For the fourth time in six games since the winter break, PSV played to a draw. "The results are not as we want," Mark van Bommel, who does not blame the points loss on a lack of freshness, said after the 1-1 draw against Feyenoord.
No grip'
Whereas PSV was clearly still the superior side in previous draws, the head coach saw his team forced back by the Rotterdammers before halftime on Sunday. "We couldn't get a grip on the game. All the second balls were for them and then it seems like you're out of it and tired. That's really not the case. Again today we went all the way to the end and got chances. See also the good shots by Stevie (Bergwijn, ed.). Vermeer saved well a few times."
The draw against Feyenoord puts the lead over Ajax at the same level as before the first game of 2019. "You can also look at it positively. We are still two points ahead," Van Bommel countered. "But the results are not good, that's true."
Intention good
According to captain Luuk de Jong, the points loss was not due to PSV's intentions. "Everyone was eager. We really wanted to put pressure, but Feyenoord kept getting under it. Then you run yourself over," the striker told FOX Sports. "They had a lot of players running in midfield, which they did smartly. Because of that we had to go back fifty, sixty meters each time. And then we still lost the duels. Then you run all the time without being rewarded. That's why we went down a bit more and chose more moments to put pressure."
'Defeat goal should not be allowed'
Yet even at that point PSV failed to really take control of the game. Sven van Beek's red card seemed to play into PSV's hands, but still Feyenoord took the lead through Nicolai Jörgensen. "That shouldn't happen at all against ten men," De Jong thought. "Then fortunately we scored quickly after that, but it wasn't enough. We did have enough opportunities again, but it just didn't fall right. Considering the game, the 1-1 result is justified, though. Hopefully we can hold the lead over Ajax."