World Soccer - UK (2020-10)

he is one canny operator. Under him,

Club are a force in any formation:

4-3-3, 3-5-2, or 4-5-1.

Within a framework of “all-for one,

one-for-all” togetherness, Brugge have

excellent individuals all over the park.

Belgium keeper Simon Mignolet has

bounced back superbly following his

fall from grace at Liverpool; Angolan

right-back or central defender Clinton

Mata was deservedly voted their Player

of the Year, and they boast a fine

midfield engine room, manned by

Mats Rits, skipper and assist king Ruud

Vormer and Belgian Footballer of the

Year Hans Vanaken. Definitely one to

watch for the future is homegrown

teenager Charles De Ketelaere, a left-

footed No.10 of elegance and vision.

Despite their recent success, Brugge

haven’t won back-to-back titles since the

’70s, so last season’s runners-up, Gent,

have a chance too. Their president Ivan

De Witte is talking openly of a title push

and he has sanctioned a raft of impressive

summer signings, including highly-rated

Charleroi full-back Nurio Fortuna and

German striker Tim Kleindienst from

Heidenheim.

The one fly in the

ointment? Star

strikerJonathan

David has left

to join Lille for

€30 million.

Antwerp,

Belgium’s oldest

club, are another

outfit with serious

aspirations. DR

Congo striker

Dieumerci

New kings

of Belgium

U

ncertainty, if not outright

COVID-19 chaos, has

proved the order of the

day in Belgian football

of late. Whether caused by panic,

hesitancy, absence of leadership or

judicial battles, the image of the game

here has taken a real battering.

It’s been a spring and summer of

backroom adjudications, lawyers on the

make, indecision and flux. The executive

board of the Pro League dithering for

six long weeks before finally holding a

General Assembly to ratify the proposal

that the championship be wound up

early, scratching the last weekend of the

regular season and play-off series. The

title awarded to runaway leaders Club

Brugge, with Waasland-Beveren, in last

place at shutdown, successfully going to

court to appeal against their demotion.

Only a week before the scheduled

date of the 2020-21 kick-off, no one

even knew how many teams would be

competing in the new campaign. Would

it be16? Would it be18? Pro League

clubs ultimately plumped for the

second option, increasing the runners

and riders by two. No relegation for

Waasland-Beveren and two clubs

promoted from the second tier instead

of one, with both promotion play-off

finalists (OH Leuven and Beerschot)

allowed to upgrade.

The18-team format will be valid for

the next two campaigns. It will then

revert to16. This season, Belgium’s

play-offs for the title and Europa

League qualification will involve

fewer clubs than normal.

Flemish flag-carriers Club Brugge,

who only lost one league game last

season, will again be the team to beat.

Having finished runners-up a record 25

times, the “Blauw en Zwart” (Blue and

Blacks) have the potential to become

Belgium’s dominant force, winning three

of the last five titles. Their ace in the hole

is coach Philippe Clement. Responsible

for Belgium’s last two champions (Genk

in 2018-19 and Club Brugge last term),

Mboakani and Israeli attacking

midfielder Lior Refaelov form a

formidable goal-grabbing partnership

and the morale in the camp received

a timely preseason boost thanks to

a1-0 victory over Club Brugge in the

national cup final, the game held over

from the end of last term.

A big talking point around the

Pro League is what Brussels giants

Anderlecht have in store for us. So used

to ruling the roost in these parts, with a

record 34 titles to their name,Les Mauves

endured a nightmarish campaign last

term, finishing in a humiliating 8th

place, their worst performance since

1937. It’s been tough times all round at
      the Parc Astrid: financial losses of€27m
      in 2019, 30 staff redundancies and an
      increasing number of fans turning on
      veteran centre-back Vincent Kompany,
      who returned to his mother club in a
      blaze of publicity a year ago.
      Kompany was brought in as player-
      manager in 2019, but was swiftly forced
      to share head coach duties with
      ex-Anderlecht and Belgium midfielder
      Franky Vercauteuren. The former
      Manchester City man has now ended
      his playing career, but the Purple-and-
      Whites’ failure to qualify for Europe
      leaves him vulnerable, and a quick
      turnaround is needed.
      Fortunately, the 34-times Belgian
      champions have a wonderful youth
      system. Full-back Killian Sardella,
      centre-back Marco Kana, midfielders
      Yari Verschaeren and Albert Sambi
      Lokonga, and wingersJeremy Doku and
      Francis Amuzu are a guarantee of a
      brighter tomorrow.
      Nick Bidwell

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Season preview2020-21

BELGIUM PRO LEAGUE

Rocky start...

Kompany has had a

tough introduction to

life at Anderlecht

Making their mark...

Club Brugge stunned

Real Madrid with

a 2-2 draw at the

Bernabeu in October

Club Brugge, who only lost one

league game in all last season, will

again be the team to beat