After the disappointing 2: 1 to Ajax in the quarter-finals of the Cup, the Dutch media began to fire arrows of criticism at the PSV Eindhoven players. One of the players who was at the center is the Israeli pioneer of the team, Eran Zehavi.
“He’s not a good enough player for PSV. Speed and technique are required qualities, he’s lacking in them,” former Netherlands and PSV legend Willie van de Karkhof shot at Zehavi’s ability. He also criticized Mullen (“can only play as a striker”), complained about the lack of Cody Gakpo and asked to sell team captain Denzel Dampries.
Van de Krakhof won six championships with PSV Eindhoven in the 70s and 80s, three trophies, one UEFA Cup and the European Champions Cup. He was also part of the Dutch team that reached the 1974 and 1978 World Cup finals and third place. At Euro 1976.
But it was not only Dutch past legends who visited Eindhoven. “Ajax is on its way to a double,” the Dutch media reported. “Eran Zehavi and Daniel Mullen had a particularly frustrating evening,” wrote Michael Bell, an Orange Football journalist. “PSV improved in the second half and turned it into an equalizer, after a clear advantage in the first half of Ajax.” By the way, Zehavi recorded one dangerous shot at the Amsterdam goal.
PSV coach, Roger Schmidt, Concluded: “We made basic mistakes from the start and could not win battles on the ball. After the half we were better. In the first part of the game there were my players who did not reach the required level. If you play like this against Ajax how you have no chance to win. It is disappointing to lose this way .
In Tel-Haref, there was harsh criticism of Schmidt who took out Muhammad Ihtran, even though he was the best of the team players in the second half. “Schmidt’s tactical choices are not clear many times, and the obvious question is do the players even understand him? Could it be that the team is slipping out of his hands?”, The largest newspaper in the country wrote.
