Despite a mixed start to the season, particularly in the European Cup, the Union is only a short distance from sixth place. Sébastien Pocognoli did not have an easy start at Parc Duden, but he is holding up.
Sébastien Pocognoli’s beginnings at the head of Union Saint-Gilloise were not easy. The Belgian vice-champion occupies 10th place only after a third of the championship. Before the reception of La Gantoise, this weekend, the unionist T1 was invited to spend “on the grill”, an interview carried out by RTBF. He notably returned to his arrival at Parc Duden this summer.
“I did not apply to the Union, I was contacted by the managers. I had remained in contact with the club after the end of my career, I regularly came to say hello. When they offered me the position, I was not surprised, I had been preparing in the shadows for three or four years.”
It is also in the culture of the Union”
“I was able to grow and improve, it is also in the culture of the Union to give a chance to unexpected opportunities (sic.). It was the same when Karel Geraerts took over the team, he did not had no experience yet.
For his first time as head coach of a professional core, Pocognoli does not have an easy task. Its core was remodeled during the summer, European obligations are very present and, above all, the Union must not lose focus in the championship.
“The Union has this image of a friendly club, but there is a lot of pressure here. We have to perform on several aspects to which the club attaches a lot of importance, such as the style of play, the attitude of the players and the results. “
Sébastien Pocognoli still uses what he learned at Standard
To do this, Sébastien Pocognoli draws on the experiences he has had during his career. After passing through the hands of Louis Van Gaal, Michel Preud’homme, René Vandereycken or Marc Wilmots, the T1 can synthesize ideas.
“Each coach and each athlete is made up of two things. Their education, their human background, and their lived experiences. I have necessarily learned from the coaches I have met, but above all I am imbued with my own values.”
“Among the young people at Standard, we were trained to be tough, to be gritty, we never gave up before the last whistle. As a player, I was attracted by offensive pressing and forward projection. becoming a coach, I promised myself to combine all these points. There is a lot of humanity in what I want to establish.”
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