Simon Mignolet: "Just wasn't our day"
"We played a massive first 40 minutes, but just lacked the efficiency. A quick 1-0 would have made it a thoroughly different affair. Coming back from a 0-3 is tough in its own, but we gave it all we had. They tried to take the pace out of the game. It just wasn't our day."
Gustaf Nilsson: “Very frustrating result”
“You could say that Ghent did not deserve to win here today, but in the end we only owe it to ourselves today. I reckon we started out well, with lots of chances, but unfortunately, and much to our own despair, it just wouldn't go in. Ghent had two chances, earning them a 0-2 lead after 45 minutes. In the end it boils down to efficiency, and that's where Ghent has taught us a lesson today. We were all very frustrated when we entered the dressing room, particularly because we put in a fine performance. There's no use in pointing the finger at our defense: before they scored their first, we really should have scored at least two times. No, this is a very frustrating result for us.”(FDC)
Hans Vanaken: “Not efficient enough“
History repeats: after Dortmund another undeserved defeat for Club in four days' time. “Once again we are down the dumps; if one team merited the win today, it would have to be Club. But just like on Wednesday we forgot to score, and once again get it slammed in our face. I thought we were really strong in the first half, and the game really should have been all over after thirty minutes. They just didn't exist, but out of nothing they make it 0-2. And of course there's that bit of bad luck when they scored their second, but I don't want to call in any excuses. We just weren't efficient enough on both sides of the pitch. After that 0-3 we kept putting high pressure, and tried to find the opening, but Ghent did all they could to take the pace out of the game. Those slight fouls, and the times they went down, ...”
“I won't deny that it's not fun to be going down like this two times in a row, it's really annoying. But I try to keep in mind the offensive play we brought to the pitch. In the long run, positive football will always be rewarded.” (MV)
Nicky Hayen: "Scoring's not an issue, we just have to make the most of things in the right moments"
"I reckon we started out great, with lots of dominance, creating many chances, and we really should have taken the lead. We defended well, and put pressure, but we were still 0-2 behind at half-time. You try and tweak a couple of things at half time, to head towards the pitch with positive energy, but then you take that 0-3. It becomes an almost unsurmountable task, but we managed to score straight away. Still, I didn't feel like we would be able to draw level, particularly when it gets to 1-4 rather quickly. Still we tried turning the tide. It resulted in that 2-4, but then you see that they defend really well, and play it out in a mature fashion. A heavy verdict, though."
Two great performances, two hefty defeats. This wasn't exactly a dream week for Club. "That's right, and we need to analyse this well, both the last 15 minutes of Wednesday's game and the moments we conceded today. We played a fabulous first half, and a somewhat weaker second. You see that some of the boys start doing things differently at that point, and that's something we need to get past. Why that happens is a good question, one I do not have an answer to right now. Maybe it's a sense of frustration due to the lack of efficiency, but we need to take this on in a more intelligent way."
Right after Nilsson made it 2-4, he was taken off. "That was already the plan just before Nilsson scored. You then take the decision to sub him, but afterwards you should be able to admit that this may not have been the best option. In hindsight it's always easy, of course." Just like on Wednesday, Club suffered from a lack of efficiency. "We keep training in the same way in that aspect, because it sometimes takes a bit of luck too. I don't believe there's a problem with scoring right now, as we have scored many in other games. It's just a question of making the most of things in the right moments", Club's coach concluded.