Despite the cold, busy months and PSV's most recent results in top games, Roger Schmidt is very much looking forward to Wednesday night's cup encounter with Ajax. The Head Coach said this Tuesday afternoon during his preview of the topper in the quarterfinals of the TOTO KNVB Beker: "We will have to play a top match.
Toppers
PSV and top games have not yet been a happy combination this season. They lost to Vitesse, AZ and Feyenoord - somewhat unhappily - while the first league encounter between Ajax and PSV ended in a 2-2 draw. Time for a win, therefore, Schmidt believes. "The season is not over yet. We will meet every team again and are incredibly motivated to show our development," he said when asked about recent results against teams from the top five.
Game image
Schmidt added that the results do not tell the whole story. "Disappointing I don't want to call last month. We certainly didn't play badly, but made some crucial mistakes at the wrong moments. The games we lost we were at least equal to our opponents. The only thing we can do from the results is learn from them," Schmidt said.
Second encounter
PSV should do the same from the encounter with Ajax over a month ago (2-2, after an early 2-0 lead). Schmidt: "We played okay then, but I think we can do better. Especially in ball possession. Our start was excellent, then Ajax pushed us back. At the end it could still go either way. The draw did justice to the game. Tomorrow we want to be on the winning side of the score."
Goal
According to Schmidt, winning the cup is a goal for PSV. "I love cup football, I've said that before and I see from my team that it loves it too. It is far from the fastest way to a prize. Just look at PSV's list of honors, which was champion far more often than it won the cup."
Factors
Where that comes from, Schmidt also knows. "The circumstances are different every year. Sometimes you only play away games or just against teams you don't like. This year we meet Ajax in the quarterfinals. That is currently the best team in the Netherlands. We will have to play a top game, but we are well prepared."