After the game against KV Mechelen, we gathered reactions from Hans Vanaken, Hugo Vetlesen and coach Nicky Hayen.
Hugo Vetlesen: "We deserved more"
Like last season, Club Brugge came up short of a 1-1 draw against Besnik Hasi's KV Mechelen on the opening day of play. After the match, Hugo Vetlesen was therefore not really satisfied with the result achieved : "There was more in it and we deserved more," the Norwegian midfielder immediately stomped into an open door. "The visiting goalkeeper played a hell of a game tonight and on top of that we were also unlucky with the finishing, like Nilsson's header at the very end. But that is no excuse, because at times we did not play enough to really put Mechelen out of action. By the way, it must be said that Mechelen was very solid defensively, so too often we had trouble with the second ball. Whether we didn't seize our moments in contrast to the playoffs? I won't go fully into that because that was last season and this game was the beginning of a new season. You can't really compare those things. Moreover, we are sitting with a number of players who are just back and with new guys who still need to be fully fitted in. There is obviously time left but we cannot deny that there is still quite a bit of work to do." (MV)
Hans Vanaken: "Still looking for some automatisms"
Hans Vanaken had imagined the start of his tenth year happy Blauw-Zwart differently. He was disappointed with the final result and also had an explanation for that. "Our play was certainly not bad. Until the 1-0 we played very well and got chances. After that lead we slumped a bit and that caused the counter goal. Our reaction to that was good again, but then you also need some luck. The crossbar, a leg and the goalkeeper got in the way." The Bruges captain certainly doesn't want to panic just yet and sees things working out this season. "Some guys have joined the group later, and in the coming weeks we have to work a bit more on automatisms and there are definitely some things that can be improved. It will definitely come good with this Club Brugge" About the equalizer, the Limburger was also very clear. "I take that one fully on myself. At the moment of action I was standing still and couldn't react in time. He really shouldn't go past me." (WD)
Nicky Hayen: "In terms of efficiency and intensity, it was not enough"
Nicky Hayen: "In terms of efficiency and intensity, it wasn't enough" Club Brugge, like last season, opened the league with a 1-1 draw against KV Mechelen. Nicky Hayen, like last week against Union, could not be satisfied with the result. "However, we started well, with high pressure and high ball recovery. But we didn't keep that up long enough, which allowed them to get into their game better. At certain moments, when the build-up happened smoothly and vertical play was made, you could see that we created a lot of chances. But in terms of efficiency and intensity, it wasn't enough. The duels and the second ball were more often for them, so we have to polish that up. So at halftime we made some adjustments. We also took the lead after that, but forgot to push on. At the goal we swallowed, we defended too childishly. That shouldn't happen at this level. During the last fifteen minutes we pressed them away, but played too often in a hurry. Sometimes we gave crosses from corners that were not needed." Like last week, the Bruges coach felt the intensity was too low. "I did see that intensity at training. You see that come back sporadically in the games, but it's still not enough. We don't want to experience the same season as last year in the league, so then this is a missed opportunity. Of course you want to win in front of your own crowd. We did create the chances, I am satisfied with that, but of course we are not happy with the result. That there is still much room for improvement, that is clear. Does that frustrate me? I don't get frustrated that quickly. I prefer to put my energy into the things we can change ourselves. We will do that by continuing to work very hard at training." (SF)