Jorrit Hendrix is newest face in PSV’s team straight out of the academy and his diversity and brilliant understanding of the game have made him a constant in PSV’s team this season as they have made a brilliant start to the season.

hendrixpsv-aqNineteen-year-old Jorrit Hendrix had a week of contrasting fortunes as he scored in 5-1 away win against FC Utrecht last week Sunday only to be sent off against ADO Den Haag after receiving two yellow cards the following Saturday. However that shouldn’t blemish the talented player at his tender age.

Originally born in Panningen, a small sparsely populated town in the Dutch province of Limburg, he joined PSV in 2004. His skills were honed in PSV’s illustrious academy as a defender but he has used his diversity and great understanding of the game to become an all action midfielder sitting in the middle of PSV’s midfield in their 4-3-3 formation. His constant running and work rate have earned him praise as his uncompromising approach to his new role has kept the balance at PSV between attacking and defending. It is interesting to see as he is not too quick to dive into tackles as he understands that it could make PSV’s defence vulnerable so he slows opposition attacks down and allows his team to form a compact shape behind him.

Originally being promoted to PSV’s first team as a centre-back last season, Hendrix has turned heads at the heart of PSV’s midfield as injuries to Oscar Hiljemark and Stijn Schaars allowed him to make the step further up the pitch. It is obvious he uses his experience and knowledge of the centre-back role to drop deep and act as an auxiliary centre-back to gain possession or make clearances. Hendrix makes nearly 2 tackles and 2 interceptions per-game but it is interesting to notice that he is dribbled past less than once per game and this is because he specialises in chasing down attackers and pressuring them into misplacing passes or overrunning the ball. Hendrix is well-built, strong, tall and very athletic so it is no wonder why it has worked well for him this season.

As any player his age would, Hendrix enjoys to foray forward looking for chances or looking to aid in PSV’s attacking with his remarkable passing ability. He has already bagged one goal after getting past the Utrecht defence and slotting his second chance in after the keeper initially saved his first. The added liberation of his midfield role allows him to roam forward but without shirking his defensive responsibilities as he has been one of the League leaders’ most consistent performers this season. Hendrix makes on average 40 passes per game at a success rate of 82.4% with 2 successful long balls per game. He is incredibly comfortable on the ball whether it be near his box, in the centre of midfield or in the opposition half constantly starting off attacks from deep and playing quick paced one-twos that allow him to drive at opposition. For a player of his size and height, he uses his feet astonishingly well making quick decisions in compromising positions of the pitch and usually carving out space for himself with his tremendous dribbling ability making 2 dribbles a game. He is also fouled almost twice a game normally outsmarting opponents into making rash decisions with his composure on the ball.

However, there are deficiencies creeping into his game as both his yellow cards in the past match against ADO Den Haag exhibited. His fouls, especially his first were both uncalled-for as each time a little running would’ve allowed him to make a tackle and regain possession. It seemed like cockiness as his stock is rising and he put in his best performance the previous week or frustration that some things in that particular game weren’t going his way. Only the PSV coaching staff can get to the bottom of this situation as it was unsettling to see and he put his team in a compromising position before the half-hour mark and could’ve even cost them the game. He needs to iron this out of his game and show more resolve after he serves his suspension because with Hiljemark and Schaars closing in on returns and Jeffrey Bruma, Karim Rekik and Nicolas Ismait-Mirin all fit centre-backs, he can’t give manager Phillip Cocu a reason to bench him.

With Dutch National Team manager Guus Hiddink becoming a fixture in the Phillips Stadion director’s box this season and the current National Team struggles, a National team call-up could come soon. However he shouldn’t let all this interest in him get to his head and should keep his head down and carry on grinding out performances like he has since the start of the season. He signed a new four-year deal in August and with Cocu at the helm and Dutch legend Mark Van Bommel lurking around, there is no reason he shouldn’t fulfil his vast potential.




Chaka Simbeye (69 Posts)