Phillip Cocu blamed the points loss against FC Groningen Sunday afternoon on a lack of sharpness in finishing. "I had the feeling that we could play on for another hour, but then still not score," the head coach said at the press conference.
Cocu: 'There was no lack of work'
According to Phillip Cocu, the missed penalty and details were decisive in the points loss. "We let Groningen into the game by not making the penalty kick. Then you know you are going to play the rest of the match against a very compact Groningen. At that point you have to keep the field enormously wide. With chalk on your shoes. I didn't see that and it's details like that that make the difference in a promising and less promising cross," analyzed the coach who did not blame his team for a lack of commitment. "We did everything until the very last second to score a goal. There was no lack of work," said Cocu, who finally indicated that Luuk de Jong will not take any more penalties for the time being. "Luuk took responsibility. I think that's commendable, but you have to stand behind the ball with full conviction. It's okay to miss once, but this is too often."
Faber: 'Had a bit of luck'
Fellow coach Ernest Faber was obviously pleased with the result. "We were able to take a nice point with us from Eindhoven. This is a small success for us," said Cocu's former assistant. Faber especially complimented his team's defensive passion, but also felt that FC Groningen did not lack luck. "We defended especially well today. PSV had the ball a lot, pressed a lot and we were lucky that PSV missed the penalty. It was holding back, keeping the lines close together. But we are obviously very happy with this point."