Hein Vanhaezebrouck warns players: “Anyone who thinks it is also possible to do it on one leg is completely disrespectful” | Belgian Cup

When his team enters the Conference League or the Belgian league, Vanhaezebrouck knows that his players know the opponent. And if that is not the case, the coach of AA Gent will sufficiently screen that opponent. But with Belisia Bilzen – except for their coach – a group of noble unknowns will visit the Ghelamco Arena tomorrow evening.

“I think they know us better than we know them,” says Hein Vanhaezebrouck. “We scouted them a few times, we also saw some images. But they have been able to follow us every time since the draw. I can provide my players with some info, but that is of course more limited than when you play against teams whose players know most of the opponents well. We shouldn’t make it more than it is. There is a difference of four heats, let’s not beat that up unnecessarily.”

Since the draw, the impression arose that AA Gent would rather play against Luc Nilis than against his team. “That is the case, if a known figure is present, in whatever role”, says Vanhaezebrouck. “That makes sense, with someone who has a very long football history. But in the end it’s football players who have to do it. For them it will be an experience to be able to play in the Ghelamco Arena. That is always an extra motivation. Small clubs often manage to beat bigger clubs. I saw that happen as a child with White Star Lauwe, later I experienced it myself with Kortrijk. Recently Deinze eliminated Club Brugge and Knokke beat Standard. Every year there is at least one such surprise.”

Gianni Bruno and Andrew Hjulsager are on their way back from a long injury. For them, the cup match against Bilzen may be an opportunity to get some playing minutes again. “Maybe so,” Vanhaezebrouck agrees. “We also have to wait and see which players we might not want to play, because there are all kinds of small complaints. Then maybe it’s time to let some guys skip a game. Our group is spacious. Except for Lemajic, we were all ready for the match at Genk. But there will be some that will be serviced this week, to say the least in terms of car mechanics.”

At the back, AA Gent is tight, which means that Hanche-Olsen, Ngadeu and Okumu play almost everything. The match against Bilzen could therefore be an opportunity to relieve one of them by, for example, placing Marreh at the back. “That is an option,” says Vanhaezebrouck. “But I’m not going to draft eleven others. If that is not necessary, we should not change everything. But with the automatisms that we practice in training, it should not be a problem to use a few other guys.”

“I absolutely want to avoid what could happen in such matches: a form of underestimation or nonchalance. I will once again emphasize to my players the way in which we were eliminated by Eupen last year, when the cup was our priority goal. We then played a very weak second half, with a number of strong players who simply let us down. It had to do with mentality. That is my warning about this cup campaign: I will absolutely not accept such a thing. If I were to see some who are not in the mood or who play with the idea that they can shift a few notches against a second amateur team, it will have repercussions for the next matches.”

“I will also clearly give that signal to the group,” says HVH. “I think you should respect your opponent. The best way to show respect is to go all out. Anyone who thinks that it is also possible against a team from second amateur on one leg is completely disrespectful. That’s why we’re not going to change everything. Over the past few weeks and months we have often deployed 16, 17 or 18 boys, with some rotation. You can assume that the main part of the basic team against Bilzen will come from that group, supplemented by a few guys who have played less lately.”