Team Focus: PSV All-Out Attack in Eredivisie Title Bid
A new season brings new opportunities, which couldn't be any truer for Luuk de Jong; a difficult period at Borussia Mönchengladbach (eight goals in 45 games) – where much of his time was spent in the treatment room – stunted his development. Once touted as the next great Dutch striker, he's back in the Netherlands, and more specifically the red-and-white half of Eindhoven. It’s a move that suits both parties: for De Jong, it represents the ideal setting to get his career back on track, for the club, the ideal centre-forward to mount a sustained title challenge.
Phillip Cocu's side are not too dissimilar to the FC Twente team he left in the summer of 2012 having scored 25 goals the previous season – his best figures in a single top-flight campaign. Those were the halcyon days compared to last season. He cut a sorry figure at Gladbach (13 games) and Newcastle United (12 games), where he was on loan, producing 0 goals and 1 assist – 0.2 and 1.4 shots per game respectively – in his poorest season to date.
However, that shouldn't define him and despite his travails he remains a talented forward. It would be reckless to write him off. He showed his true colours before and can do so ago. In his final season at Twente there were few better '9½' – part 'number 10', part 'number 9' – in the Eredivisie. He excelled inside and outside the penalty area, more than capable of creating his own opportunities, pulling defenders out of position with clever runs, creating space for himself and creative/attack-minded teammates. In essence he was the focal point.
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is a reference. His evolution, from a poacher to an all-round 'number nine' par excellence, is what De Jong wants to emulate. "I'd love to be as good as him". His work ethic, defending from the front, was second to none. De Jong is starting to replicate his work ethic back then, however after two matches (1.5 shots per game) he's yet to open his league account, though has one assist to his name. The signs are still encouraging and it's only a matter of time.
If there's one guarantee De Jong will get service. PSV last season averaged 23 crosses per game, placing them joint fourth in the league alongside Ajax, and they were one of six teams averaging less than 63 long balls per game. His first official goal, which came in a Europa League qualifier, was via a Luciano Narsingh cross – the wide-man co-holds the Eredivisie record for most assists (22) in a single season with Ruud Gullit.
His shyness in front of goal hasn't been a hindrance. Memphis Depay (9.32), last season's player of the year, has picked up where he left off: 4 goals and 1 assist in 2 games (awarded WhoScored’s man of the match award in both). The mercurial winger – and this is an understatement – holds the key to PSV's title aspirations (favourites in most people's eyes).
Amid growing interest Cocu is hopeful Memphis, far and away their lynchpin and most valuable player, will remain in Eindhoven. Behind the scenes there's ongoing discussions regarding a newly improved contract. He's not outgrown the league, as some observers would tell you, there's more to learn. That’s exactly the thought process of skipper Georginio Wijnaldum – another who announced himself to a worldwide audience this summer in Brazil – recently penning a new four-year deal.
For those wearing orange specs it is imperative he makes the right choice – looking ahead to the next decade, everything's in place for him to be one of the pillars of the international side – many of his contemporaries in recent years have chosen unwisely and subsequently faded into obscurity. He mustn't allow this to happen to himself. There’s no question Memphis is ticking all the right boxes on the pitch. There was a time when he'd treat every game as a personal highlight reel – humiliating defenders at whim through ingenuity and pace. That streak of individuality and positive arrogance, which marks him out from the rest, remains, but there's an end product.
Depay was the shining light in a difficult 2013/14 for the Eindhoveners: leading the division when it came to dribbles (101) and shots (162), as well as ranking second in terms of chances created (87). His tally of 12 goals was the most by a winger. Confidence isn't something he lacks – though it's fair to say there's a wise head on young shoulders – in the vein of Cristiano Ronaldo, a role model, he's dead serious about his craft and is tirelessly working to improve what is already there, knowing only he can prevent himself from becoming the well-rounded dynamic forward many envisage.
In their quest for a first Eredivisie title since 2008 he won't go it alone and De Jong is certain to play an integral role. Another factor behind his acquisition was, unlike his colleagues, that he's experienced winning a championship. Cocu in turn will see him as a leader in the dressing room. De Jong turns 24 later this month – entering an important phase in his development – and is once again thinking about national duty. It’s another incentive to reach his potential and a reinvigorated De Jong can only be a good thing for Oranje.
Can PSV's strikeforce lead them to Eredivisie glory this season? Let us know in the comments below
