On Sunday evening, the Mauves travel to La Louvière. Besnik Hasi’s men want to continue the momentum from before the international break, when RSCA beat Club Brugge 1–0 at home. “It won’t be easy, but we need to confirm the results we achieved before the international break.” Watch his full press conference ahead of the match against RAAL La Louvière on Mauve TV.
Besnik Hasi will travel to La Louvière on Sunday with an almost fully fit squad. Only César Huerta brought bad news: the Mexican will undergo surgery next week. “This was the best solution. Only after the operation will we know exactly how long he’ll be out.” Today, Nathan Saliba and Nilson Angulo were the last to rejoin group training. The latter gained confidence during the international break by scoring his first goal for Ecuador against New Zealand.
Hasi saw Nathan De Cat get knocked out early with Belgium’s U17s at the World Cup. “I felt sorry for that generation, but they came up against a very strong opponent in Portugal.” After the disappointing elimination, Nathan was given a few extra days off. “Now Nathan is mentally fresh again and ready to play on Sunday. He handles all the attention around him well and simply focuses on football. That’s something he should really enjoy.”
The club attaches great importance to the guidance of young players like Nathan, just like the coach. “I only talk with him about football. Throughout my career I’ve seen many young talents move up to the first team.” As a player, Hasi shared the dressing room with Vincent Kompany; as a coach, he had a Neerpede midfield triangle consisting of Tielemans, Dendoncker and Praet. “They are all players who left Anderlecht through the front door.”
And those players love coming back to Neerpede. Kompany, for example, dropped by for a coffee with our coach during the international break. “For Vincent, RSCA is simply home. That’s the case for all the Neerpede kids: from Anthony Vanden Borre to Romelu Lukaku. They all love returning to the club.” Speaking of Vanden Borre - he is currently working at La Louvière in the social department, where he guides young players. “Anthony is a true Anderlecht kid and the best right-back Belgium has ever had.”
The coach sees his squad growing closer together. “It’s a natural process that this young and diverse group is going through.” After the victory in the Topper, Hasi hopes his team can stay in this positive flow. “There are never excuses at RSCA, but La Louvière are a difficult team to play against with a very recognisable style. They defend well, don’t need much possession, but have plenty of other qualities. It’s no coincidence they’ve made life difficult for every top club this season and taken many points off them.”
To beat Les Loups, the Mauves will need to match their opponents’ energy. “They make life difficult for every team. They chase every ball and have players with a huge engine. We will need to show not only quality but also the right mentality.” Kick-off on the artificial pitch in La Louvière is on Sunday at 18:30.