Lotto Park is preparing to experience a big evening: a sound and light show is (again) planned, and above all, the two biggest stars of Sporting will be making their return. Some Mauves, however, will have a tighter smile than others.
Sporting Anderlecht will have managed, seemingly nothing, a good performance during this first half of the 2024-2025 season: establishing itself quite firmly in the top 3 of the Pro League… and in the top 5 of the Europa League, without its two biggest stars.
Where would FC Bruges be today without Brandon Mechele and Hans Vanaken or Christos Tzolis? KRC Genk without Matte Smets and Bryan Heynen? Antwerp without Toby Alderweireld, Jacob Ondrejka or Vincent Janssen? Difficult to say but followers would agree that the season would have been more complicated.
Sans Thorgan Hazard et Jan Vertonghentherefore, Anderlecht succeeded in its end and even better, which allowed the two Red Devils to work without excessive pressure and at their own pace, to return almost “like nothing” this Friday, December 27 in the selection of David Hubert. If they play the game, it will be to please the public and not to save a coach and a team in difficulty.
Zanka and Verschaeren will have less playing time
If all goes well, Vertonghen and Hazard, as soon as they have recovered their rhythm (this could take weeks, not to mention a relapse that everyone fears in Neerpede), will of course start as soon as possible in the big leagues. RSCA matches.
Who will be the first victims? The obvious is Mathias “Zanka” Jorgensenarrived to compensate for Vertonghen’s injury and bring his experience alongside Jan-Carlo Simic. To say that he did not convince is an understatement, and if Vertonghen regains his sensations, the Dane will only play again in fits and starts.
Concerning Hazard, everything depends on the role that Hubert will reserve for him: a left flank occupied by Thorgan Hazard would be very different from a “supersonic” left flank occupied by Amuzu or Edozie. The chances are high that Eden’s brother occupies a No. 10 role… which could well push – even more – Yari Verschaeren on the bench and, in finetowards the exit.
Collateral victims: Dendoncker, Lapage, Amuzu…?
More quantity in the core also means that the rotation will finally become possible and that David Hubert will have other options at his disposal. If he only wants to play with a No. 6, Mats Rits has a (big) head start over a struggling Leander Dendoncker, and even Leoni can play there; Hazard will take one more place in the midfield… and Vertonghen one place behind, where Dendoncker helps out, which could now make him the fifth wheel of the carriage.
Amuzu, for his part, finds himself, physically obliged, often confined to a role of luxury joker: if Hubert sees Hazard as a left winger, he will have to juggle with Edozie and “Ciske” depending on the competitions and the style of opposition. Without even talking about Verschaeren, who will then absolutely no longer have a say on the left either.
Behind, finally, the return of Jan Vertonghen will bring depth to central defense and will therefore further complicate the emergence ofLoving Lapagewho has long been talked about leaving at the end of the season if his situation does not change. Without forgetting that Olivier Renard wishes to further strengthen the position this winter…
