Left Back Football

Mark Van Bommel was promoted to the PSV Head Coaching job after impressing with the PSV U19s as his willingness to grant opportunities to youngsters shone through during his tenure. PSV are building a great lineage of creative and industrious midfielders of Moroccan descent as Ottman Bakkal and Ibrahim Afellay paved a path for Mohamed Ihatteren. The midfield playmaker who debuted at only 16-years-old last season and has sewn up a starting place at 17 has been one of a few shining lights from the recently enhanced PSV academy. Morocco and the Netherlands tussled for his international allegiance before he chose the country of his birth.

Current Everton Director of Football and former PSV Technical Director, Marcel Brands was well aware of Ihatteren’s talent when moving to the Liverpudlian side but thought it cruel to steal PSV’s most prized asset. Van Bommel fast-tracked the youngster to the first team with only three games of experience with Jong PSV which resulted in two astonishing goals. His development with the first team should have been measured and slow but an out of favour Gaston Pereiro, injured Sam Lammers and Ibrahim Afellay as well as some exceptional performances have resulted in the 17-year-old becoming a regular. In the summer, PSV signed Afellay who is 16 years his senior - and has a wealth of experience at Barcelona, in the Bundesliga and as well as the Premier League – to mentor him with constant motivation and advice.

Truly great playmakers have the ability to manage the pace of the game when the ball is at their feet, instigating entertaining attacking play no matter what system they play in and making the game seem smoother and fresher. Ihatteren has developed that at a time where players of his ilk are far and few in between. Ihatteren is a low-socked, compact and nimble footed playmaker who has the ability to work passes into runners in the channels as well as receiving the ball in between the lines, holding possession and showing astute decision making to release the ball with perfect timing, angling and pace. Ihatteren’s willingness to participate in the defensive side of the game allowed him to usurp Pereiro in the pecking order.

The 17-year-old replaced the Uruguayan who was taken off at half-time away to Vitesse Arnhem as he immediately put his stamp on the game. He raced forward in the pressing phase, working hard to regain possession before playing an intelligent outside of the boot through ball to Hirving Lozano in between the lines. At home to De Graafschap, he laid on three opportunities that his teammates squandered, including a pin-point cross for Luuk De Jong to head wide, a through ball to Steven Bergwijn which was saved before he played the rebound to Lozano who smashed wide. Early in his career, he also showed a potential as a set-piece threat as at home to PEC Zwolle, he took a corner as he delivered the ball perfectly onto the head of De Jong who had his header saved before Cody Gakpo tapped in from close range. However, the goal was disallowed after VAR introspection.

He then had the speed of thought to play a quick free-kick short to Gakpo who crossed for Donyell Malen to head in a goal. However, his artistic brilliance in the ten space will be invaluable for PSV going forward as in a pre-season match against FC Sion, he had a moment where he flicked a ball through to a runner before moving out wide, receiving the ball and utilizing a mazy dribbling routine past five defenders before being tackled. Ihatteren is so aware of his surroundings in the ten space that he speeds up PSV’s attacking moves by playing one or two-touch passes in between the lines. At PSV, Van Bommel encouraged his attacking players to switch as Ihatteren would also moonlight in the wide areas.

Away to Heracles this season, Ihatteren proved how good he is at one-touch passing moves as he won possession to work an instant through ball for Malen in behind for the striker to play a bobbling pass back to him which the teenager flicked back instantly. Ihatteren then earned a goal when Erick Gutierrez played a chip over the top to Gakpo who cut back to his fellow PSV youth graduate, Ihatteren to steer a shot past the keeper at the far post. Away to Vitesse Arnhem he showed his prowess in between the lines as at the beginning of the second-half, Timo Baumgartl played a pass to him in between the lines on the half-turn. The 17-year-old then spun to drive into space as he shimmied and nutmegged past Armando Obispo to drive into the box before having a poke at goal saved, for Malen to jump and head in the rebound.

He managed three assists that week as his corner was converted by Malen for his second goal. In the Europa League at home to Sporting Lisbon, he had a long ball latched onto by Malen who drove into the box to finish. He then had another corner converted by Baumgartl in what has fast become his breakout season. His ability in the wide areas also makes him a gem of a player as he is sharp in 1v1s, driving to the by-line to play a direct cross or cutting back, sitting his marker down and playing a lob. He is also instigating beautiful 3v3 passing sequences as he can flitter in between the half-space and central zone, receiving the ball in tight positions and working through balls through tight passing lanes.

In modern day football, all attacking midfielders should be able to operate from the deeper areas as Ihatteren can string together counter-attacks in the deeper areas. His ability to connect with players in all areas of the field, receiving the ball, shifting it onto a teammate before moving into space and demanding possession again brought a sense of artistry and adventure to what could be a dull PSV team. In counter-attacks, he can also receive the ball in the ten space to drive the ball forward and release teammates with accurate passes into space. He can also draw defenders allowing his teammates more space to receive the ball as he will be an integral part of PSV’s reclamation project for the rest of the season.

It has been an emotional few months as he held off on announcing his international allegiance to care for his ill father before he passed away. Ihatteren was born in Utrecht and received a resounding standing ovation when he returned to the city of his birth as PSV played Utrecht at the Galgenwaard. The 17-year-old showed an immense amount of maturity throughout the whole ordeal and was supported by his teammates, friends and his club as he continued his brilliant start to the season.

“For me, football is very much about the first ball assumption. Your first assumption is everything. It makes the attack, which must be good. That is why I am working a lot on that. I don’t care whether you are taking on the right or the left. Whether you have to be perfectly two-legged in today’s top football. No, I don’t think so. Two-legged is fine, but I don’t train on that specifically, because then there is danger that you will think too much about actions. And if you think too much, you will make mistakes. I want to trust my feeling, my intuition. A trainer should not stuff players like me with assignments, that does not work. But I mean offensive assignments, right. If I am at 10 and my opponent is sprinting deep, then I will have to go. Then there are no apologies,” said Ihatteren when discussing his position in an interview with AD earlier this year.

Ihatteren has accumulated 4 goals and 7 assists in all competitions this season, in his first full season as he will get an opportunity to improve under another manager who is uniquely familiar with him. Ernst Faber is acting as interim manager after working in the PSV academy as a coach and a Director. The 17-year-old will also be looking to stake a claim for a Dutch National Team debut as the KNVB coveted him, hoping not to repeat the same mistake that it made with Hakim Ziyech a few years ago. The teenager could continue to be source of excitement in what has been an underwhelming season for PSV.