PSV went down to 10 men after just nine minutes when Joey Veerman got a red card for a high challenge on Mexx Meerdink and eventually lost 4-0 after goals from Meerdink, Weslley Patati, Elijah Dijkstra, and Ro-Zangelo Daal.
AZ won the Johan Cruyff Shield for the second time in club history and dominated the game, but the game did not scare off Peter Bosz, who tried something different after Veerman's dismissal.
"We didn’t really see a normal game. We sat low in a deep block for the first half, which is not how we usually play," Bosz told ESPN.
"I thought it was a brilliant training session in that respect, because that’s how I see it. We practised something we don’t normally do. That’s a learning experience in itself."
The low block panned out differently, with PSV being regularly exposed in defence and looking generally vulnerable. Despite the frailties, Bosz complimented his team for their efforts.
"I think the boys helped each other out on the pitch. When you’re down to ten men in such a deep block, you have to communicate a lot and pass the ball around a lot. That’s something new, but they did it well.”
PSV open their season on Saturday, August 8th, at Fortuna Sittard. Whether or not PSV will play with a low block again is up to circumstances, Bosz said.
"Maybe if we get a quick red card again."
Paul Winters is Flashscore's Netherlands country manager, having previously worked for Flashscore's Netherlands desk. Paul is an expert on the Eredivisie and also specialises in the NFL, as well as a plethora of other sports. Residing in 'sunny' Katwijk, you can follow all of the news from the Netherlands here.
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