On Sunday, the Mauves are kicking off their Champions’ Play-offs at Jan Breydel. It will also mark the baptism of fire for Besnik Hasi in his second term as RSCA’s head coach. On Friday, Besnik looked ahead to the crucial match against Club Brugge. “We know what awaits us in Brugge. I already saw a hungry group in training,” said the coach. Rewatch his full press conference on Mauve TV.
Last week, Besnik Hasi (re)arrived in the capital. “A lot has changed at Neerpede since my first stint at the club: many new, young people who are all very driven,” said the coach at his press talk. “I have changed too, both as a person and as a coach. But less demanding? No, that’s not who I am,” Besnik laughed. “In my first week, I immediately tried to instill certain principles.”
The new head coach has now completed his first full training week. “What have I learned so far? That the group is hungry. I saw the intensity I want to see and that we always need to show. Even though some players were on international duty, like Moussa Ndiaye, who joined the group much later, we were still able to train well with those present.” Besnik has already emphasized certain key aspects and wants to see them reflected on the pitch this Sunday.
"I want to make the players better"
A tough challenge awaits Besnik’s men in Brugge this weekend. “We know what’s coming. They want to win to stay close to Genk, and we want to start the play-offs well.” Whether he will pull a surprise move like in 2013—when he moved Kouyaté to midfield and secured the league title—remains to be seen. “Hey has already played in midfield, so that wouldn’t be a surprise anymore. There are certain profiles within the squad to play differently, but my main focus is getting the best out of this team.”
Besnik has a clear idea of how he wants his team to play. “My intention is to play attacking football. I want a playing style that everyone can relate to, but without losing structure. Whether we play with three or four at the back doesn’t matter to me—it’s about how we implement the formation on the pitch.” The coach cannot count on Tristan Degreef and Killian Sardella for this formation. The game against Club Brugge also comes too soon for Jan Vertonghen. “Verschaeren has completed parts of training, Dolberg has trained more with the group. We still have one more day to see how their bodies react.”
Hasi is not yet thinking about the cup final. “My only focus is on preparing the team for each upcoming match,” said the coach, who has one clear goal: to make his players better. “What I mainly want to see is that we improve in every game. Already on Sunday, I want to see the things we’ve been working on in training. We have to believe in ourselves because this team has enough quality.”
RETRO: Hasi at Jan Breydel with Anderlecht (December 20, 2015)
On Sunday, Besnik Hasi returns to Jan Breydel as Anderlecht’s head coach after nine years. His best memory of this stadium as RSCA coach is undoubtedly the victory in 2015. Sporting—featuring Leander Dendoncker in the starting lineup—defeated Club Brugge 1-4, with goals from Stefano Okaka, Dennis Praet (2x), and Matías Suárez.
Relive the match:
On Sunday, RSCA begins its Champions’ Play-offs with the big clash against Club Brugge. Kickoff at 13:30 at Jan Breydel.