Sven Mijnans has admitted that PSV must improve at both ends of the pitch after their damaging 2-1 Champions League defeat to Club Brugge, insisting that missed chances and poor defensive organisation were equally responsible for the result.

Peter Bosz's side created plenty of opportunities at the Philips Stadium, registering 27 attempts on goal, nine of which were on target. However, they managed to score only once through Kodai Sano, while Club Brugge punished their defensive vulnerabilities with two goals, including Carlos Forbs' decisive strike.

Speaking after the defeat, Mijnans described the evening as frustrating and pointed to PSV's lack of efficiency in front of goal.

“A frustrating evening,” the midfielder said before offering a straightforward assessment of what went wrong.

“We simply need to score more goals. We have to put the ball in the net.”

However, Mijnans was quick to acknowledge that PSV's problems extended beyond their finishing.

“We’re also conceding quite a few counter-attacks; we have to be honest about that. And things could have turned out differently on one or two other occasions, too. So, there are two sides to it, yes.”

The second half offered PSV opportunities to turn the game around after Sano's equaliser, but their attacking commitment eventually left them exposed.

Club Brugge repeatedly threatened on the counter, with Forbs making the most of the space available before beating Matej Kovar in the 65th minute.

Mijnans felt PSV had largely controlled the game after the interval, particularly when dealing with Club Brugge's longer passes from the goalkeeper. However, he acknowledged that the home side failed to maintain sufficient defensive protection behind the ball.

“Everyone could see that we were applying good pressure in the second half; things were actually well under control. They kept playing long balls from the goalkeeper, which we handled very effectively. In fact, we created quite a few chances from that,” he explained.

“The issue is that we have to remain vigilant about our defensive coverage behind the ball, and that wasn't organised well enough.”

The midfielder also accepted his own involvement in the move that led to Forbs' winner. Mijnans lost possession after attempting a backheel in an advanced position, allowing Club Brugge to launch the decisive counter-attack.

However, he pointed out that a similar combination with Lutsharel Geertruida had helped PSV produce their equaliser just five minutes earlier.

“You try to do something creative to generate chances, and this happened right around their penalty area. But it’s simply not good enough if the entire pitch ends up wide open after just two passes. That’s something we all need to look at, and we certainly will,” Mijnans admitted, as relayed by Dolf van Aert of Eindhovens Dagblad.

PSV's lack of a recognised centre-forward has also attracted attention following the defeat. Sam Lammers and Alassane Pléa remain unavailable through injury, while Ricardo Pepi has only recently returned to fitness and came off the bench against Club Brugge.

Nevertheless, Mijnans was reluctant to make the absence of a fully fit striker the main explanation for PSV's missed opportunities.

He believes the team's attacking movement and midfield contributions remain central to how they create chances, particularly when they dominate possession.

“It's very easy to bring up the 'striker issue' right now. I understand why that might cross people's minds,” he said.

“But if you look at how we play in the second half, the way we move around one another, combined with the midfielders we have, that's actually where most of our chances come from. So, you could also look at it from that perspective.”

Mijnans' assessment highlights the two problems PSV must address. They need to become more clinical in front of goal, but their defensive structure must also improve when possession is lost.

Against Club Brugge, their attacking pressure was often effective. Their inability to protect themselves against quick transitions, however, ultimately proved decisive