Rik De Mil before the match between Sporting de Charleroi and Westerlo: “If the supporters push us, it will give us a mental boost”
Understanding towards the dissatisfaction of the Carolos supporters, the T1 des Zèbres hopes that everyone will push Charleroi to victory this Saturday.
Journalist specializing in Sporting de Charleroi
Published on 08/11/2024 at 2:00 p.m.
In the trough for several weeks, Sporting de Charleroi is preparing to host Westerlo in a context that is unusual to say the least this Saturday evening. The Zebras will have to do everything to reverse the current trend, even if it is not the easiest period to live through mentally. “It’s normal to not have the best weeks mentally given the situation. It’s difficult to lose matches, but the players are aware of the situation, it’s very clear. It’s up to us to “boost” the players,” explained Rik De Mil this Friday.
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The pressure will be great in the stands
While the supporters have gradually increased the pressure this week, Rik De Mil will potentially have to manage this aspect on the mentality of his players. “I haven’t talked to my guys about it yet. We know very well that our supporters are not happy. This is normal with the current results. I find that both in positive moments, like at the start of the season or at the end of last season, as well as in more complicated moments, we have to stay together. A lot of people still support us and I’ve received a lot of positive messages, from people who also see good things. If the supporters push us, it will give us a mental boost. Most of the supporters will be there to support us despite some actions. »
I don’t like lies, dishonesty and lack of respect, but I have known an incredible group and staff, with supporters who have always supported us. This is what I remember from my journey to Westerlo
To allow a little breathing space just before the international break, the Zebras will have to do everything to win against the former employer of Rik De Mil, where his dismissal had inevitably been talked about following the match against Genk at the end of the last classic phase . “I don’t have any resentment because it’s for people who are negative and look into the past. We see in Spain at the moment that there are more serious things in life than football. I don’t look behind, but rather at the present and the future and I always want to be positive. I don’t like lies, dishonesty and lack of respect, but I have known an incredible group and staff, with supporters who have always supported us. This is what I remember from my time there. It will be a special match because I will meet a lot of people I know, but for the rest we have to concentrate on what we have to do with Charleroi. We know that Westerlo is a good team, which wants to play a bit like us, but which scores more, which makes the difference of four points in the standings. »
In addition to the efficiency necessary to find the path to victory, Charleroi must necessarily regain the will to win and the conviction of being able to do so. “I heard Pep Guardiola this week, and I’m certainly not comparing us to Manchester City, saying after three defeats that his team was no longer mentally on the path to winning the matches they played. We must succeed in rediscovering this spirit too. At the start of the season, we played well, scored goals through a player and took points with that. Then we continued to play well, but without scoring and so we perhaps sometimes forced things, which is never good. We have to stay together, fight. I want players to be able to play freely again. There needs to be a trigger, it could be a goal, a victory, but we have to work, stay positive and give confidence. »
Towards a return of Guiagon and/or Andreou?
To hope that the trigger will arrive this weekend, Rik De Mil should be able to count on a group essentially the same as that of last week at Cercle de Bruges, even if question marks still exist around the returns of Perfect Guiagon and Stelios Andreou. “They trained this Friday, but it’s just a training session, shorter since it’s the day before the match. We’ll have to see their reaction this Saturday and find the right balance because I don’t want to take any risks with a player’s health. The difference between the two is that Stelios has been playing more recently so the question of rhythm is different. » For his part, Amine Boukamir will be able to play again with the U23s after returning to training a few days ago. Rik De Mil’s selection will be known later this Friday.
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