On Sunday, May 18, Anderlecht hosts Club Brugge at the Lotto Park. The final home match of the season for Besnik Hasi’s men. For Jan Vertonghen, who will hang up his boots at the end of this season, it’s also the last time he’ll play at the Park. “Working with him daily confirms what a top player and person he is,” the coach said about his captain. Watch Hasi’s full press conference ahead of the game against Club Brugge now on Mauve TV.
Jan has trained with the group for most of the week and looks ready for the clash with Club. “Will he start? We’ll decide tomorrow after the final training session,” said Hasi, who expressed his regret about his captain’s injury troubles this season. “His qualities, his personality, his leadership – those are things the team has missed this season. Young players like Jan-Carlo Simić could have made even more progress with Jan by their side.”
With Vertonghen’s departure, RSCA loses a big personality. “A club like RSCA needs strong characters, especially in the central axis,” Hasi added. “Colin Coosemans is a natural leader and has had a solid season. Simić has the potential to become a leader, and so does Lucas Hey in the future.” Hasi also sees personality in the game of youngsters like Nathan De Cat, who is away with the Belgian U17s and won’t be available on Sunday. “Tristan Degreef, for instance, came on bravely against Union – that’s the kind of attitude I like to see.”
Sporting wants to finish the season in style in front of its home fans. “The supporters rightly have high expectations of RSCA. I’m convinced we have more quality than we’ve shown so far.” The coach took lessons from the cup final and focused on what went wrong last week. “I expected a reaction, a sense of revenge, but I didn’t see enough of it against Union. The mentality needs to be there every day to bring quality and intensity. This week, the training intensity was good.”
The coach isn’t saying too much yet about his future with the Mauves. “I’m just doing my best, like the team. The club has gone through a transition and now recognizes how important youth development is. Steps have been taken in the right direction.” Hasi is taking it one step at a time and mainly wants to finish the season in fourth place. “We’ll talk after the final game.”
Watch Hasi’s full pre-match press conference ahead of Club Brugge on Mauve TV. See you Sunday at Lotto Park for the big game at 13:30.