“I expected such a season from Sporting”
Toni Brogno is not surprised to see the Zebras at the bottom of the Pro League standings. “The season is complicated, I expected it. I found that they were not armed offensively, which is verified on the ground. For me, there is a lack of an attacker capable of scoring from the back. A real scorer. It’s not a question of animation, because everyone wants to race forward to propose solutions, even if it’s your teammate who ultimately receives the ball. »
“Not worried about maintenance”
He also believes that “his” Charleroi is poorly paid. “In certain matches, they could have taken more points. When you get into a negative dynamic, it’s difficult to get out of it. They are currently eating their black bread. They must collect as many units as possible until the truce, to avoid this dangerous zone. » However, there is no question of talking about relegation. “No, I’m not worried, because they have much more quality than other teams. Maybe one or two players will show up during the break and enhance the team. I don’t think they are really threatened by maintenance. »
Felice Mazzù is, in his eyes, still the man for the job. “He has this ability to transform his players into warriors and he always does it. We must stop saying that Mazzù is in danger. I think he doesn’t have the right tool at his disposal right now. The ball is also not turning for them, but it doesn’t take much for that to change. »
“Within a few centimeters, I signed for Westerlo… in D2”
By PB
Unavailable, Toni Brogno had to decline the offer to kick off SC Charleroi – Westerlo this Saturday. A meeting so special in his eyes between his two favorite clubs. Sporting, supported by his entire family, where his brother Dante shone before also leading the attack. And Westerlo who gave him his chance, allowing him to become top scorer in the championship and Red Devil.
One of his best memories was a goal… against Sporting, at Mambourg. “It was Easter Sunday, in the afternoon. My whole family was in the stand. I opened the score, 0-1. The public reaction? I was whistled in every stadium in Belgium, except in Charleroi. The fans treated me well. I came out in the 75th minute and my brother Dante equalized in the 80th minute. For me, it was the ideal scenario. The two brothers facing each other and scoring, it was unique. »
Distance and language
However, the story could have been very different. “What is still special is that the day I signed my contract (1997), Westerlo lost its first match in the final round of D2 against Waregem 0-4. I didn’t know if I would play in D1 or D2. During the last meeting, they absolutely had to beat Waregem to move up. At the break, they led 1-3. Waregem came back to 2-3 and hit the bar a few minutes from time. For a few centimeters, I played in D2 and I might never have tasted D1…”
If Westerlo rhymes with Toni Brogno, it hasn’t always been simple. First, because of the language barrier. “I immediately had a good feeling when I signed there, I wasn’t scared by the 135 kilometers I had to travel every day, round trip, with the traffic jams at Waterloo. The language barrier was a bit of a problem, because I always wanted to be the first to show the exercises. There, I couldn’t. I didn’t understand whether I should turn left or right. So I bought a book, which I read every day, to learn basic vocabulary. When the coach gave us an appointment, I didn’t even understand the time. It was the physiotherapist who wrote it on a piece of paper and slipped it into my pocket. »
“An injury forced me to start from scratch”
And there was this injury at the end of preparation. “In my head, I always had to be first in the physical tests. I worked for that. Three weeks before the start of the championship, a teammate injured me. Double ankle sprain. I missed Westerlo’s first match in D1. It hurt me a lot to be in the stands and to attend this party. I had worked for three months to participate. I had to start everything from scratch. At the end of the training, the deputy came to announce those who were taken into reserve. This was my case. When I got into my car to go home, I had tears in my eyes. The choice was logical, but it was a rage against myself. I wanted so badly to prove him wrong. »
After weeks of perseverance, the difficult period passed and Toni Brogno made the Kuipje vibrate. With some highlights: quadruple against Genk (6-6), quadruple against Mechelen (8-0), hat-trick against Aalst (3-2). A hell of a time. “I had Thans on the left flank and Schaessens on the right. The big English clubs now use centering machines, I had the same thing but in a human version. Our playing philosophy was to score one more goal than the opponent. When we went to Anderlecht, we fielded two attackers. If we conceded two goals, we wanted to score three. Now, the teams mainly think about not conceding and then, who knows, winning at the end of the match. Be careful, everyone knew what they had to do. Ceulemans, for example, forbade me from dribbling in midfield. In training, I was allowed a maximum of two touches of the ball. On the other hand, I was free within sixteen meters. »
2023-11-22 07:00:00
#difficult #attacker #Charleroi
