PSV secured the first Topper of the season on Saturday evening, beating Ajax 3-1 in Amsterdam.

Peter Bosz’s side delivered an early statement by handing Michel Sánchez his first defeat as Ajax manager.

Yet the controversy surrounding Ruben van Bommel’s challenge on Aaron Bouwman quickly overshadowed the result. The referee showed the PSV winger a yellow card, and the incident and the confrontation that followed became the main talking point after the final whistle.

For De Telegraaf journalist Valentijn Driessen, the incident raises questions about Van Bommel’s discipline and whether his temperament could affect his chances of earning a place in the Netherlands squad under new head coach Xavi Hernández.

Speaking in a De Telegraaf video item, Driessen criticised Van Bommel’s reaction during the aftermath of the challenge.

"He flies that guy at his throat; that just can’t be. In the end he gets a yellow card. I think that also comes from Baas's reaction. Then I think: where has the discipline gone? Xavi is in the stands and I understand that he is looking at Van Bommel," Driessen said, as quoted by PSV Inside.

The journalist believes such incidents could influence how the new Netherlands coach assesses the PSV winger, despite his progress on the pitch.

"If you commit this kind of offense, as a coach you are simply unreliable. It can also happen in an international match. Even later he kicks someone down... In that respect he made no good impression on me. As far as his play goes, though, he is in the process of becoming a great player," Driessen added.

Driessen then drew a comparison with Van Bommel’s father, former PSV captain and Netherlands international Mark van Bommel.

"This is a trait that Mark van Bommel also has. His father-in-law (Bert van Marwijk, ed.) was also in the stands, and he also likes underhanded things. But this isn’t underhanded; this is giving someone an enormous punch in plain view of the camera. This really has to be taken out quickly, and I don’t think Xavi will accept it," he said.

Driessen also criticised referee Sander van der Eijk, arguing that the decision to show Van Bommel only a yellow card made the controversy even bigger.

"This is a pet topic of former top referee Mario van der Ende: 'a referee is a determining factor in the level of a match.' In other words: a good referee benefits the level and makes good footballers look good. Building on this, you hope that PSV player Ruben van Bommel meets better officials than Sander van der Eijk did in the Eredivisie top match Ajax-PSV," Driessen wrote.

He believes Van Bommel could have avoided much of the subsequent fallout had he been sent off.

"Of course, Van Bommel is responsible for his own actions. However, should Van der Eijk have helped Van Bommel after his reckless duel with Aaron Bouwman with a justified red card instead of yellow. Then not half of the Netherlands would have fallen over the left winger, and he could have reflected on his sins during two or three matches of suspension."

The reaction to the incident subsequently escalated across Dutch football, with Driessen noting that the criticism stretched from traditional media to social media.

"From the traditional media to social media, it went from criminal to not legally accountable. After the incident on Bouwman, he was advised to seek psychological help. Perhaps the latter isn’t so strange after everything that the just-22-year-old Van Bommel has to endure," he wrote, as quoted by PSV Inside.

Driessen also urged those around Van Bommel, including his father Mark and grandfather Bert van Marwijk, to ensure the winger does not dismiss the incident as simply part of his competitive nature.

"It is not to be hoped that Van Bommel falls into the pitfall of excuses that were presented to him on Saturday. That his behavior is a form of winners’ mentality, or that he needs this to get the best out of his qualities. Of course, Van Bommel does not have to allow himself to be walked over," Driessen concluded.