The holidays are behind us and so we look forward again. During the winter break, the core of players will move on Nicky Hayen on a winter internship to Spain, where our new coach will have the time to work in a focused manner and place new emphasis.
The Spanish sun
Marbella, located on the Costa del Sol in the south of Spain, is the perfect backdrop for a winter internship. In this region our boys can work in modern training facilities, so they can fully focus on the rest of the season. With temperatures around 17 degrees, the difference with wintery Limburg is big, ideal for building form, automatisms and team spirit in optimal conditions.
Winter days program
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January 6: Travel to Spain, with a training session in the evening.
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January 7 & 8: Two training sessions per day (morning and afternoon).
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January 9: Practice matches against the Hungarian first division teams Diósgyőri VTK and Puskás Akadémia FC.
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January 10: One training session, followed by a team building activity in the afternoon.
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January 11: One training session.
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January 12: One training session and return to Belgium in the evening.
The selection
Keepers: Hendrik Van Crombrugge, Tobias Lawal, Lucca Brughmans and Brent Stevens.
Defenders: Mujaid dick, Matte Smets, Yumeki Yoshinaga, Yaimar Medina, and nke, adrián Palaces, Joshua Congolo, Zakaria el ouahdi en brad manguelle.
Midfielders: Bryan Heynen, Patrik Hrošovský, Constantino in Karets, Ibrahima Sory Bangoura, the Nicol Sattlberger, Daan Heymans, Christian Acpan, Kenan Haroune End.
Attackers: Jarne Steuckers, Hyeon-gyu Oh, Junya Ito, Yira Sor, Aaron Bibout, Robin Mirisola, Ayumu Yokoyama, Noah Adedeji Sternberg and Jusef Erabi.
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We invite you to follow KRC Genk’s social media channels for exclusive images and updates from the winter internship in Marbella.
Daily report Wednesday January 7
After the Genk delegation exchanged 15 centimeters of snow for 15 degrees and sun on Tuesday, the first full training day was on the program on Wednesday. A world of difference in temperature, but above all: ideal conditions to work in.
Coach Hayen clearly leaves no stone unturned. With a tough morning training of no less than 2.5 hours, the tone for the week was immediately set. New physical coach Glenn Vanryckeghem put the finishing touches on it with some tough running sessions while Hayen’s assistants took care of the fittings.
The end of the morning was entirely devoted to tactics. Hayen seized the moment to sharpen his principles. Positions, principles and automatisms were driven and repeated in detail.
Junya Ito, Yaimar Medina and Daan Heymans completed an adapted program, based on a gradual build-up towards the rest of the internship week. There was also news to note on an individual level. Noah Adedeji-Sternberg worked outside for the first time since he dropped out in the cup match against Anderlecht. The young winger will spend the rest of the week completing a modified program in his rehabilitation after a month on the sidelines.
A second session was scheduled for the afternoon. During a compact and intense one-hour session, Hayen continued to build on the tactical accents of the morning. Day after day, our new coach wants to further refine and refine his idea. The game image is taking shape step by step. The second training session concluded with a fitness session that focused on strength, upper body and core stability.
A new double training day is scheduled for Thursday. With another intense morning training followed by a tactical afternoon session.
The conditions are ideal, the focus is sharp. Our boys are preparing for the second half of the season in ideal circumstances.
Daily report Thursday January 8
After the intensive double session on Wednesday, Hayen and his group worked more focused on Thursday towards the two practice matches on Friday. The total training load was deliberately lower than the double training day the day before, with a view to freshness and sharpness for the two practice matches scheduled for Friday.
The morning training started with pre-activation, followed by some fits and an extensive position game where coach Hayen again took the lead. The training load may have been lower, but Hayen left no room for a lack of concentration.
After the training, Patrik Hrošovský said goodbye to the playing group. Coach Hayen and Head of Football Dimitri de Condé also addressed the group and expressed their appreciation for the professionalism, commitment and role that Patrik has played within the team over the years.
In the afternoon the focus shifted completely to the tactical aspect again. Hayen used the session to further build on the principles that he wants to see expressed for the first time during the practice matches on Friday.
In the evening, coach Hayen again took the time for individual conversations with part of the playing group. By the end of the week, the coach also wants to get to know his players better personally.
Two practice matches of 90 minutes each are scheduled for Friday. Our boys will compete against the Hungarian first division teams Diósgyőri VTK and Puskás Academy. A first opportunity to show the work of the past few days in a competition context.
Practice match Friday morning: KRC Genk – Diósgyőri VTK
On Friday morning, KRC Genk played the first of two practice matches in Marbella. The opponent was Diósgyőri VTK, the number ten from the Hungarian first division. For our boys it was a first opportunity to show the work of the past training days in a competition context.
Nicky Hayen was particularly active on the sidelines. His energy and coaching were an extension of the intensive training week. With a mix of players from the first team and Jong Genk, combined with new principles, it was difficult to find the automatics in the first half.
Although the match went back and forth, we fell behind after 20 minutes. Josué Kongolo seemed to be wrongly deflected from the ball, but the referee allowed play to continue. Diósgyőri thanked and opened the score (0-1). The response did not take long. August De Wannemacker appeared sharply at the far post after a cross from Junya Ito, but his powerful header was cleverly saved.
A little later it happened. De Wannemacker again showed his insight into the game, found Hyeon-gyu Oh in the box and he scored the deserved equalizer from close range. Genk kept pushing. Oh was sent deep again, his bounce was taken off the line. On the other side, the Hungarians again showed their efficiency. Second chance, second goal. 1-2.
The Genk reaction continued. Robin Mirisola decided wide, Ito cleverly sent De Wannemacker into the sixteen, but the referee did not agree with a penalty error there either. While a shot on a falling ball from De Wannemacker went just wide, Diósgyőri struck again with a quick counter. The halftime score was 1-3.
After the break our boys showed a different face. A nice combination on the right created a chance for Mirisola, but again the Hungarian goalkeeper stood in the way. On the hour mark the goal came again on the other side. Following a cross, the ball deflected into the goal via Brad Manguelle’s leg. 1-4.
The response was immediate. Adrián Palacios hit the post with a hard shot. A triple substitution in minute 63 immediately paid off. In minute 68, Ito put Oh alone in front of goal with a clever move. He concluded in his well-known style. 2-4. A minute later, Ibrahima Sory Bangoura brought the tension back with the 3-4 with an assist from Oh.
Genk smelled the equalizer. Aaron Bibout was sent deep, laid back to Bangoura, but his attempt was cleared off the line. Ayumu Yokoyama put Jarne Steuckers face to face with the goalkeeper, but the score remained 4-4. In the final phase, Kenan Haroun shot towards the top left corner, but the Hungarian goalkeeper again made a great save.
In minute 92 the deserved equalizer seemed to come after all. Steuckers found Bibout with a nice cross, but from close range his attempt went over the goal. The score remained at 3-4, a defeat that could have been more. Based on the game play, a draw would certainly have been possible. But coach Hayen mainly saw interesting learning moments that he could take with him towards the remainder of this internship.
After the afternoon, a second practice match against Puskas Academy will follow.
Line-up KRC Genk
Van Crombrugge, Nkuba (63′ Akpan), Manguelle (63′ Yoshinaga), Kongolo, Palacios, Bangoura, De Wannemacker, Mirisola (63′ Bibout), Ito (71′ Yokoyama), Oh (71′ Haroun)
KRC Genk – Puskás Akadémia: deserved victory after a dominant match
At 4 p.m. we completed the second practice match of the day in Marbella. The opponent was Puskás Akadémia, the number five in the Hungarian competition, with former Genkie Balázs Tóth as Technical Director. The Hungarians did not retreat and entered the duels vigorously.
It didn’t stop our boys from taking the initiative from the kick-off. In the first ten minutes we had two chances through Kos, but each time a goal was not achieved. Moments later, Jusef Erabi’s solid buffalo shot followed from a corner kick, but the Hungarian goalkeeper cleverly tipped his attempt over. Yira Sor also came close to the opening goal after a nice combination, but after a clear penalty foul on the lightning-fast Nigerian, the ball strangely did not hit the spot.
Just like in the first match, it was initially still a matter of trying to fully translate coach Hayen’s new principles into a competition context. Yet we continued to create chances, while hardly giving anything away defensively. The halftime score of 0-0 was therefore logical.
After the break the game image remained unchanged. It was one-way traffic, with some nice combinations. An attempt by Kos was turned away from the line.
The Hungarians sporadically tried to threaten on the counter, but a rare attempt went wide. On the other side, Yira Sor came face to face with the goalkeeper after a wonderful through ball from Bryan Heynen, but his shot went just wide. Kos fell centimeters short on a cross from Yaimar Medina.
With twenty minutes left on the clock, Hayen made a double substitution. Ayumu Yokoyama immediately made himself noticed with some quick acceleration and passing movements from the left. A cross from El Ouahdi towards Yokoyama was turned into a corner. Moments later, El Ouahdi was sent deep, he tried to round the goalkeeper, but he was well in between.
The pressure continued to increase. After a nice attack on the right, Erabi slid just wide, and Yokoyama also came close to the opening goal after a tight counter, but his shot narrowly went over.
At the last minute the deserved reward arrived. Yokoyama painted a perfect cross into the box on the marble of the other substitute, Aaron Bibout, who put the final score on the board. 1-0.
Line-up KRC Genk
Lawal, Medina, Smets, Mujaid, El Ouahdi, Sattlberger, Heynen, Heymans (70′ Akpan), Karetsas, Erabi (70′ Bibout), Sor (70′ Yokoyama)
