Head coach Phillip Cocu, in his preview of the away game against Excelsior, referred emphatically to the win in extremis against PEC Zwolle. "On the ball it has to be better to win from Excelsior," he said.
Compact
Cocu spoke those words Friday afternoon at De Herdgang, shortly after the penultimate training session before the game against the Rotterdammers. Unlike last Sunday, Cocu expects PSV to have to make the game in Rotterdam. "Excelsior has a number of players who can be incredibly dangerous on the counterattack. They will try to make the field of play compact. For us, it's a chance to prove that we can also defend against that."
Field play must improve
The feeling at PSV is obviously good after the eighth win in the Eredivisie in a row. Yet Cocu remains wary of too much opportunism. He emphatically points to the field play against PEC Zwolle. "Something can always go wrong and we have to be very sharp on that. In addition, we have to realize that we played a very mediocre game against PEC Zwolle. The perception and fight was good, but on the ball we have to do better to win against Excelsior."
Arias back
The head coach will have Santiago Arias back on Sunday. The winger has been struggling with a minor injury in recent weeks, but trained with the group again this week. Ramon Pascal Lundqvist's recovery is also progressing. "He is close to his first match minutes," Cocu said. Luuk Koopmans will still miss the game with Excelsior. The other selection members are fit.