Peter Bosz is officially the new head coach of PSV Eindhoven. The 59-year-old has succeeded Ruud van Nistelrooy at the Philips Stadion, signing a three-year deal. Speaking to the club website Bosz said ‘From the first moment I got a warm feeling. Both PSV and I are hungry to perform. Last season two prizes were won, but our goal is to become national champions. That’s what we’re going for.’
Bosz has over 20 years of managerial experience on his CV. His first professional job was with De Graafschap in 2002 before he then went on to manage Heracles Almelo. Other clubs he’s managed include Vitesse, Ajax, Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen and Lyon. So, what can PSV supporters expect to see from Peter Bosz?
Despite never winning a major trophy in his managerial career, Bosz’s dominant, attacking style of play has helped his former clubs progress. His two-and-a-half-year spell at Vitesse between 2013 and 2016 saw his side finish in sixth place and fifth place the following season. At Bayer Leverkusen, form improved significantly after his appointment halfway through the 18/19 campaign. The side finished fourth, securing Champions League football on the final day of the season.Â
Bosz has experience working with high-quality young footballers. He has consistently played younger, inexperienced players throughout his managerial career, helping them grow into exciting prospects. A perfect example of this is 20-year-old Florian Wirtz at Bayer Leverkusen, who Bosz handed a senior debut to at 16-years-old and helped grow into one of Europe’s most exciting talents. If PSV can keep hold of Xavi Simons, Johan Bakayoko and other youngsters, Bosz will certainly help them develop whilst promoting players from the academy.
During his time at Lyon, Peter Bosz revealed he likes to play ‘Beautiful attacking football’ but the defence has to keep organised. ‘Without a good defence, you can’t play offensively,’ he told the Ligue 1 website in 2021. Bosz likes his teams to keep possession by using a quick-passing style. At Ajax, he stated ‘Barcelona had the three-second rule. We’re not Barcelona, so I’ve introduced the two-second rule.’ Expect PSV to dominate in possession next season and create a huge number of chances.
Peter Bosz’s preferred formation is the classic 4-3-3 but with two of the central midfielders joining the attack whilst one sits deep. Last season, Ruud van Nistelrooy altered between a 4-3-3 and a 4-2-3-1 formation, with most chances coming from wide areas. Van Nistelrooy focused heavily on man-marking and defensive overloads. The build-up play was very structured last season, with a lot of playing out from the back, trying to find the wingers.Â
Bosz will bring a faster, more intense attacking style of play. If PSV can keep hold of their star players, like Xavi Simons and Ibrahim Sangaré, they’ll certainly be a force under Peter Bosz next season.
