Certain repetitive errors by Sporting continue to cause growing frustration among supporters but now within its staff as well. For several seasons now, the team seems to be facing the same problem with a midfielder that is too fragile and light.
While other teams field ever more powerful players who don’t mind physical work, Anderlecht has to deal with midfielders who struggle to assert themselves. The result is too frequent ball losses, dangerous counterattacks and frustrating situations for the defense.
In the match against Tubize-Braine, a third division team, these shortcomings were again clear and visible. Despite the stability of the defense with Zanka and Simic, Tubize-Braine created chances following bad passes and ball losses in midfield.
This scenario is not unusual for Anderlecht, but the failure to prevent counter-attacks, even against a lower division team, still raises questions. The defense was unable to cope with all this, and midfielders Léoni, Verschaeren and Degreef failed to stop the attacks in time.
Dendoncker in midfield
For many, the problem lies in the choice of light and technical players in midfield, who often struggle against physically stronger opponents. In matches where physical superiority is important, this lack of power proves to be a major problem.
Coach David Hubert put his finger on this fundamental problem after the match: “I’m 80% satisfied. It’s good that we win 0-4, but we give them the opportunity to counter too easily. “First, we need to be smarter in possession. Stupid turnovers always lead to counterattacks. With that, we need to position ourselves better and the key is to get the ball back as early as possible.”
A clear idea, but the problem seems structural: the right players are not available to solve it. The solution may already lie in Dendoncker’s return to midfield.
His experience and physical presence could provide the necessary stability and strength to the team. For the supporters, who are already expressing their discontent by chanting “Wouter out, Fox not welcome”, this could be a necessary step towards calming the situation.
