Deila happy with his defensive trio: “It was a first, not the last”

This decision, no one saw it coming. Gojko Cimirot installed in the defensive trio, left side, had all the surprise of the evening. And the midfielder did well, despite the first minutes when he had to find his marks.

“During the week, the coach tested several combinationsexplained Merveille Bokadi. Then he opted for Cimi, and we saw that he could do it.”

Did Ronny Deila have to convince the Bosnian international? “I had to convince him a bit. My assistants told me he didn’t look ready to play in this position but I said he was.”assured the Norwegian coach.

What pushed Deila to make this decision is due to the temperament of her player. “Cimi is a soldier. He does everything you ask him to do. When he plays in six, he never makes a defensive mistake. He always does the dirty work. I also find him very good when he has the game in front of him. That’s one of the reasons I thought he would be useful in that position.”

Extending his explanation, the coach still slipped into a smile: “It was a first for him but I don’t think it will be the last. He’s 30 and when he’s 35 he’ll be playing there all the time.”

Standard, in the end, conceded few chances, and that’s the satisfaction of the evening. “We remained disciplined, as the coach requested”noted Bokadi while Dewaele assured: “We saw during Bruges’ victory at Porto that there were spaces to exploit. The idea was to be compact and take advantage of the spaces, moving quickly forward.”

The plan worked, without a hitch.

“For once, I accept this red card”

Happy to have scored his first goal in Sclessin, William Balikwisha let his joy burst and took off his jersey. Already warned, he was overtaken by this somewhat ridiculous rule which requires a player who takes off his jersey to receive a warning. “The rules are the rules and they must be respected even if, sometimes, it is complicatedcommented Ronny Deila. In this atmosphere and with the euphoria, I can understand William. I accept this red card but may it not happen again.”