Match Focus: PSV and Ajax Resume Rivalry as Eredivisie Returns
Eric Gerets still remembers tasting the "hatred" every time he faced Ajax. "When I arrived at PSV, we broke Ajax's hegemony. I don't think I'm liked very much over there, but I don't like them very much either." Gerets, a tireless right-back who spent seven successful years in Eindhoven, succinctly summed up the rivalry. A fitting label is Derby dei Paesi Bassi (Derby of the Netherlands): a meeting of the country's most trophy-laden sides, sharing 42 of the 55 Eredivisie championships. At present, though the two are enjoying contrasting periods, this is nonetheless a game to look forward to.
This is mainly due to the fact that it's a clash of competing schools – differing styles, identities and cultures; PSV's workmanlike ethic against the sophisticated artists of Amsterdam. The former owe their historical success to a siege mentality, looking from the outside in, due to their location not being in the Randstad (a conurbation which consists of the four largest Dutch cities: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht).
The feeling in the capital is that while beating Feyenoord is a question of honour, beating PSV is about demonstrating their sporting superiority over the rest of the league. Gerets is one of two men to win back-to-back championships as a player and coach with the same Dutch club. The other is Frank de Boer, and he is chasing history. No manager of Ajax – since the inception of the Eredivisie – has won four successive championships. De Boer's three-peat (2011-12-13) matched his illustrious forefathers Rinus Michels (1966-67-68) and Louis van Gaal (1994-95-96).
His quest resumes this Sunday with PSV looking for their first league double over Ajax in nearly 9 years. When PSV won this clash 4-0 in March 2005, Phillip Cocu, who will be in the opposite dugout this weekend, opened the scoring. Cocu and De Boer are close friends, they are two peas in a pod: symbols of their respective clubs, smartly dressed, live for the training ground, adherents of the 'Dutch school' and in a peculiar way an amalgamation of their mentors. Cocu of Guus Hiddink and Dick Advocaat; De Boer, of Johan Cruyff and Van Gaal.
Both managers are in good spirits but De Boer is certainly the happier, with his side leading the Eredivisie. PSV, in seventh place, trail by an eye-watering 11 points. It seems a lifetime ago when de Boeren put four, without reply, past a lacklustre de Godenzonen. It cost Kenneth Vermeer his position as Ajax's number one. The early September victory should have accelerated PSV, but instead they have drifted backwards, recording 1 win and 6 defeats in their next 9 games, including a 6-2 thrashing at the hands of Vitesse in front of their own fans. With pressure mounting on Cocu so early in his managerial career, he faces a severe test of character, but to his credit so far he has remained stoic and his side responded with successive wins away to FC Utrecht (5-1) and then at home to Den Haag (2-0) before the break.
Aad de Mos, a pundit who previously managed both sides, made a strident observation during their woeful run. PSV, he declared, are "10 years behind" Ajax. In essence, stripping away the hyperbole, PSV are going through a phase of reconstruction; not only in terms of personnel but style of play. Cocu wants his side to control games like Ajax, but there is the difference. While that comes as second nature to Ajax's academy-trained players, Cocu is still imposing it on his team. Their average possession (57.3%) is the fourth highest in the league behind Vitesse (57.8%), FC Twente (58.1%) and Ajax (62.9%).
Looking at the bigger picture, with the powers that be at PSV wanting stability, the thought of relieving Cocu of his duties never crossed their minds. PSV appointed him last summer for a specific reason: the first team squad was getting younger. His background as youth team coach at the club made him the perfect candidate. A newly assembled team dominated by youth will naturally have its ups and downs, they're still a work in progress, and that shouldn't be brushed under the carpet.
The meltdown in Eindhoven was De Boer's heaviest defeat in the Eredivisie. Not one to wallow in his own self-pity, every setback in his three years has sparked a strong reaction. In this case, Ajax would win 8 of their next 11 games including the last 6 in a row.
A student of the game De Boer is all too aware of Béla Guttmann's 'three-year rule'. Guttmann – one of Europe's most influential managers – hypothesised for a successful manager the third year is "fatal": greatness wears off, players tune out and motivation wanes. This should apply to De Boer, but unique circumstances i.e. summer rebuilding (4 players, out of 24, remain from his first championship squad in 2011), meant the ghost of Guttmann hasn't been able to haunt De Boer. His self-confidence and the football he propagates is overwhelming; players leave yet Ajax remain consistently competitive, a far cry from the period between 2004 and 2011.
If we look at individual performances the Amsterdammers, according to WhoScored, possess more players with a minimum of 5 appearances with an average rating higher than 7.0 than PSV (9 to 7). As always in a tense clash, match-ups across the pitch will decide the outcome, and two stand out: Memphis Depay (7.56 average rating) – PSV's mercurial winger – who has by a distance been their most impressive player in the first half of the season, will do battle with Ricardo van Rhijn (6.95). The other is Davy Klaassen’s (7.59) midfield tussle with PSV's enforcer Stijn Schaars (7.14). Klaassen, one of the breakthrough talents this season, acts as a quasi-deep-lying forward, combining skill with stamina. His intelligent movement will trouble Cocu's men if not kept tabs on.
Louis van Gaal is certain to be watching, in attendance or elsewhere. 15 of the 22 (probable) starters – young, gifted and talented – will be Dutch. A game devoid of household names doesn't make it less enticing, quite the opposite, and the third De Boer-Cocu contest [1-1 so far] promises to be exhilarating, with more than just three points at stake.
Who will come out on top on Sunday night? Let us know in the comments below
