© Dick Demey
Genk –
Beating Standard is a must for KRC Genk on Sunday, which still has its Play-off 1 fate in its own hands. To do this, it must repair its poor home reputation in a packed Cegeka Arena, coach Wouter Vrancken knows.
21 out of 42 at home, which means KRC Genk is only a mathematical success. The Cegeka Arena will be full for the fourth time on Sunday, but has rarely been on fire this season, and the Genk coach is taking matters into his own hands.
“The first step must come from the field,” he says. “The players are the catalyst for the atmosphere in the stands. We have to get the crowd behind us from the first minute, which can be done by pressing with a lot of energy and switching quickly. We have to push ourselves, we didn’t do that enough in the opening quarter against Club Brugge. Well in the rest of the first half and in the beginning of the second half. But the unfortunate 0-2 then killed us.”
Opponent Standard is mathematically almost certain to retain. “They will be able to play freely,” Vrancken estimates. “They are taking steps forward, using a lot of position changes and infiltrations. We are preparing for the best Standard, it is up to us to create the strongest and, above all, most efficient version of ourselves.”
Conversation with Arokodare
Missing out on the Champions’ Play-offs would definitively label this season as a ‘failure’. But as a player at a top club you have to be able to deal with that pressure, Vrancken believes. “That pressure is necessary, everyone must realize the seriousness of the situation. We have to get extra energy from that, the motivation to give everything. These are the things we can control ourselves. There is no point in anticipating things now and reasoning ‘what if’. We just have to work hard ourselves.”
After Club Brugge, Vrancken also had a good conversation with Arokodare, who played an unfortunate match. “Tolu is in a good position, he realizes that certain things can be improved. I’m not just talking about that penalty, but especially about the energy you need in certain situations. But he comes from far away and has already made great strides in that area.”
El Ouahdi ready to play
Wouter Vrancken selects not 22 but 21 players for the match against Standard. Kos Karetsas, who was also sidelined for a few days with ankle problems, is serving a suspension after his double yellow card with Jong Genk. El Ouahdi (nose) trained fully with the group again on Friday and is available. (mg)