Attacking drive & team spirit: Mark van Bommel on PSV Eindhoven

When former world-class players fought for the FC Bayern Legends Cup at SAP Garden in mid-January, Mark van Bommel was in the thick of it. “It was nice to see everyone again and talk about the old stories,” said the former midfielder who wore FC Bayern colours for four-and-a-half years. His feet no longer do exactly what his mind wants, van Bommel said with a wink, but it was nice to be back on the pitch, albeit indoor football. The spectators too were glad to see him again, as van Bommel displayed what the Bayern fans loved during his active career. He was aggressive, combative, strong in tackles and a leader on the pitch – skills the Dutchman had acquired not least in Munich.

“As a footballer, the hardest thing is to stay at the top level. At Bayern in particular, everyone’s top-class, otherwise they wouldn’t play there,” the 48-year-old looks back: “Every year, you have to be at least as good or even better, otherwise someone else will catch up with you.” He didn’t focus just on himself but the whole team “to make sure the plan was right and the team stuck together” – which is what made van Bommel a leader who regularly inspired his teammates. “That’s why I was captain at Eindhoven for six years, at Bayern for two-and-a-half years and at the national team for two years.”

PSV under pressure

Two teams van Bommel once captained cross swords in the Champions League on Wednesday. The clubs are in completely different situations. PSV absolutely need to take points to defend their place in the play-off spots, whereas FC Bayern have booked a berth in the round of 16. Their dress rehearsals didn’t go as planned, with PSV held to a 2-2 draw by second-bottom NAC Breda and Bayern losing to Augsburg at home. “You can’t lose twice in a row at Bayern. They want to start a new winning streak now.”

The odds are clear for van Bommel: "PSV are a top club in the Netherlands, but Bayern are a top club in Europe. PSV can have a good season every now and then, but Bayern have to be good every season." But the Dutch side have had more good seasons than bad ones in recent years and are well on their way to winning their third consecutive championship title despite dropping points at the weekend, not least thanks to the impact of head coach Peter Bosz, who has been in charge since 2023. The Dutchman is well-known in Germany after spells at Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen, where he was known for his near-unconditional attacking football.

Bosz committed to attacking football

This hasn’t changed in Eindhoven, with Bosz’ team demonstrating their attacking prowess when they downed Napoli 6-2 and won 4-1 away at Liverpool this season. “Everyone wants to play football in the Netherlands,” said van Bommel, “but you have to be top-class to only attack. The plan is good, but you can’t always attack in the hope that you score more goals than your opponents.” So will PSV be more cautious and defence-minded on Wednesday? “No, I don’t think so. The idea will be the same,” believes van Bommel. The home side can bank on the support of 35,000 fans at the Philips Stadium. In European matches in particular, “the atmosphere is great – they go wild when things are going well.”

Mark van Bommel knows the stadium both as a player and as a coach. At a club level, he first coached the PSV U19s in 2019 before taking over the pros one year later. In Armando Obispo und Mauro Júnior, the squad includes two players the former world-class midfielder accompanied on their way to the pro level. He knows the team well, regularly attending matches and recently following the development of a former Bayern player in Eindhoven: Paul Wanner, who left Munich for the Netherlands last summer.

“He needed some time to settle in, but now you can see his skills. He moves cleverly between the lines, has good technique and his first touch is almost always good.” Van Bommel is convinced PSV can put up a fight in terms of quality: “Jerdy Schouten, Joey Veerman – they can play football.” He is impressed by the speed of Moroccan left winger Couhaib Driouech, who is the most efficient Champions League player this season, being involved in five goals in 184 minutes. But in Ricardo Peppi and Alassane Pléa, two former Bundesliga forwards are sidelined with injury at centre-forward.

One injury is particularly painful for him: his son Ruben van Bommel tore his cruciate ligament in September. A bitter loss: “He was in really good form. He scored four goals in seven matches at the beginning of the season – three in the league and one in the Champions League. It was really good,” and you can tell it’s not just his dad talking, but a coach: “He’s extremely fast, over 35 km/h, he’s tall and can score. He has a lot of skills you need at this level. But first it’s important to have a good rehab.”

Great careers in Eindhoven

If the youngster regains his old strength, he might become one of the players who started a great career at PSV. Ronaldo, Ruud Gullit, Romario, Ruud van Nistelroy and of course Mark van Bommel – the list of footballers taking their first steps towards world class is long. “The Netherlands is a training ground,” says van Bommel. Young players aged 17 or 18 get to develop instead of being on the bench at a top club. PSV are a pioneering club, scouting young talents in Brazil early on thanks to the connections of parent company Philips. Later transfers generated a lot of money, including their latest big coup in which a former Bayern legend was involved: Cody Gapko, now at Liverpool in the Premier League, once played for the PSV U19s under Mark van Bommel.

Talent development, attacking football and a relatively calm environment are qualities that have made PSV strong in recent years. “At Bayern, you learn the ‘Mia san Mia’,” knows van Bommel. In Eindhoven, it’s ‘Eendracht Maakt Macht’, unity makes strength. At PSV, a crisis isn’t as big as at domestic rivals Ajax or Feyenoord. “PSV is more than a club where everyone sticks together.” It fits in well with the region of the Netherlands known for its relaxed atmosphere. But Wednesday night will be anything but a relaxed affair – a lot is at stake for both teams.

Arjen Robben too talked about the duel of his ex-clubs: