PSV's 0-4 loss to AZ on Sunday gave the club another uncomfortable reminder that the defensive issues from last season have not gone away, according to Rik Elfrink. The Eindhovens Dagblad clubwatcher said the defeat should not be viewed only through the lens of Joey Veerman's red card in the ninth minute, but as part of a bigger problem that has been lingering for months.
"Je kunt er door de rode kaart niet te veel conclusies aan verbinden," Elfrink said, but he was also clear that PSV have been living with the same flaws for too long. "Je hebt nu nog steeds dezelfde verdediging staan van vorig seizoen die heel veel tegentreffers kreeg," he said, arguing that the club did little to improve that area after becoming champions in early April.
The timing is part of what makes the criticism sharper. PSV were already champions in early April, and Elfrink said the back line changed very little after that. "Ze waren begin april al kampioen en in de verdediging is vrijwel niks gedaan," he said. In his view, that left the team exposed heading into the new season, even before the setback against AZ.
He pointed to two transfer situations from July that show PSV had chances to act. Armando Obispo's move to RC Lens fell through, while Adamo Nagalo's transfer to Corum FK did not go through either. Elfrink said those missed moves added to the feeling that PSV could have done more over the past four months. "Maar ik denk wel dat PSV iets had kunnen doen de afgelopen vier maanden," he said.
What PSV still needs
PSV are still trying to add Lutsharel Geertruida to the defense, but Elfrink stressed that even if he arrives soon, the fix is not immediate. "Als hij morgen aansluit, is hij ook niet meteen speelklaar," he said. That matters because the club is already dealing with another major absence.
Jerdy Schouten is out for a long period with a serious cruciate ligament injury, and Elfrink said his absence hurts more than just the team sheet. "Zijn voetballende kwaliteiten zijn een grote drijfkracht achter dit team en dat is er nu niet meer," he said. He added that PSV already felt that absence late last season and that no replacement was brought in. "Dat miste je eind vorig seizoen al, je weet dat hij er een hele tijd uit ligt en daar heeft de club niemand voor gehaald," Elfrink said.
Elfrink also praised Peter Bosz for not publicly shifting blame to the board. "Ik vind het ook chique van Peter Bosz dat hij niet de directie wijst op het feit dat zijn selectie nog niet op orde is," he said. That restraint does not change the larger issue, though: PSV's squad balance still looks off, and the defense remains the clearest reason why.
For a team trying to defend its place at the top, that is a major concern. Whether PSV can tighten things up quickly may decide how much damage Sunday’s defeat really does. Couhaib Driouech is part of a side that needs the defensive picture to improve, but Elfrink's message was simple: the problems were already there, and they are still there now.
