With a defeat against Cercle Brugge, Anderlecht started their first outing of the season. Although the competition also dropped points, RSCA can afford to make few mistakes from now on if they don’t want to immediately run after the facts. Something Felice Mazzu obviously hopes to avoid at all costs. As Vincent Kompany’s successor, the new coach already enjoys little credit with the supporters, who mainly fear a radical change in style. A fear that so far appears to be somewhat justified.
From the romantic Kompany to the pragmatic Mazzu: in a nutshell, that was the choice RSCA made after the last campaign. The process had to give way to a more results-oriented approach, with the miracle doctor of fellow townsman Union Union as the right man for the job. A move that took a lot of effort and was warmly received by its own fans. Not only was no one good enough after Kompany, Mazzu had a reputation for being the polar opposite of the club icon. A defensive-minded coach, who only cares about the numbers on the scoreboard. The way in which they come about is a lot less important. A vision with which anciens such as Wesley Hoedt and Lior Refaelov wholeheartedly agree.
CLICHE VAN MAZZU
In fact, Kompany had also learned that lesson by now, although it hadn’t hit everyone yet. He still strove for possession and dominance. Mazzu, on the other hand, prefers to strike from the reaction, waiting for mistakes from the opponent. For example, after his previous successes at Charleroi last season, he led Union to an unexpected second place. In one fell swoop, the Italo-Belgian invalidated the cliché that he only thinks of defending. The vice champion not only had the best rear guard, but also the best front line in the country. In their own way, Mazzu’s men presented attractive, attacking football. Still, some of the supporters feared that RSCA’s game would deteriorate. Until now, unfortunately, they have found themselves largely strengthened in that opinion.
After two days of play, Anderlecht barely got a handful of balls between the posts. The mediocre performance against KV Oostende was quickly forgotten thanks to the victory, but RSCA dropped through the lower limit on a visit to Cercle Brugge. The record champion was unable to cope with the constant pressure of the Association, especially in the first half and then switched from a snail’s pace to haphazard long balls. Exactly what the fans don’t want to see. Once Anderlecht put on a combination that even Kompany would enjoy, for the rest we were left hungry. Even before the exclusion of Ishaq Abdulrazak, it was not the troops of Mazzu, but those of Dominik Thalhammer who called the shots. The inhabitants of Brussels had little choice but to speculate on the counter.
MENTALITY VS QUALITY
A soft version of how Union, or Cercle Saturday, usually hurts teams. Besides purity in the pass, there was no form of intensity or energy. A working point on which Mazzu, who was satisfied with the reaction of his remaining pawns in the second half, must have hammered thoroughly in the meantime. According to him, his team even deserved to win after his daring substitution, a tad exaggerated. The Purple & White did indeed come out of the dressing room better, with 10 against 11 the team from Brussels was not to be blamed. But to say that the level has been raised significantly? A little more hair on the teeth, yes, but no knife in between. And also in terms of football there is still very little to write home about, despite the spaces that gradually emerged on the sides.
Not just a lack of mentality, also according to Hoedt the cause, also a lack of quality. Unlike his illustrious predecessor, Mazzu is not called the inspirer of a project, but wasn’t motivating his dressing room just one of his strengths? Food to think about for the trainer, who also has to make a number of tactical decisions after his team barely crossed the halfway line in Bruges. Will he return to Refaelov in the front, for example, already hinting at a starting place against Paide Linnameeskond, as a hanging striker? And are the few options on the flanks pushing him to jettison his 3-5-2 system? Thursday in Estonia, where Mazzu can still count on Ishaq and Murillo, the answers seem to be yes and no.
IN YOUTH WE TRUST
Zeno Debast, Hannes Delcroix, Yari Verschaeren and for the time being Francis Amuzu have always appeared at the kick-off, in Jan Breydel Kristoffer Olssen was not allowed to replace Kristoffer Olssen but Kristian Arnstad. Mazzu certainly does not ignore Neerpede’s talents. In Youth We Trust, the credo remains. Although. Anouar Ait El Hadj, Mario Stroeykens, Marco Kana and Julien Duranville have not played a single time yet and are sometimes not even part of the competition core. However, Peter Verbeke indicated that he expects a lot from them this season. Mazzu may preach patience, it is undoubtedly already a thorn in the side of the already skeptical supporters. The purists who want to see as much of their own youth in the team as possible, although not a recipe for success, see their worst nightmare come true this way.
Especially if Anderlecht once again enter the transfer market with the win over Sergio Gomez, looking for reinforcements on the flanks and central in the back. In that case, even more home-grown products risk losing their place. Mazzu already made himself less popular with some of the supporters by reinstating Trebel. What if he later puts Debast or Delcroix, both in error against Cercle, aside? Kompany not only enjoyed more credit than the current T1, the fans are also more lenient to El Hadj and Kana than to Refaelov, Benito Raman or Adrien Trebel. By opting for the more experienced pawns, Mazzu, who was already struggling with the stress in Genk at the time, increases the pressure on his person. Especially when those seniors then deliver a default such as Saturday.
NOR MEAT NOR FISH
Overpowered by Cercle, it seemed as if Anderlecht were creeping into some sort of hedgehog position. For some, confirmation that Mazzu is a miscast. The comparison with René Weiler, who won the only trophy in the past eight years in 2017, is never far off. The game image in Jan Breydel, and by extension actually also earlier against KV Oostende, is not what Mazzu has in mind either. Union forced chance after chance every week last season. With vertical football and quick transitions, yes, but not just by hoping that every now and then a ball fell right somewhere. Just like his characteristic organization, however, little of these intentions can be detected so far. At the moment RSCA is more like a bland decoction between Kompany and Mazzu’s various philosophies. Neither meat nor fish.
It is therefore urgent for Mazzu to completely control his team, starting in the crucial qualifying matches for the Conference League. Even if he steps on a few sore toes in the stands. The substandard level of play is not only his responsibility, but also that of the players. Is the available material sufficient to convert his ideas, which the group must get used to anyway, into reality? It is too early to panic or jump to conclusions, but by focusing exclusively on winning, the coach and board have put the pressure on themselves. When everything has to give way to the results, it is logical that people are judged on that. If that also fails, there will be nothing left at all after the painful break with Kompany in the eyes of a lot of fans.
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