The 20/21 Eredivisie season begins this Friday and we will preview the expectations of each Eredivisie club. In this article, we look at PSV Eindhoven.

Last season started off well for PSV but after an injury to Donyell Malen, the club fell away from the title race and Mark van Bommel was eventually sacked. Ernest Faber guided the club to fourth before the season was ended.

Now, under the rule of Roger Schmidt an exciting new era is beginning at PSV, with the German coach bringing optimism that the club can challenge for the title this season.

Malen is also back fit and with the emergence of some exciting talents, PSV are definitely in the running to challenge Ajax.

Transfers

PSV have so far strengthened their troublesome positions with left-back Philipp Max joining from Augsburg, while RB Leipzig goalkeeper Yvon Mvogo has been loaned.

Last summer’s signing Ritsu Doan has been allowed to leave on loan to Arminia Bielefeld, while Ibrahim Afellay, and Kostas Mitroglou were released. Daniel Schwaab has also departed as well as former number one Jeroen Zoet, who has signed with Spezia.

The transfer business is not done with PSV looking for more new recruits, while Sam Lammers could still depart with Atalanta interested in the striker. Mauro Junior and Max Romero have returned from loans away and are set to be part of the squad.

Head Coach

Roger Schmidt grew his reputation with Red Bull Salzburg, playing a brand of attacking football that was successful with the Austrian side.

He then coached Bayer Leverkusen and Chinese side Beijing Goan before being appointed PSV coach earlier this year. He will look to implement his 4-2-2-2 formation in Eindhoven.

Key Players

Striker Donyell Malen was on course to be top scorer in the Eredivisie last season before he suffered a cruciate injury which ruled him out for months. The 21-year-old is back fit and will lead the line for PSV when the season begins. He is a favourite for many to be the league’s top scorer.

Captain Denzel Dumfries is still with the club and will be key at right-back, while Pablo Rosario has been in good form in pre-season and has looked excellent in Schmidt’s formation. Philipp Max fills the left-back position which was a big issue for the club last season and looks an excellent signing.

Young Players to Watch

Exciting attacking midfielder Mohamed Ihattaren (18) took the league by storm last season and was PSV’s key player at the age of 17. He is now heading into his second season in the first-team and expectations are high.

Cody Gakpo (21) ended last season in great goalscoring form and will be looking to build his reputation, while young English attacker Noni Madueke (18) could be the breakout star of the season.

Preseason

It started well for PSV with simple wins over SC Verl (3-0) and KFC Uerdingen (3-0) but they then drew 1-1 with both Vitesse Arnhem and Willem II.

Eintracht Frankfurt defeated PSV 2-1, but they bounced back to hammer Hertha Berlin 4-0. Finally, they achieved a 1-1 draw against Viktoria Koln.

Strongest line-up

Mvogo, Dumfries, Max, Viergever, Boscagli, Rosario, Gutierrez, Ihattaren, Bruma, Gakpo, Malen,

Predicted finish

Schmidt’s PSV is an exciting project and the Eindhoven club can definitely challenge for the title more than they did last season.

PSV needs a new centre-back but going forward, Donyell Malen is one of the top strikers in the league while Mo Ihattaren is a sensational talent.

If Schmidt can get his 4-2-2-2 formation working and the key players stay fit, then it could be a great year for PSV. The top four all look strong though, so it could be from 4th to 1st for PSV.




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