Team Focus: Cocu Hoping to Prove You Can Win With Kids

It's fitting in the year PSV celebrate their centenary that one of their great icons was appointed manager. This Wednesday Phillip Cocu will have presided over the Eindhoven giants for 100 days and the atmosphere at the club is in contrast to the past five seasons. PSV's workmanlike ethic has always been seen as a counter to Ajax's seductive approach; Cocu remains faithful but has set about stamping his own mark, an amalgamation of the two schools.

Although from Eindhoven, though raised in Zevenaar, he grew up supporting archrivals Ajax. His admiration of the Amsterdam school couldn't have been better showcased. One of the most accomplished midfielders of his generation, Cocu was a brilliant all-rounder. Capable of playing in numerous positions, for much of his career he was a dynamic box-to-box midfielder. He would finish as a deep-lying creator before spending a few years as a controlling midfielder. Being versatile wasn't seen as a curse but rather as a blessing. "The only positions I've not played in is goalkeeper and right-back." If anyone could lay claim to being the modern 'total footballer' then it was Pinokkio.

As a footballer he was renowned for his tactical acumen – constantly analysing the game as it was being played, making sure the managers instructions were being followed, adjusting it if required through his intelligence and leadership. Therefore it came as no surprise that he became a coach after hanging up his boots in 2008.  Learning under Dick Advocaat, Guus Hiddink and Louis van Gaal was the best education.

From the outset he was touted for big things. Barcelona wanted him to manage their B team – some at the club saw him as a credible successor to Pep Guardiola. He would turn them down to remain as Fred Rutten's right-hand man in Eindhoven and Bert van Marwijk's with the Dutch national team.

Rutten would be relieved of his duties in the spring of 2012 and, stepping in, Cocu would guide PSV to their first piece of silverware in four years; a KNVB Beker victory over Heracles, he steadied the ship and came close to a runner-up finish, which would have led to the chance of Champions League football.

Marcel Brands, the club’s sporting director, was open to a long-term stay, but Cocu felt it was better to continue his education at youth and reserve level. As a result Brands would appoint Advocaat, who signed a one-year deal, with the idea being that Cocu would take over full-time the following summer. It was a plan greeted with enthusiasm.

Cocu, in his time as caretaker, demonstrated foresight and tactical acumen; in the process radiating the impression to convince most that he could one day follow in his mentor Hiddink's footsteps. He even rolled back the years deploying an Advocaat-esque 4-3-1-2 (or 4-4-2 diamond) formation. Now full-time, he's replaced it with an orthodox 4-3-3.

Aggression before aesthetics is the hidden mantra that embodies the club. There's nothing direct about their play, just managers in the past have preferred not to take up to thirty touches before a shot on goal, instead creating scoring opportunities with the fewest amount of passes possible. Cocu has somewhat moved away from that. More in line with Van Gaal, he wants to dominate games through possession; so far this season PSV have the fourth highest average in the league (56.3%) and rank third when it comes to pass completion (84.4%).

Even though Cocu is an ardent disciple of the Dutch school of 'circulation football' (one-touch combination football) he's not afraid to set up his side to counter-attack. Cocu doesn't want to make the same mistakes as Rutten, who made PSV too predictable and stagnant; when Plan A failed, it was more or less game over.

In the summer ten regular first team players left, notably Mark van Bommel (retired), Kevin Strootman (Roma), Dries Mertens (Napoli) and Jeremain Lens (Dynamo Kyiv). Five of the seven new arrivals were under 23, underlining their new approach. "Investment for the future," as Brands told Eindhovens Dagblad. "We've seen how a young talent can suddenly show up at Feyenoord," he added.

Cocu's first port of call was strengthening the defence, for too long the soft underbelly had been overlooked. Jeffrey Bruma (Chelsea) and Karim Rekik (on loan from Manchester City), both Feyenoord youth players, arrived from England forging a solid central-defensive partnership.

Santiago Arias (Sporting) was signed to replace the marginalised Stanislav Manolev at right-back, though he's since been ousted by Joshua Brenet, who Cocu promoted - another player brought through the ranks is Jorrit Hendrix, filling in for the injured Rekik. PSV currently have the second best defensive record (conceding eight goals in nine games) and despite making changes to their backline only three sides have conceded fewer shots per game (12.3).

Around the time Rutten was dismissed the seeds of their current policy were being sowed. A new economic reality forced PSV – like every Dutch club – to focus even more on youth and development. With a first team squad getting younger Cocu, for all intents and purposes, would be the perfect first team manager. This is where his exemplary man-management and organisation come to the fore.

The average age of their starting eleven, so far this season, is 20 years. In their 5-0 home game against NEC the oldest player was captain Wijnaldum (22). In the same game Bakkali (17), who joined from Standard Liège in 2008, became the youngest player in Eredivisie history to score a hat-trick. It’s little surprise that he was awarded a perfect WhoScored.com rating of 10 having netted with all three of his shots at goal. Bakkali, in some quarters, symbolises this new youthful and fearless PSV. His stature, in such a short space of time, has risen. Cocu labelled it a "complete performance" though Bakkali's feet are firmly grounded. "Football to me is fun."

They're still a work in progress; a newly assembled team dominated by youth, will be inconsistent. Between their 3-0 home win against Go Ahead Eagles and 4-0 demolition of Ajax in Eindhoven they went six games without victory: four draws and two defeats, one away to AC Milan in the Champions League and the other surprisingly at home to Bulgarian side Ludogorets in the Europa League.

Five wins from nine games sees them level on points with leaders FC Twente but second on goal-difference. From a sporting perspective PSV are in better shape compared to Rutten's final days. Ernest Faber then described the situation as a small virus infiltrating the club. Cocu has reduced the fever. It wasn't long ago that PSV were the dominant power in the Netherlands. It's a stature that Cocu is aspiring to return.

Can this young PSV squad maintain their Eredivisie title challenge? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below