Reactions after Club - Genk

Hans Vanaken: “Simon once again proves his worth”

Club came into all kinds of trouble against Racing Genk, thanking their lucky stars they had Simon Mignolet as an unassailable cliff in goal.

“We won this clash 2-1, and owe it to a great extent to Simon who once again showed just how good he still is”, Hans Vanaken started out. “He denied that 0-2 early on in the second half with some ultimate saves, keeping us in the game. Our second half intentions were better, but it took some time before we managed to find our way back into the game. Those new on brought some more schwung to the game, a bit more speed on our wings, allowing us to play them 1v1 in order to create some danger like that. We then managed to score twice from textbook situations, and that can be weaponised to break open games like these.”

“Our first half was not our best", Hans continued. “With too much ball loss, and a bit too little movement in front of the ball. We went over that at half time, adjusted it, and that was on display in our second half. You can't always get to the highest level, but after the break we showed that we can adapt when necessary. You can also sense that when you get a chance the crowd starts believing in it, and you could also see that Genk had trouble keeping up the pace, and a bit later the score was reversed. You should keep in mind that Genk has a solid outfit, hard to beat. In the end I do believe we deserved to come out on top.”

Joaquin Seys: “We've got a great team, but it doesn't always goes to show”

Genk's attacking prowess caused Club's defense a lot of headache.

“We've got a great team, but it doesn't always goes to show", Joaquin started out in all honesty. "But we are still capable of dragging it in with a great mentality. The fact that we grab the three points is what matters most, and that better football can only follow. We always want to play a dominant style of football, also against teams the likes of Genk, but when that doesn't come about, we need other ways to try and solve things, and I think we have been able to do so after a lesser first half. I do believe that, as a team, we are quite strong mentally, allowing us to find a solution to still make it go our way. But let's also agree on how strong our goalie is. Simon Mignolet played a blissful game, just see how many goals he denied once again, just like he did after all those years at the top. It's something I can only admire.”

Nicky Hayen: “Forced our way to that 2-1 with our mentality” 

A sigh of relief escaped Nicky Hayen after the game. A 0-1 at half time was overturned in a spirited second half, making it a perfect season opener for Club. 

“Genk outdid us in every aspect of the game in the first half. We did everything wrong. Every pass played was wrong, every duel was lost, you name it. The worst first half ever since I started out here sixteen months ago. Their lead was overly deserved. But it's not as if you're playing just any team, Genk came in third last season. But we were to blame, really. We just brought too little quality to the table. We tried steering things during the break, and decided to take them on with two true wingers. It allowed us to restore the balance without being really dominant. But we showed a different mentality, won a lot more duels, getting hold of that second ball, forced some corner kicks, etc. When we drew level, you got the feeling that it was anyone's game by now, with chances on both sides. But it's through our mentality that we made it to that 2-1. Things got tight by the end, particularly after that red card. The game we played didn't satisfy us, but we're happy with the three points.” Club owed the victory for a great deal to an outstanding Simon Mignolet, whose crucial saves kept Club afloat. “Does this mean Simon has earned a fixed spot between the posts? No, we set up a clear plan for our goalies. There's potentially 11 games in August to be played, and they know perfectly which games they are set to play. They both had a great warm-up to the season, so they will both be getting their time to play. We will be re-assessing things after the international break early September. The same goes for all players. Some of them aren't 100% ready just yet. Some of them have been training for five weeks now, other sthree, some even just one week. You can see a clear difference in the physical preparation. It's our intention to get everyone to that same level in the weeks to come.”