Philippe Clement: "One focus now and that is next race"

"First and foremost, of course I am very satisfied with the result, because we know (after the past few years) that this is a difficult displacement," the coach enthuses. "In the beginning of the match we saw a very enthusiastic Leuven that we had some problems with. Especially with their pressing and to get out from under that. We had a hard time finding our attacking people. After fifteen to twenty minutes and some adjustment, we settled down a bit more and then we also got into the lead through that goal by Lang. The second half we played very well and were able to extend the score further. Then it's just a pity you get a goal in the end, because it could have been a lot more fun with a clean sheet. Those are lessons that we have to take away that those mistakes have to be taken out, but that's also part of gaining experience." Coach Clement also had something to say about his standouts Lang and De Ketelaere. "It's important that I was also able to give them a rest today by bringing them to the side 15 minutes before the end. You do notice that they have made great strides again this season. They are titular every time now, but that was not the case with Charles last year, for example. Then he was still a year younger and now he's still only 20. Noa also came here with a conditioning deficit and has gradually built that up. Those are periods that they have to go through and that they are also going to get stronger through. Of course also the fact: the stronger the team behind them is, the more they can excel. Hans, Charles and Noa were strong and very decisive today, but the whole block of players behind them worked very hard to put them in the right positions at the right time and also to stop Leuven. That is also important and certainly that combination of the two. The group that has actually been working hard for 2.5 years to achieve something together. There has been a lot of focus on the Champions League and now that focus is on the championship and the cup." A final word was about the next game against Anderlecht. "We know that Sunday is a topper, so there it often depends on details and small moments that you have to grab and not give away. So we are not really working on a series, but rather on the next game and doing everything we can to make the most of it and get as many points as possible. We know that this season, as always, is a marathon with a special ending (Playoffs and halving points). One focus now and that is the next game and so match by match. That has also been our best way of doing things the past few years and not looking too far ahead. That distracts you from what you need to do," the coach concludes. (TM)