With 17 to 9 shots, PSV was the better team, but Feyenoord’s chances were greater, according to the statistics of data analyst Bart Frouws. “If you had to pick a winner on points, it would be Feyenoord.” Number two Feyenoord did not easily penetrate the defense of the leader. Feyenoord had a low percentage of ball possession (36%) and almost half of the passes in PSV’s half did not arrive. Most of the chances were due to defensive mistakes by PSV.
Puff out
At the end of the game, Feyenoord was exhausted. After Santiago Gimenez’s 1-2 in the 61st minute, Arne Slot’s team no longer created an opportunity. “The fatigue from Thursday’s cup match might be a reason. And Slot has more limitations than Bosz,” says Verbeek. Attackers Igor Paixão and Ayase Ueda remained on the bench at Feyenoord.
While the match between PSV and Feyenoord was fun to watch, the meeting between Ajax and FC Utrecht was disappointing. “Utrecht played with fear,” says Verbeek. According to the statistics, Ajax easily survived. FC Utrecht fired only six shots, fewer than any other team once morest the Amsterdam team this season. For the first time since November 25, 2023, Ajax kept a clean sheet once more. “In that respect, Ajax had done well,” says Frouws.