Analysis: How Peter Bosz’s PSV are tearing up the Eredivisie

PSV have a double-digit lead at the top of the Eredivisie standings as we prepare for the final stretch of the season, so they look set to lift their first league title in six years. More impressively, they have still preserved an unbeaten record in the league and are on course to smash the record points tally. Is this enough to change Peter Bosz’s reputation, though?
By Neel Shelat

With a dramatic stoppage-time winner against FC Twente, PSV preserved their 10-point lead at the top of the Eredivisie standings ahead of the final international break of the 2023/24 season.


With 23 wins and 3 draws from 26 games, PSV are on course for just the third invincible season in Eredivisie history, the first in almost three decades, and the first for a team not named Ajax. Furthermore, if they win all eight remaining games, they will end up with 96 points – smashing Ajax’s record of 89 in 1997/98.

Domestic Dominance
Quite clearly, PSV have been on another level in the league. Be it goals scored, goals conceded, possession, chance creation or touches in the box, they have been the best team in the league by some margin and by most meaningful metrics.

Led by head coach Peter Bosz, they employ his typical possession-based attack-focused style of play. Unsurprisingly, then, they have been incredibly exciting to watch going forward. PSV’s return of 81 goals scored is 15 greater than their nearest rivals, and they have also amassed the highest xG tally in the division.


Indeed, PSV have typically been an exciting attacking outfit in recent years even before Bosz was appointed at the start of the season. Although they finished seven points off Feyenoord under Ruud van Nistelrooy last year, their return of 89 goals scored was the best in the division. In the likes of Cody Gakpo and Xavi Simons, they had some very exciting attackers in their ranks who frequently tore defences apart.

Although both of them were no longer a part of the squad going into this season, PSV’s attacking output has clearly not dropped off. Luuk de Jong deserves a great deal of credit for stepping up his output big time, but the goals and assists have come from all over the squad. Five players are in double digits in that respect already, with a further five more – including full-backs Sergiño Dest and Jordan Teze – registering over five goal involvements.


This all-round attacking involvement gives a good indication of what PSV’s tactics are like – all-out attack. Although Bosz alternates between a 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 formation on paper, PSV commit up to seven outfielders to the attack when breaking down stubborn low blocks. Dest is always free to advance all the way up the flank as a full-back, while two or even all three midfielders enter the final third.

Joey Veerman has starred in an all-action midfield role. While his tally of 11 assists is significantly inflated by his set-piece-taking role, the 25-year-old Dutchman is a lovely operator between the lines offering great off-ball positioning, on-ball quality and creativity to bring his side forward and play the killer pass.


The most exciting youngster in this PSV squad, though, has to be Johan Bakayoko. The winger will only turn 21 next month, but he has already established himself as one of the team’s key attackers. Starting on the right, the Belgian international poses a multidimensional dribbling threat as he can cut inside and shoot or deliver dangerous crosses from out wide.


Adding the likes of Malik Tillman, Ismael Saibiri and Guus Til to these two assembles a whole host of creative talent, but their qualities would not be fully utilised without a proper goal-scorer. That is why Luuk de Jong has played a crucial role in this PSV side, as his traits as a line-leading striker who makes a living out of getting on the end of crosses and cut-backs in the box have helped him score over a quarter of his side’s league goals.


Lingering Concerns
All of this paints a lovely picture of PSV as a free-flowing attacking team which is not inaccurate, but a big factor in their domestic dominance is that their defence has not really been tested too much.

Indeed, all of Bosz’s previous teams including the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen and Lyon were unbelievably easy on the eye when they had the ball, but the trouble began when they lost it. The Dutch tactician’s pressing was often too gung ho in the major leagues, but more importantly, his all-out approach in possession left his teams incredibly vulnerable to counterattacks.

In the Eredivisie, though, these issues have not been so apparent due to the relatively lower quality of opposition. Most of the teams lower down the table tend to sit back in extremely deep blocks against table-topping opponents with as many as nine outfielders defending the box, leaving one striker up top at most to use as a counterattacking outlet. Add to that their relatively lower player quality, and it is easy to understand why Bosz’s typical defensive frailties were not exposed during his last Eredivisie stint with Ajax and have once again not really been seen.

Even so, PSV’s extremely low tally of 13 goals conceded does not paint a fully accurate picture. Their xG conceded figure of 22.4 is worse than Feyenoord’s, and had PSV let in as many goals as they should have been expected to, our Expected Points model suggests the title race would have been a lot closer.


Although the results might not always suggest it, PSV have had some close shaves in their league fixtures against strong rivals such as Feyenoord, Twente, and Ajax. Two of their three draws have come against these teams, and their cup elimination came at the hands of Feyenoord.

Most evidently, though, PSV’s defensive weakness was highlighted in the Champions League. They finished with a negative goal difference in Group B and were truthfully fortunate to reach the knockouts, where they tasted defeat at the first hurdle against a mediocre Borussia Dortmund side who are barely in the Bundesliga’s top four.

So, while PSV’s potentially record-breaking league campaign is incredibly impressive, this seems to be the ceiling of their potential under Bosz. The 60-year-old Dutch head coach has not changed much after disappointing ends to his stints at Leverkusen and Lyon, but external factors have enabled him to thrive in the Eredivisie. As long as his side plays such exciting attacking football, though, we should have no reason to complain about that.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Eredivisie game live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.


Why Ajax’s teenage sensation Lily Yohannes is the player to watch in the UWCL
FotMob - March 19, 2024, 3:30 PM
When Ajax were drawn into a Women’s Champions League group containing Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, and Roma, few would have predicted the side to progress to the knockout stages.
By Nancy Gillen
But Ajax are currently preparing to host Chelsea for the first leg of the quarter-finals, today, and will play the second leg at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, March 27.

The Dutch side upset the odds to advance from a group containing European heavyweights PSG and Bayern, as well as last season’s surprise package Roma. The most notable result among Ajax’s three wins, one draw and two losses in the group stage was a 2-0 victory against PSG.

Tiny Hoekstra and Sherida Spitse were on target against PSG at the Johan Cruyff Arena in November, but it was Lily Yohannes who caught the attention of the world. At 16-years-old, she became the youngest player to start a Women’s Champions League group stage match.

Despite coming up against a team packed full of stars, including Marie-Antoinette Katoto, Grace Geyoro, Tabitha Chawinga and Jackie Groenen, Yohannes appeared calm and composed, contributing to Hoekstra’s goal with a wonderful defence-splitting pass from the heart of midfield.

Her performances throughout the rest of the group stage proved crucial to Ajax’s progression to the knockouts.

Performances beyond her years
Yohannes started five of Ajax’s six group stage matches in the heart of midfield, showing off her wide range of abilities. She looked equally confident progressing the ball up the pitch as she did putting in tackles, and was particularly outstanding during Ajax’s 2-1 victory against Roma in January.

Ajax needed all three points to progress from the group stage, and Yohannes helped her team get back into the match after they fell behind in the 32nd minute.

Just before the stroke of half-time, the teenager won the ball back in her own half, before embarking on a driving run through the middle of the pitch. Upon reaching Roma’s penalty box, she looked up and slid a pass to Hoekstra, who powered Ajax’s equaliser into the back of the net.


Yohannes’s player of the match performance, which earned her a FotMob rating of 8.3, included a 74 percent passing accuracy. She also contributed defensively, winning 100 percent of her tackles and making 12 recoveries.

Indeed, the teenager’s ability to win duels against more experienced opponents is impressive. She won 100 percent of aerial duels and 75 percent of ground duels during Ajax’s 1-0 victory against Bayern, for example, despite being up against players such as Georgia Stanway and Sarah Zadrazil.

Ajax’s two legs against Chelsea are set to be the biggest moments of Yohannes’s blossoming career, but so far she has shown she can more than hold her own against the greats of Europe.

Chelsea manager Emma Hayes will also be forced to field a weakened team due to injuries to many of her key players, including strikers Sam Kerr and Mia Fishel. If there was ever an opportunity to deliver an upset against the current Women’s Super League champions, it would be now.

One thing’s for sure, if Ajax do get any kind of result against Chelsea, Yohannes will likely be at the heart of it.


What’s next for Lily Yohannes?
Yohannes was born in the United States but moved to the Netherlands with her family when she was 10-years-old. She was quickly identified as a top talent by Ajax, and signed her first professional contract when she was just 15.

Her brilliant performances in the Women’s Champions League have likely caught the attention of clubs around the world, and if she impresses again when playing against Chelsea, then it might not be too long before Yohannes is picked up by a top team. With her contract with Ajax running out in 2026, some clubs may even splash the cash next season to secure her signature.

Yohannes also faces an intriguing decision to make on the international stage. She has represented the US at the under-15 and under-16 levels, but has not been invited to a national team camp since 2022.

Having lived in the Netherlands for more than six years, Yohannes is now eligible to apply for a Dutch passport. She attended an under-19 camp with the Netherlands in December, suggesting she is open to representing the country where she currently lives.

Whatever national team she decides to play for, there is no doubt that Yohannes is set to have a highly successful career both on the domestic and international stage.

Her performances in the Women’s Champions League have propelled her into the spotlight, and it looks like the teenage superstar is only going to get better.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Women’s Champions League game live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including player ratings. Download the free app here.