Defeat gives Cocu confidence

By Brian Brownstein
 
Phillip Cocu saw enough in PSV Eindhoven's performance in their 1-0 defeat at Arsenal FC to give him hope for his side's UEFA Champions League future.

Reassuring display
The 33-year-old refused to be downhearted after an own goal gave Arsène Wenger's side victory in London, telling uefa.com: "Although we lost, I think our performance against Arsenal was good. We were fairly pleased with the way we played and we were unlucky not to come away with a draw."

No disgrace
PSV gave Arsenal some uncomfortable moments towards the end of the match, but could not score. "Losing three points against Arsenal is a pity but, to be honest, you don't expect to get any points off them, especially in away games, so to be able to push them right to the wire was really pleasing," added Cocu.

Happy return
The Dutch international midfield player rejoined PSV in the summer, having played for the club between 1995 and 1998. And having missed out on Champions League football with FC Barcelona in 2003/04, he is extremely keen to compete in the remaining Group F games this season.

'I couldn't wait'
"I couldn't wait to play against Arsenal," he said. "Having missed out on the competition last season I really wanted to play this time around. That's why I joined PSV, because I knew they were in the qualifying round. The Champions League is the competition every footballer wants to play in."

Next matches
With a home game against Panathinaikos FC followed by two matches against Norwegian champions Rosenborg BK to come for PSV, the Dutch club are hoping to get their European challenge back on course, and Cocu is determined to get points on the board at the first attempt on home soil.

Panathinaikos challenge
"We'll see in our next game how good the Greeks are," he said. "It's vital we win our home games and we'll be trying our best to pick up all three points. It's going to be much more difficult to win on our travels, and no place is ever easy to go to, especially at this level."

Away days
None the less, he remained confident of his side's prospects on their travels. "I think the away games will be very difficult, but we are certainly capable of getting something out of the games in Greece and Norway and hopefully we'll be in a position to qualify for the last 16," he said.

Arsenal target
The hope is that PSV can earn a place in the top two in Group E and qualify for the knockout phase of the competition. He expects Arsenal to do the same, but after seeing them at close quarters, he is in two minds as to how the hotly-tipped English champions will fare this season.

'A great team'
"They are a great team and this could be their year to be successful," he said. "However, they are going to have to play better than they did against us. They can't afford to be too inconsistent or they'll be punished.

Winning characteristic
"Yet the sign of a good team is a team that doesn't play at their best and still wins and that's what they did against us," Cocu added. "Now they have a lot of experience in the Champions League, and they could go on to win it."

Philip Cocu's personal website is at www.icons.com