PSV no good without Afellay

Saturday 25 October 2008

PSV were unable tonight to continue Wednesday's good performance against Olympique.

Without playmaker Ibrahim Afellay PSV lost at home to Roda JC and saw the gap with leaders FC Groningen grow to four points.

The importance of a player to a team is often best seen when that player is absent, as was the case with PSV and Afellay tonight.

No one doubts his qualities, but how important he is to PSV was all too evident against lowly Roda JC.

Without their playmaker PSV made a meal of their game.

Especially in the first half PSV's performance was abysmal.

There seemed to be no plan and without Afellay there was no creativity.

The players who were supposed to provide it - Otman Bakkal and Nordin Amrabat - sent their cat to the game, and as the defense was far from solid Roda's 1-0 lead after 20 minutes seemed inevitable.

PSV coach Huub Stevens showed his dislike of what he saw by a double substitution before the break.

Jérémie Bréchet and Nordin Amrabat were replaced by Danko Lazovic and Balazs Dzsudzsak.

The adding of the two offensive players added some new fire to the team, but the needed goal was scored on the other side shortly after the break when Andres Oper headed home Roda's second.

Dzsudzsak then pulled one back for the home team in the 60th minute, but the two goal difference was back on the score board five minutes later when Boldiszar Bodor was allowed a free passage towards Isaksson.

Lazovic' goal in the 79th minute provided for some hectic ten minutes but the score remained 2-3.

For Roda, who had only gained three points from their first six matches it was the second time in a row they took three points from Eindhoven.