Bart Meert, the deputy who flourishes in his role as T2 at the Union: “My T1s know that I will never try to take their place”

Bart, what do you think makes a good T2?

“He is the one who supports the head coach, who must have a good relationship with the staff on one side, and the players, on the other. And act as a liaison between the two. He must also help with the organization training, preparing opponent presentations, participating in the debriefing of matches It’s a position that requires a lot, but we also have Arthur (Kopyt), our T3. We all work well together to put everything in place. Fortunately, we also have two video analysts. They prepare a lot of footage for us on the opponents and from there, I choose what we want to show to the players. But we have to know how to multitask, we work a lot. But as long as the results are there. This shows that we are working well.”

The Union will play double or nothing against Kortrijk: “We are at a turning point in our season”

It is said that T2 must be the ear of players in difficulty. Is this your role too?

“The head coach and Arthur too. But yes, I do it to help the players integrate, to know them off the field. To perceive if they feel good, if they are capable of performing better, again.”

Does the good T2 necessarily bring another opinion to T1?

“He can. At the Union, I’m on my third head coach. At the beginning, we have to find a way to work together, because each coach is different. It’s logical. Then, afterwards, we share our During a match, we discuss a little on the bench; I write down an idea on the sheet then we talk about it at half-time, sometimes he says yes, sometimes no. It’s also my role: to make T1 think again. more, to find the best solution at the moment.”

How did you get into professional football?

“I don’t have a great playing background; I just played provincially and in Promotion, as a defender. Fortunately, I quickly wanted to become a coach, and I took the courses. I had the chance to meet Frankie Vercauteren because I had to do a job for the coaching school. After that, he called me back to do things for him and I entered professional football at Anderlecht, where we won five titles. and a Cup in ten years with Frankie, Ariel Jacobs and Besnik Hasi I first worked as a video analyst, then became an assistant under Besnik, whom I then followed twice to Legia Warsaw and then to; Olympiakos. He then suggested that I go to Saudi Arabia, but I didn’t want to. We still have good contact now, we call each other every week. So I had the opportunity to go to Kortrijk. …”

That the Union receives this Sunday.

“It’s still nice for me, because I still know a lot of people there. I enjoyed working there because it’s still a real football club, with a real stadium and a good atmosphere. It’s there that I met Chris O’Loughlin, who was an assistant and that’s why I’m at the Union today. When Karel became T1, Chris called me.

Did you hesitate?

“Not for a second. I always loved Kortrijk, but I lacked ambition there. And I haven’t regretted my choice for a single day, honestly. Being able to return to European football is another dimension. To experience seasons like the last two is fantastic.”

Even if it’s been a long week for you, given the Union’s program over the last three seasons?

“Yes. There I go home (Editor’s note: it’s 4 p.m.), I’m going to eat a little something, then get back to it. We did some tactical exercises, filmed, which we cut into video sequences. And I’m going to put them in the ‘game plan’ so I can show them on the day of the match at Fener. With Arthur (Hoofs), after the session, we always look back together at what happened in training. We never finished, but hey, if you can make your hobby your profession, you shouldn’t hesitate I think.”

Some players denounce the increasingly busy schedule. How many hours do coaches work?

“I don’t calculate. And the match is only a small part of the job. When we travel by bus or plane, we are always busy preparing or watching something. But since I like it, it doesn’t bother me. I live next to Ninove; I get up in the morning at 5:45 a.m. to be at the Lierre training center around 7 a.m. Today, I will be back home around 5:15 p.m., then I will work again for another hour. Then the rest will be for tomorrow (Editor’s note: last Wednesday) on the plane and in the evening at the hotel.”

Players often have a day off on Monday, but you, on the other hand…

“We don’t have many, no. We played at Standard on Friday, then there was a friendly on Saturday and the players were off on Sunday, but the staff worked anyway. Sometimes, I say to myself: ‘Okay , now I leave my cell phone aside for 3-4 hours and do something else.’ Otherwise, I’ll go crazy.”

Some coaches have trouble getting to sleep after a game. And you ?

“I’m able to turn the page. Just after the match, we go back to the locker room and we talk a little more (Editor’s note: the staff has a room near the players’ locker room), but for me, it’s always better to first return to calm. My wife and a friend always come to the matches and we have a drink together afterwards, we talk about football or other things. Then I take the time to review the match cold. Concretely, after a match, our analysts already provide us with a 15 to 20 minute debriefing, with the highlights and things that we like to see and that we ask for more. Then I watch the entire match again on my own. We discuss important phases together and what we could have done better. From that, we organize the following training sessions to improve things.”

You are not a T2 who aspires to be T1 one day. For what ?

“Indeed. Because I feel very good in my role. It already requires a lot of my time, but being a head coach is even more. And then I like the T2 relationship that I have with the players. And that’s good, the T1s know that I’m never going to be there to take their position.”

They say you are particularly meticulous. Is this your strength as a deputy?

“I am very well organized: I think that is one of my strengths. A lot of things are already ready in my head and I think for the coach. This is where I am a help to him. We talk about the exercises we are going to do, then afterwards, he can think of something else, he knows that I will put everything in place.“

At 56, you have a certain experience. Can your previous seasons help Sébastien Pocognoli who is experiencing his first as T1 in D1? Does experience allow you to put the results into perspective?

“It’s important that there is someone with experience at your side. It was a bit the same thing with Karel, even if he had already worked a few seasons with the A team. But it’s not the same as being T1. I enjoy this role and I think that each coach, Alex, Karel and now Sébastien, appreciate my job. And yes, it’s easier to stay calm in certain complicated situations thanks to experience.”

Does your team’s lack of points in the league worry you or, like Sébastien Pocognoli, does the quality of the game reassure you?

“If I look at what the team creates in matches, I tell myself that it will come. I see the quality of the players in training and I’m sure they just need a goal to free themselves up.”