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Huub Stevens blamed his players for Saturday's 2-1 defeat to NAC in Breda, blasting them for their lack of fighting spirit. 'The first line of the PSV club song says: 'We are ready to go into battle', but I wonder if the players know this line by heart', said the PSV coach at the post-match press conference.
'We did not put in a dazzling display'
'NAC put in a spirited and dazzling display and we did not', said Stevens who could not hide feelings of disappointment, when he analysed the game at the post-match press conference at Rat Verlegh Stadium. 'They deservedly took the lead and once you are a goal down in Breda, you know it's going to be tough. We improved after the break, but did not always take the right decisions on the field.' The PSV head coach did not beat about the bush, when he was asked whether he was angry with his players. 'I consider the phrase 'angry' an understatement, to put it mildly. I hope this was just one of those days.'
'One training session in two weeks'
Stevens took off Jan Kromkamp in the first half. 'He had already been shown a yellow card for a clumsy foul. After he had been rounded by Lurling a couple of times, I was not willing to take the risk of being reduced to ten men.' Stevens had no excuse for his players' collective failure, but partly blamed the international break for the 2-1 defeat. 'We only trained one time with a full-strength squad in fourteen days. That should not be an excuse, but it is a fact all the same.'
Maaskant: 'A great night out'
NAC Breda coach Robert Maaskant had enjoyed a great night out. 'We started aggressively and enjoyed the bulk of possession in the first half. PSV piled up the pressure after the break, but we were strong in defence and compact and caught PSV with some lethal counter attacks. Amoah put the icing on the cake, scoring a superb goal. We deserved to win and are on top of the table. We won't overestimate the importance, but nobody can take this away from us', concluded Maaskant.
