PSV Duo Guus Til and Ruben van Bommel Criticised After Netherlands Draw With Greece

Guus Til and Ruben van Bommel have both received criticism following the Netherlands’ 2-2 draw against Greece, with former international Arie Haan giving the PSV pair a rating of 5.
The Netherlands found themselves 2-0 down in Thessaloniki before fighting back. Virgil van Dijk pulled one goal back before Tijjani Reijnders rescued a point with an 89th-minute equaliser.
Til and Van Bommel had both started the match but were replaced during the second half by Reijnders and Noa Lang.
Haan, writing for De Telegraaf, questioned the way the two PSV players operated alongside each other, particularly Til’s positioning.
Haan felt Til’s movement repeatedly brought him into Van Bommel’s area [Reuters]
Haan Questions Til’s Role
According to Haan, Til covered plenty of ground but struggled to make an impact in the role he was given.
“Til covers a lot of ground, but he never really came to grips with it. He should play close to the striker, because he is dangerous in behind.”
Haan felt Til’s movement repeatedly brought him into Van Bommel’s area on the left, reducing the space available to the PSV winger.
“But now he took every ball on the left side and got in the way of Ruben van Bommel.”
The former Netherlands player also believed the positioning affected the centre of the pitch, leaving striker Mexx Meerdink isolated against Greece’s central defenders.
“As a result, there was absolutely no pressure in the center, because striker Mexx Meerdink ended up alone against two giants.”
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Van Bommel Unable to Repeat Early Impact
Van Bommel entered the international break with considerable attention after an impressive start to his Netherlands career.
The PSV winger produced a high-quality assist for Cody Gakpo on his debut against Germany before making another positive impression after coming off the bench against Serbia for the injured Gakpo.
His first international start against Greece was a different experience.
Haan felt Van Bommel struggled to influence the game during the opening stages and also made the mistake that preceded Greece’s second goal.
“In the first twenty minutes he didn’t really participate; after that he had three actions and he provided the unintended assist for the second Greek goal.”
Haan stressed that the performance was a departure from what Van Bommel had shown in his previous appearances for Oranje.
“This was not the Van Bommel from ‘Germany’ and ‘Serbia’.”
As relayed by PSV Inside, the former international also urged the young winger to concentrate on his football rather than becoming too involved in physical battles.
“He just has to focus on football, let all those duels be handled by others.”
For the PSV duo, the assessment reflects a difficult evening in Greece after both had started following impressive individual displays earlier in the international window. The Netherlands ultimately recovered to take a point, but Haan’s comments underline the tactical issues he saw in the team’s first-half performance.
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