With coach Philippe Clement along the way to success
“No one talks about Pozuelo. As if his departure so easy to catch was’
Time is money, especially in Play-off 1, and for Philippe Clement (45), with Racing Genk and route for the fourth title in the young existence of the club, his first in almost two years as head coach. Therefore, a time – and benzinebesparend call: on a normal working day of the match organiser, we drove along with the head coach, along the road to the success of the Limburg tier of belgian football. ‘Actually, I’m rather coach than player.”
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“A boring day is actually a good day.’ Jeffrey Gaens
With coach Philippe Clement along the way to success
“No one talks about Pozuelo. As if his departure so easy to catch was’
Time is money, especially in Play-off 1, and for Philippe Clement (45), with Racing Genk and route for the fourth title in the young existence of the club, his first in almost two years as head coach. Therefore, a time – and benzinebesparend call: on a normal working day of the match organiser, we drove along with the head coach, along the road to the success of the Limburg tier of belgian football. ‘Actually, I’m rather coach than player.”
VoetbalPlay-off 1
6.14 pm
No pastries
One minute before the agreed time picks up Philippe Clement us in Kruibeke. It is for him a daily routine: get up to halfzes, showering the car in the direction of Genk. ‘Leave Later would cause problems in the kennedy tunnel. Coming late means pastries treat. For the staff at least, players get a penalty. That rarely happens. And I’ve never been late.’
Despite the early hour sends Clement are Mercedes fit the highway. “I have no trouble with it. However, we are working through the weekend. Certainly the first part of the season we had just one or two days off in a whole month. And the nights after a match, you can sleep barely. That is heavy. You should be passionate or you will be job losers. I played football like, but I’m still rather trainer. I am happy here.”
6.23 pm
The new Samatta
The first and only stop: the parking at hotel Crowne Plaza in Antwerp. Johan Van Rumst get in, with whom Clement daily carpoolt. Of Rumst, ex-prof of Beveren and Aalst, but also prefer to trainer, is responsible for the video analytics and individual training. Vital, according to Clement. ‘Players are like my children: I want to help them to the best of their abilities. But since you have a strong staff. Take Aly Samatta. The difference with last season is confidence. I’ve had people within the club need to convince in order for Samatta to choose and not for Karelis. I knew what I saw in training: he had more qualities within our way of playing football. But Aly was last season a queen size bed. He had to learn not to focus on the goal, on his work on the field. Now he is a striker with confidence.’
6.37 am
Clean Hands
“I had no body for sports. As a trainer, it is also true: everyone was always against my choices”
Meanwhile the cruise control, ) with the 130 kilometres per hour. On the back seat snuistert Johan Van Rumst in The Newspaper. A ritual: the co-pilot gives a press review. It is Wednesday and the advanced penalties in the Clean Hands are thoroughly studied. Not incomprehensible. Johan Van Rumst, last season’s assistant at Waasland-Beveren, sat on the bench during the match against KV Mechelen, without that he knew of tampering. “I only remember how Deckhouse after the match was crying, because he has Famous friends such pain had done with his excellent match.’
At 7.05 pm we pass in Yellow. Here, a bit over halfway on the route between Waasmunster, belgium and Genk, rent Clement an apartment. ‘To sleep after a match. Johan also. Yellow is in the middle on the way home, so Isabelle (his girlfriend) here can come and sleep, and from there to her work.’
Although the players there only at 9 pm, park Clement his Mercedes to 7.20 hours for the sign with his name on the Luminus Arena. Only the head equipment manager Alain Vanderlinden and hoofdkine Jan Theunis are always used, even today.
Timely departures to problems in the kennedy tunnel to avoid it. Jeffrey Gaens
17.23 hours
New contract or …
The majority of the players has been away since 13: 30, the other coaches now. The last to leave Clement and Rumst the car park. A day of the week. “A boring day is actually a good day. Because there is so much that you don’t know during a season…’ during the week means a normal veldtraining, make a plan against Gent and discuss with the fellow coaches what Genk will do in losing possession and -possession, debriefing of the Standard and a daily meeting with sporting director Dimitri de Condé about what moves on transfervlak.
That last one is less banal than it seems. The departure of cornerstones Berge and Trossard beckons and what Samatta, Maehle, Malinovskyi? It will be decisive for the future of Clement, who, during the season, offers refused of foreign clubs. Everyone knows that Bruges will be a sought after item released. To start from zero in Genk, or elsewhere in a gespreider bed, it is a dilemma that Clement today just as easily on the road as the slow moving trucks.
“I would not want to have distractions. Only after the season I want to see what presents itself and my own future.”
Although Clement is already very busy with the preparations for the next season, they are located in Genk aware of the risk that the success coach will suitcases can tackle. Therefore, waving them with a new contract – Clement is now for an indefinite duration – but the discussions are on hold. “I want to be there now is nothing to hear about it,” says Clement. ‘My only focus is to try this fantastic season on a incredible way to finish. Only after that I want to see what presents itself and my future. You can there is no sensible word to say and I don’t want any distractions.’
18.15 hours
The house of cards after Pozuelo
The traffic stropt at the height of Massenhoven. If that is not a dreamed bridge is coming back to Pozuelo, whose departure everyone did fear that the game of Genk would also crash after a winter training in which even supporters of Schalke 04 – that, in addition to Genk trained – their eyes could not believe. “What I saw from my team in training during the winter training, was the best level that I ever experienced in my career. Really. But then came the news that Pozuelo for Saudi Arabia wanted. We convinced him to stay. And then came Toronto. If that contract had not been possible, if he is not gone. There lay the problem. I snap him for a part. I have the same experienced, also at Genk. Coventry wanted me in January. A dream. There were barely six Belgians ever in England played. Aimé Anthuenis is when the board ambras going to make: If you let go, I quit. (laughs) But I was able to do it contractually, Pozuelo. And eventually I moved in a beautiful way, with the first bekerwinst. Look, after the departure of Pozuelo, I knew it will not be like a house of cards collapsing. But we would still be in the same way as many goals? Now we do that less creative, more collective. No one talks about Pozuelo. It seems that everything runs fine. But one of your best players lose – the captain nota bene – when the title plays, is never an advantage. And then you had another Berge and Trossard months out. Ge is in Genk, and ge gives a trainingske, as simple as it was not in the past year and a half, hey.’
Which Clement indicates that he is also part of the setback had. But see, these days it’s about Bryan Heynen, not about the Spaniard. ‘Defensively we have without Pozuelo more balance. In the beginning of the season was More difficult that he was less played, but he was not yet ready for. Now. There are the past few years players when the Red Devils come in terms of level not above Bryan sitting and now slowly becoming a fixed value. Genre Thorgan Hazard and Youri Tielemans. Bryan can step, in the long term.’
18.43
The Clement in Berge
“There came to the Red Devils players in terms of level not above Bryan Heynen sit and now a fixed value. Genre Thorgan Hazard or Tielemans”
Of Rumst is deposited when Clement asked which player he himself recognizes. “In Sander Berge. In the professional, how he’s working on it, in the thinking, coaching within a dressing room, the hunger to win. Only he is much better and he will have a much better career.”
A quarter of an hour later we are back in Kruibeke. The day is not over yet. Soon, it should Clement have the training tomorrow to prepare for. But first, the farewell. With the inevitable theme of the title. Because, of course, want to Genk now be champion. “I always want to win and be the best. Another five finals, hey.’
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