In seven matches, Standard took 14 points out of 21, losing only once, against Westerlo (1-2), and only sharing points twice, against Mechelen then Union (0-0) . On four other occasions, the Liégeois took the maximum number of units against Club Bruges, Beerschot (1-0) and St-Trond (2-1), in addition to Charleroi.
The passage times of 2020 and 2022, still far from 2019
In the specific ranking of home matches, Standard is fourth, behind Genk (19 points), Antwerp (15) and tied with Union. This is reminiscent of the passing times of past seasons (13 points in 2022 and 2020), certainly still far from the part-time of 2019 (19 units).
But there is progress, impressive compared to two starts of the season where the balance of power was reversed at Sclessin. In 2023 (9 points) and especially in 2021 (6), the Rouches appeared very feverish at home. It was a time of great unknowns, with supporters angry about their players, their management and the direction the club was taking.
How the staff manages international breaks
At a time when the Sclessin public could intimidate its own players, he is, once again, a twelfth man scoring, as he was last season against Anderlecht (3-2) and Club Bruges (2-1) , in the only enchanted parenthesis. Driven by the passion of the stands, the Rouches know how to be solid, to compensate for the lack of qualities, which is more visible on the move.
5 successes in the last 40 away matches
This is the other side of the coin and the explanation for the presence of Rouches in the soft underbelly of a ranking where fourth and fifteenth are only separated by nine units. Standard, which has only four points away, is fourteenth in this particular ranking with Charleroi, Cercle Bruges and Kortrijk.
Bruno Venanzi: “I feared the club would go bankrupt”
This is not a new phenomenon since the Rouches had gone almost a year without an away victory before their success at Dender last September and, more generally, they have only won five of their last forty away matches. .
The corrections received at Anderlecht, Antwerp (3-0) and Ghent (5-0) reinforced this observation of a team with qualities too meager for the top 6 and too easily dominated when the road rises far away. from their bases.
As long as things go well in Sclessin, at an average rate of two points taken per match, it can hold up to stay on track for a quiet season. But the balance is sometimes precarious, and success is not always achieved with disconcerting ease. Ivan Leko wants his team to do better on the road; but if she could confirm her good habit on Saturday evening, he wouldn’t be against it. Because there will be no more international break before March and the end of the regular phase…
