Tukkers draw to PSV

Although out-playing PSV for the second half the "Tukkers" had to settle for a single point as they played the defending champions to a nil draw in Eindhoven. With the result Steve McClaren's Twente head to the break with a firm grip on third place, four points behind Ajax and further three points behind league leader AZ.

The match in-truth showed only the faintest glimmers of intent to score and it appeared play was lethargic for holiday inactivity. While the intent of a post Christmas / Boxing Day match is to provide an exciting experience for the fans during the holidays, this match certainly was not going to be the subject of a marketing plan. While PSV had a few opportunities to score early, most notably through the work of Hungarian international Balázs Dzsudzsák, Twente's best chance before the break came ten minutes before the break when Marko Arnautović pounded the ball off the post from close range. However the "highlights" of the match were minimal to say the least and while Twente controlled ball possession after the break, it seemed more like a defensive practice in-which PSV played behind the ball and limited notable attempts on goal. Possibly the best effort came from Marko Arnautović, the subject of a number of transfer rumours, with just over twenty minutes remaining but it was not to be and the match slowly came to a end without a score.

Steve McClaren said “It was a game of two halves”, noting:

“In the first half, it took a while to get going. We lacked maturity in the first period, but improved after the break. I am happy with our second-half display. We took control, created chances and could even have won the game. We’ve ended the year on a high and I think we have more reason to be happy with the share of the spoils than PSV. It was a big game for us. We faced a real test and I think we have passed.”