With second place and the UEFA Champions League at stake, PSV travels to Alkmaar Sunday afternoon for the game with AZ. Interim head coach Fred Rutten will address all questions regarding the match and its preparation on Friday afternoon.
With the departure of Ruud van Nistelrooij, it was a noisy week, the Interim Head Coach also says. "We have to turn the knob to deliver a top performance again on Sunday. We are all professionals, but also human beings. Fortunately, we have a lot of experienced players. They can help the rest."
The focus shifts to Sunday's match, because that's what it's all about in the end, agrees Rutten: "The club is the only thing that matters. PSV, the results and the supporters. That's what it's all about."
Match of 40 million
Journalists are calling the match "a duel of 40 million. "I don't get that," laughs Rutten. "We have to be there on Sunday. I enjoy this kind of match because you have one chance to do it. The norm at PSV is to play in the UEFA Champions League. If that doesn't work out, it's a huge deception."
Maintaining course
To achieve a top performance, he doesn't need to change course. "We've had a long unbeaten run in which we've only slipped once or twice. So it would be weird to start doing everything differently now. I think that would be an unwise choice."