a separate program on Friday. Earlier this week, he hurt his hamstring during a sprint. "It is doubtful if he will be there tomorrow, we are waiting to see," Cocu said about that. Jorrit Hendrix had to cancel a training session earlier this week but trained again Friday without problems.