Peter Bosz was pleased to see PSV Eindhoven reclaim top spot in the Eredivisie with a 5-2 victory over SC Cambuur, but the league leaders' manager was far from satisfied with everything he saw in Leeuwarden.

Despite racing into a three-goal lead inside the opening 19 minutes, PSV struggled to impose themselves for long periods and allowed Cambuur back into the contest. Bosz felt his players lacked the intensity and attacking threat expected of them, particularly against an opponent willing to press high across the pitch.

“I didn’t think it was very good; it’s not often that an opponent dares to press us all over the pitch like that,” Bosz said after the match.

The PSV manager had, however, sensed an opportunity before kick-off. He heard supporters celebrating in the away section but initially did not understand the reason.

“At first, I didn’t know why, but then I realised that Ajax had drawn. We already knew the result for Feyenoord. It was up to us to unwrap the gift,” he explained.

PSV ultimately took advantage of their rivals dropping points, but Bosz believed his side could have made the afternoon considerably more comfortable.

The coach was particularly disappointed with PSV's inability to create enough clear opportunities against Cambuur's goalkeeper during the opening half.

“We should have been more dangerous in the first half and created more one-on-one opportunities against the Cambuur goalkeeper. We didn’t put enough pressure on the opposition,” he said.

Bosz felt the performance improved after a forced stoppage, although he remained unconvinced by the team's overall sharpness.

“After the forced stoppage, I thought we actually performed a bit better. But that real, sharp edge required for this match, I felt that was somewhat lacking.”

Cambuur's response after falling 3-0 behind made the contest more uncomfortable than PSV would have wanted. The hosts scored once before half-time and again in the 78th minute to reduce the deficit to 3-2.

Sven Mijnans then provided an important moment of relief, restoring PSV's two-goal advantage with an excellent free-kick in the 80th minute.

Bosz admitted that the results involving Ajax and Feyenoord had crossed his mind as Cambuur threatened a comeback.

“The results of Ajax and Feyenoord cross your mind. They had also been leading 2-0 at one point. Naturally, I was relieved when Sven managed to score from that free-kick,” he added.

One of the positives for Bosz was the performance of Esmir Bajraktarevic, who started in place of Ivan Perišić.

The Croatian was unavailable because of a head injury. Bosz explained that the wound was serious enough for him to decide against taking Perišić away with his national team.

“He is going to Croatia, to the national team,” Bosz said. “His wound was so significant that I decided not to take him along after all. Besides, if he had been forced to leave the pitch, we might have ended up wasting a substitution.”

Bajraktarevic took his opportunity, providing two assists, including the deliveries for Mijnans' opening goal and Van Bommel's strike.

Bosz was impressed by the youngster's development, particularly his ability to contribute at both ends of the pitch.

“Esmir has made tremendous strides. He is reliable defensively, and on top of that, he’s a player with fantastic technique. He’s capable of beating his man near the byline,” the PSV boss said, as quoted by Rik Elfrink of Eindhovens Dagblad.

Mijnans, meanwhile, was the standout performer with two goals. Bosz also highlighted how unexpected his current goalscoring contribution has been, considering he did not always start earlier in the campaign.

“He ended up in his current role almost by chance. Nine goals in twelve matches? That’s not something you’d necessarily expect before the season began,” he remarked.

PSV will remain at the top of the Eredivisie during the international break, but Bosz is reluctant to read too much into the standings at this stage of the campaign.

“This season, it might not even take 80 points to win the title. It’s going to remain a tight race, and we’re simply taking it one match at a time,” he said.

The manager also acknowledged that PSV have contributed to their own setbacks this season, particularly when being caught on the counter-attack late in matches.

For now, the five-goal victory gives PSV the result they wanted. Bosz, however, will expect a more convincing performance when his team return to action.