“Tired and satisfied.” That’s how Ruud van Nistelrooij went to bed on Thursday night after PSV’s superb win over Arsenal in the Europa League. A day later, the euphoria around the PSV coach seems to have subsided.

That is understandable. After all, you don’t have to motivate a team against a side like Arsenal, leaders of the Premier League. It is important to the coach that his players evoke the same motivation in games against less attractive opponents.

“I wonder how we’ll play on Sunday”

Last Sunday PSV crashed hard through the ice in Groningen. “I’m excited to see how we’ll play on Sunday,” emphasizes Van Nistelrooij in the run-up to PSV’s home game against NEC. “We gave a good answer, now we have to get stable again.”

He certainly has in mind that Arsenal did not start the game at full strength on Thursday. To illustrate: Five regular players started on the bench.

Nonetheless, the British media are showing great awe and praise for PSV’s win over Arsenal. Especially Luuk de Jong and Xavi Simons get a lot of nice words from the newspapers.

“A master class,” The Guardian called De Jong’s substitute, who played the entire second half and was of great value with a goal and an assist. The newspaper believes that he was the decisive factor.

Simons dances through the Arsenal defense

Sky Sports also had their eye on De Jong’s ‘great’ performance in the second half. “And PSV could have disappeared from Arsenal’s sight before half-time,” the TV station said of the disallowed goals from Cody Gakpo and Simons. The BBC believe the pair have ‘put Arsenal’s defense in a lot of trouble’.

The Evening Standard reflects on Simons’ disallowed goal just before half-time. “The 19-year-old danced through Arsenal’s weak defense but Anwar El Ghazi was sidelined in a game before that.”

Van Nistelrooij believes Simons himself has pushed through so much is now being said and written about the young footballer, up to and including a possible World Cup selection.

“He also had dips, you know. It wasn’t all great,” says Van Nistelrooij. “But the fact that he surprises at such a young age and can maintain this level with so few competitions also says something about his experience as a professional.”

“The way Xavi fills his training sessions to be at his best every three days, he’s very far in that. Mentally too. He’s very far in how to get the best out of himself.”

World Cup dream Simons

According to Van Nistelrooij, Simons has huge ambitions. “This World Cup is also a drive for him. When you’re nineteen and maybe able to play for the Netherlands at a World Cup, that’s a dream.