Besiktas (1-1), Anderlecht (1-1), and now also Genk: 1-1. Blue and Black were in all sorts of trouble in the first half, but drew level after the break through Hans Vanaken after a solid second half performance.
“Both teams had the better of one half", Ronny Deila started out. "It was a game with two faces: they were better in every aspect of the game in the first half. It was boys against men. We were too careful, came too late, and lost possession too easily. You just know you'll be getting into trouble. They could have added two or three more in the first half. The second half was the complete opposite. Nielsen, Balanta and Jutglà came with more duelling, allowing us to play a more agressive game. We were now able to pressure them all the time. Plenty of situations inside the box, but not enough clear-cut chances. In the end, we could have even won, but we also could have lost because of that dire first half. I can come to terms with this result, after a great and open game. This must have been a delight for the neutral fan, but I surely did not enjoy that first half.”
Just like in previous encounters this season, Club started out meekly against Genk. “It has been a couple of times that this happens. Maybe my message wasn't clear enough, but it's only obvious that we want to go full speed from kick-off. It's something we will have to look into. We need a more sturdy approach in the centre of midfield. The succession of games causing fatigue? No, I don't think so. Everyon's very sharp at training. I think it's more of a mental thing. When things aren't going to plan straight away, you start to doubt sometimes.”
With only ten minutes played, Deila was forced to sub Kyriani Sabbe, injured. “He felt something in his ankle. Something that had bothered him before, but he felt well at training yesterday, and he also indicated he would be ready to play. Unfortunately that pain came back quickly, and he had to be subbed. Denis came on under difficult circumstances, but he did well. It was also great to see Eder come on in style. Ferran is also growing towards his best level.” (SF)