RSCA is in full preparation for the Clasico on Sunday. Both Anderlecht and Standard have something to put right after recent results in the league. "There are no excuses for the game against Dender. We have to do better and create more, that's what we have been working on this week with one common goal: win the game Sunday against Standard."
At his weekly press conference, the coach answered questions about the mounting pressure on the team after the recent poor results in the league. "I can put that into perspective. It's normal for there to be pressure, after 2 points out of 12 in the league and with the game against Standard coming up. I have focused on my work this week: preparing the team against Standard to win that match."
The coach did elaborate on the last game against Dender, that resulted in a 0-0 draw. “We can all agree: our first half was very bad. Maybe some players took up this game too lightly, against a bottom team in the standings, despite the fact that we did point out the importance of that match in the week leading up to it. But I don't think there is a real mentality problem in this group, far from it. But it is a fact that the quality was absolutely not there in that first half, with some of our decisive players also not at their usual level. We talked about that too this week."
The coach was also asked about a message for the supporters. "The simple fact is that have 2 out of 12 possible points in the league. So the supporters have every right to be dissatisfied. Even in the first half, when we were absolutely not good, they continued to support the team. It is perfectly logical that the dissatisfaction mounts after that, when you deliver a game like that and we don’t score the goals that could have won that game in the end.”
Watch the press conference on MAUVE TV.
The coach did share some optimism regarding injuries. Ali Maamar trained fully with the group this week and will make the squad. “Ilay Camara is also fit, he didn't get the chance to feature last game because he couldn't get many minutes yet and because of how the game developed.” Only Ludwig Augustinsson, Mario Stroeykens and César Huerta are still sidelined. "Nathan De Cat is also ready to play. We took absolutely no risk by starting him last week. He trained fully this week, without tape, and looked fresh."
Finally, our newest signing Moussa Diarra was also a talking point. "He has been training with us for a few days and is in good shape physically. He still lacks some match rhythm, admittedly, but he is integrating smoothly. He also knows what we expect from him, as he is a player we already spoke to in the summer. The club has filled the requested positions, with a new striker and a defender, so it's up to us to integrate them as soon as possible."
