Grosjean said that Marselino needed to improve if he wanted to get more minutes to play.
KMSK coach Deinze Marc Grosjean revealed the reason he only played Indonesian national team player Marselino Ferdinan for one round when he thrashed SL16 5-0 in the Belgian Challenger Pro League (CPL) relegation play-off last weekend.
In the match which took place at the Burgemeester Van de Wiele Stadium, Marselino was played as a starter. This is the first time Marselino has played as a starter since being recruited by Deinze.
However, Marcelino only played in the first round. Grosjean chose not to play Marcelino in the second half, and included Steve De Ridder. Apart from Marselino, another player who was not used in the second half was Liam Fraser who was replaced by Jur Schryvers.
Grosjean had his own considerations in not giving Marcelino more playing time. According to Grosjean, the 18-year-old still has shortcomings that need to be improved.
“I left Marselino and Liam Fraser in the locker room at half-time. I don’t want to take risks in the future, because he (Fraser) already has a yellow card,” Grosjean explained.
“Marselino put in a good performance in the second half. But he has to be even stronger physically (fitness). Apart from that, I also want Steve De Ridder to get a competitive atmosphere.”
This landslide victory ensured that Deinze would stay in the CPL. Grosjean said his target now was to take top spot in the relegation play-offs, now two points behind SK Lommel.
“I feel happy we scored five goals, and didn’t concede. I admit SL16 gives the impression of being a weak team, but that doesn’t diminish our quality. It’s not easy to stay like this in certain situations, but my players have done a great job,” said Grosjean.
“Just like in training, they showed a very good mentality. It gives me hope for next season when we want to compete for the title.”
Deinze will then face SL16 again at home to the opponent at the Stade de Sclessin, Saturday (8/4) early morning WIB.
