Moussa Djenepo replaced in the 41st against Sint-Truiden, Ivan Leko explains: “When a player is not having a good day, why wait? »
The Malian left the field just before half-time of the match against Sint-Truiden. Under the boos of the Sclessin public, who on the other hand welcomed William Balikwisha with applause. Moussa Djenepo replaced by William Balikwisha just before the break, against Sint-Truiden, Saturday evening. – BELGA / Bruno Fahy. By Jonas Bernard Sports journalist, Standard de Liège specialist Published on 04/28/2024 at 11:46
Saturday evening, in the final moments of a first period rather to the advantage of Saint-Trond, Ivan Leko made a strong choice by deciding to take Moussa Djenepo off the field in the… 41st minute. An astonishing decision, on the one hand because the Malian was not particularly the most catastrophic on the pitch (everyone can judge) but also because the interest in replacing a player and thus affecting his ego at only four minutes into the break is entirely questionable. Standard’s Croatian coach therefore took the time to explain his decision after the match:
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“It’s a decision made on a physical level. Moussa seemed to lack energy. He trained well this week and played very well against Mechelen. We could wait but when a player is objectively not having a good day, why wait? These are also times when you feel that the team needs a change and we were better after the rise of William (Balikwisha). »
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The latter, indeed very good for forty-five minutes, returned to the field to the applause of Sclessin, while Moussa Djenepo was entitled to whistles from his own audience.
“I understand Kanga and Yeboah”
Concerning the fire started by Yeboah and Kanga at the end of the match and quickly extinguished by Mr. Boterberg, the penalty disputed between the two attackers having finally been canceled by the VAR, Ivan Leko did not want to add more: “I understand Kanga and Yeboah. You missed one, two, three clear chances and you want to score, as an attacker. They need it. To score a goal, you also have to be in the right shape, in the right state of mind and it’s not easy for the players at the moment. There is a lot of pressure on their shoulders. »
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2024-04-29 11:51:50
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