DIn defeat as in victory, Alexander Blessin is what we call a good client for journalists. When he arrived at a press conference, he immediately apologized “because I am exhausted and my speech will certainly not be lucid”. On the contrary, the Unionist coach having recounted with humor and lucidity his feelings tinged with emotion.
Mr Blessin, what are your feelings after this historic moment that the Union has just written?
Even though the credit goes above all to my players, I feel immense relief. Because this club has been waiting for this for so long because the players, managers and supporters had an exceptional afternoon. I don’t remember who said one day that we don’t play a final but that we win it. This is what we did without delivering our best performance, but with a lot of seriousness and application. On Wednesday, I told my players that they had to take their chance, which they did perfectly.
The fact that your wife (Editor’s note: who is experiencing major health problems) was present in the stands adds a special flavor to this Cup, doesn’t it?
Of course. Sharing this happiness with my family makes this trophy even more special. We talked a lot with my wife. I told him again that I loved him.
What was the atmosphere like in the locker room?
Festive! I could see that some players were excellent dancers, much better than me in fact, and that others were poor singers, unlike me. I’ll let them enjoy this party alone. They can and must decompress and they will have this Friday off.
And you, what will be your program?
I’m going to spend a quiet evening with my family and rest. And yes, maybe have a drink anyway, but I’m not going to exaggerate. After a beer, I might find myself dancing on the table.
What if you take two or three?
Trust me, you don’t want to know!
More prosaically, can this success, which has been awaited for so long, change certain things with a view to the end of the championship?
Are you asking me to project myself here now? We will try to provide tips to approach Monday’s meeting and surprise Bruges. But now, I don’t think about it at all.
On the other hand, when we know the recent history of the Union in “money time”, were you not afraid that everything would collapse at the end of the match?
Honestly no, because I haven’t personally experienced losing the title over the last two years. But I’m happy for boys like Burgess, Moris, Lazare or Machida, because they deserved more than anyone to win this trophy.
It is often said that to win trophies, you need good players but also exceptional human beings. Does this group have anything special compared to those you have already led?
When I was in Ostend, I already had a group with exceptional mental qualities but, with all due respect, which had less talent. It takes a combination of the two, but here, I see that the Union group has unsuspected resources, a mental strength which allows it to set higher standards for itself.
