If PSV Eindhoven star Joey Veerman was hoping to put his and his team’s poor display against Arsenal last week firmly in the rearview mirror, it seems the Dutch press don’t want to let him.
The midfielder faced plenty of criticism for his display in Arsenal’s 4-0 win at the Emirates last week, with many pointing him out as one of the worse performers in the disappointing defeat.
The player himself admitted he had learned his lessons from the game and would be better in future, and now journalist Marco Timmer has called on him to prove as much on the pitch, all while praising the Gunners.
They were dominant in that win over PSV a week ago, dominating possession and creating chances at will and unfortunate not to end up bigger winners than they did.
That was largely down to the display from Martin Odegaard, who was given the freedom of the pitch at times to create as he wished.
That was a result of Veerman’s inability to keep up with him, with his role in defensive midfield proving to be a watching one rather than an active one.
It was that which led to the criticism post-match and Timmer says Veerman needs to show he’s learned his lessons from the Norwegian, and Arsenal’s, ‘masterclass’.
“It is also clear that the PSV player can move to a great club in a top competition after this season,” he said.
“But it is not yet clear whether he can handle the international top. Veerman himself is to blame for that.
“For example, with both Arsenal’s first and fourth goals, Veerman did not assess the situation correctly. In his eagerness to help his defense, he left Ødegaard completely free at his back.
“Next week against Sevilla, the Volendammer will have the opportunity to show at home that he has learned from the match against Arsenal. It is up to him to prove that he also masters the game without the ball in the Champions League.”
