For the first time since the arrival of Ivan Leko, Standard have had two consecutive victories in the league. Enough to place Rouches at the gates of the top 6.
Standard was well inspired to secure its second away victory on the Sint-Truiden stadium. La Gantoise sees the Liégeois come back to within one point of its sixth place. The pressure is great, Wouter Vrancken has also paid the price.
Peter Vandenbrempt, a fairly renowned analyst in the north of the country, believes that the Buffalos have a lot to learn from the mentality of their direct competitor. “Everyone knows the circumstances must work the Standard. With a very modest team, many young players and an organization based on combat and survival, they obtain results,” he declared on Sporza.
The observation has been the same since the start of the season but continues to become more pronounced: “They have barely scored 15 goals in 22 games and yet have collected 31 points. This must be a world record”.
-A first in more than three years
The editorialist points out another staggering statistic: “It’s been more than three years since they last won away after being behind.” In fact, the last victory in these circumstances dates back to December 12, 2021. Led 2-1 by Antwerp, Standard de Luka Elsner won 2-3 thanks to two goals from Mehdi Carcela and Jackson Muleka.
Will finding this respondent be enough to find the top 6? Vandenbrempt is not convinced, however: “They will finish the classic phase against the first five in the championship. I think it will remain too short for the top 6. But what Ivan Leko is doing remains incredible. For me, he is a candidate for coach of the year.”
