The alarm bells went off at Anderlecht. After seven matches, the RSCA Futures were last in the Challenger Pro League with just one point. But after a 12 out of 18, the world suddenly looks completely different. Time for a conversation with Jelle Coen, the coach of the Anderlecht promising team.
Jelle, I can imagine that you are a lot happier at the moment than after those first seven games. Was there never any panic?
“I panicked once and that was after that first match against Deinze (1-4 loss). We really didn’t care about that. I saw few recognition points for myself. Well, many boys had the preparation in the first team and I couldn’t get a complete picture yet.”
“It was already better at Patro. You also have to take into account that our start to the competition was not great. La Louvière is still in the top three, just like Patro. Deinze would probably have been there somewhere without those problems. We were the better team at Liège and after that the panic was a lot less. You felt that we were growing since RWDM.”
Does that also have something to do with the departure of the Danes? Riemer and Fredberg were mainly busy with the A-team.
“Gosh, I don’t want to say anything bad about Brian, because he was involved in the promises. But yes, I had already worked in an agency together with David (Hubert) and the collaboration was easier because we knew each other well. the right things are now happening in the relationship between the A-team and the promising team. The results now are confirmation of what we have always believed in.”
I noticed that your tactics have changed. You suddenly play with three at the back. Wasn’t it true that you normally had to play in a 4-3-3?
“We made a thorough analysis with the staff. We were underage in the zone of truth and we had difficulty with crosses in the box. We had to find a solution for this. Against RWDM we switched to a new system, taking into account the profiles in the team. We play modern Football but can now link this to a result, which is also necessary to give the boys that extra push to continue developing.”
You know from Degreef that his career at the Futures is over
Don’t you ever have mixed feelings? It is understandable that you have to give up players to the A-team because you are a transition team, but don’t you ever think ‘duh, I really needed that’?
“(laughs) No, if you start to mourn every time you have to let go of a player, then you won’t really sleep well anymore. You are in a development team and David is someone who gives opportunities to the youth. Tristan Degreef was important for us, but he will now get his full chance.”
“Every player has his own journey. Tristan, I am just very happy for that. At a certain point you know that his journey with the U23s has come to an end. I have that with Angulo too. I am happy every time he is there , but you also have to have a different plan. When I saw that Edozie was hurt for OHL, I already knew that I had to have a different solution. Robberechts did it well. .”
You play with a lot of young teenagers. How do you compensate for that difference in physical strength with the other teams?
“Putting in place a good organization, having a very clear game plan, wanting to have the ball ourselves and playing out of the game. Our intensity must be higher. We have to play balls in the back because we are faster and have a fast ball circulation. We notice that We always feel fresher at the end of matches. There has to be a lot of movement. You have to have runners. And they don’t prefer us to play with long balls.”
What are your biggest challenges?
“Teaching the team to control a match, to sense when you have to block or switch as a team. Adult teams have a more opportunistic game and sometimes they skip the lines. Those boys are not used to that from the youth, where everyone I try to teach them that they should not win the game, but above all they should not lose. They should close the passing lines and not always want to attack at 100 percent. Once they master that, you can do it very quickly making progress with such team. But we shouldn’t be too proud, because I think there is a lot of talent in 1B.”
You also have to speak their language with those men. So WhatsApp language… Fortunately I have two plus daughters in their teenage years
Isn’t it sometimes difficult to keep those boys’ feet on the ground when they are allowed to train with the A-team a few times?
“Absolutely! (laughs) But that was also the case at Jong Genk last year. Then you need a good relationship with the head coach. Wouter Vrancken, Steven Defour and David Hubert are good at that. The most important thing is that your players have those opportunities. when they deserve it. If you put them there when they are not yet important enough at the Futures, it won’t work. You can’t skip steps if you just have talent quite a bit work to get those feet back on the ground.”
What gives you the most satisfaction?
“Seeing Ngal’ayel Mukau shine with Lille in the Champions League while you were in charge of KV Mechelen for four-five years. Seeing Bangoura score for Genk and then receiving a message to thank you. Seeing Kamiel Van De Perre making his debut at Union, seeing Tristan Degreef shine at Anderlecht, seeing Nunzio Engwanda make his debut at the age of 16… But for me the best thing is: making that talented player better. and make him part of a young dynamic whole.”
In addition to being a trainer, are you also an educator?
“(nods) Every coach in Belgium is like that, isn’t it? All the teams are very young in Belgium and everyone has to play a pedagogical role. You have to constantly influence them. With the very young guys you have to speak their language a bit. That helps I do have two plus daughters who are also in their teens (laughs).”
Can you give concrete examples of this?
“You sometimes send some videos in the WhatsApp group or you use that youth language in your discussions. You also have to use a lot of tricks in training to keep the focus in the team. You really have to impress on those young guys that they don’t have to play between two exercises. And always stick to your position. Don’t preach this one day and something completely different the next. If you accommodate them in their environment, you will get a lot done.”
