The play-offs in the highest division of our women’s football start this weekend. In Play-off I, 5 teams compete for the title. Outgoing champion Anderlecht is hot on the heels of Oud-Heverlee Leuven. The race to the finish promises to be exciting, because there are also other privateers on the coast.
The competition format in the Scooore Super League looks slightly different from that of the Jupiler Pro League. In the regular competition, 10 teams compete to be divided into two groups of 5 in Play-off I and Play-off II.
The points from the regular competition are halved – just like with the men. The fact that 5 teams are played means that there is one team free every match day.
The teams in Play-off II do not have to fear relegation. They mainly play for the honor of not finishing last. Aalst is currently closing the line, but White Star Woluwe and Charleroi also have to fear the red lantern. Zulte Waregem and Gent are in principle a class stronger and also have a big bonus. Gent missed by a hair after Play-off I.
In Play-off I it will be a battle between defending champion Anderlecht, OH Leuven, Standard, Club YLA and the surprising Racing Genk.
(Read on below the stand.)
Anderlecht: defending champion, Tessa Wullaert, but not as dominant as before
Anderlecht start as 1st in the play-offs with 23 points, one more than OH Leuven. Although there is an asterisk behind it, because actually it is only about 22.5 points. Anderlecht defends its title. The Purple & White has already won the Belgian championship in the past 4 seasons.
“But what people sometimes do not know is that this is no longer the same team,” says trainer Johan Walem. “We no longer have the same core as last season. We are working on a new vision with more youth. We have worked hard to fit in the new players, but I did not expect that we would be the first to start.”
“We can’t always win everything anymore. Actually, it would be a huge success for the team if we take the title this year.”
It’s not like it used to be. We can no longer always win everything.
There were also many injuries at Anderlecht this season. “We had to do without captain Laura De Neve for a long time. Hopefully she is now fresh and completely fit for the play-offs. Our striker Ella Van Kerkhoven has not even played yet.”
Whoever says Anderlecht, says Tessa Wullaert. Her stats remain unseen with 26 goals and 15 assists, but she has struggled with an ankle injury in recent weeks. “We hope she is fit for the first match against Genk. Physically and mentally, because she has had difficult weeks after the Golden Shoe. But she is a real pro, so she is doing everything she can to be ready.”
Is it a disaster if she’s not fit? “I can’t say that as a coach. The other players also work hard, but it is not easy to compete with Wullaert. She is the poster child of Anderlecht, of the Red Flames, of Belgian football.”
Tessa Wullaert remains the banner of Anderlecht.
Even though Anderlecht will start this afternoon against Genk as number 1, Johan Walem does not want to take on the favorite role. “If there is one team that will experience pressure, it is OH Leuven. They are the team to beat, not Anderlecht.”
“It would also not be good to become champions again with a street lead. If you look at the cores, there are three or four teams with the same qualities. And I hope it will be exciting in Play-off I. That is important for women’s football. Every match will be a real final.”
If there is one team that will experience pressure, it is OH Leuven. They are the team to beat, not Anderlecht.
Opponent’s opinion: “Tessa Wullaert can make a team champion in Belgium on her own,” thinks OH Leuven coach Jimmy Coenraets. “We saw that last year and you can see that again in her statistics. They also know this situation, they have always been champions in recent years. They have experience with these kinds of moments. This is completely new for us.”
OH Leuven: good framework, iron defense, but no title experience
OH Leuven has turned out to be the purple and white challenger this season. The team from Leuven was in the lead for a while, but after losing points against Genk and Club YLA in the final of the regular competition, they start in second place.
“There are two sides to that story,” says coach Jimmy Coenraets. “I could say that we always wanted to start in 2nd, which we are. The initial goal was to become 2nd and to keep the difference with Anderlecht as small as possible. We succeeded, mBut we are very disappointed by the loss of points in the past month.”
“We had the chance to finish 1st and then you have everything in your hand. I had signed for 2nd place beforehand, it’s double.”
OH Leuven has never won a national title. “This would mean a lot to us and it’s also an important factor in the battle for our talent. Some players are being pulled a lot, they are claiming a transfer abroad, so a possible European ticket could help them stay with us a little longer.”
Beforehand I had signed to start 2nd, but it is double because we had the chances to finish 1st.
Defensively, OH Leuven is doing well, they have only conceded 10 goals this season. “Defensively we have very little to complain about, we have already scored many goals offensively, but teams know us better and better. At the start of the season we were given a lot of space, now teams are closing their ranks.”
“More opponents are now starting their matches against us to take a point or to avoid a disgrace. That makes it more difficult to score. Anyway, 53 goals so far is not bad either.”
Trainer Coenraets also feels a lot of support from the club before the start of the play-offs. “CEO Peter Willems emphasized this week that it would be very nice if we make it, but that even if it doesn’t work out, we will continue to build on this project next year. I’m not talking about financial resources, but also just about its structure and operation.”
“I think he will also be one of the only CEOs who knows all the players by name. He also knows most of what they study for example. There is a feeling of connection.”
OHL misses Estée Cattoor, but has a broad core.
At Anderlecht they transfer the favorite role to Leuven. Justifiably? “That’s nice, but I think the coach wants to protect his team, just like me. Honestly, we both know that we will be very evenly matched. We have already seen that this season.”
“Both teams have the qualities to finish it, so I think it will come down to a few minutes, maybe even seconds, in the games. They have just a little more experience, but we may have a broader core and can vary a bit more .”
“That was a conscious strategy from the start. We have worked well broadly, made targeted purchases, and young talent has also been added. So we will be a bit fresher and maybe at such moments can make the difference.”
“It is striking, by the way, but Anderlecht is the only PO I team against which we as OH Leuven have been able to win twice. We have lost points against the other teams. If we want to become champions, we will have to beat everyone. “
Remarkable, but Anderlecht is the only PO I team against which we as OH Leuven have been able to win twice. We lost points against the other teams.
Opponent’s opinion: “They have top players in all lines, but the OH Leuven club is also making a lot of effort”, thinks Johan Walem. “They work very well and you have to respect that. We will have a very hard time against OH Leuven. They are the big favorite this season, period.”
Or is a third dog still running with it?
“I also hope that it will be more than the OH Leuven-Anderlecht battle,” says Anderlecht coach Johan Walem. “A lot depends on those first games. If you win two or three times, anything is possible.”
And also at OH Leuven they certainly take the rest of the field into account. “The margins are very small in both directions,” says Jimmy Coenraets. “For example, we have to start well against Club YLA. If they win that first match, they immediately approach a point. It will be very compact play-offs.”
Racing Genk starts as 5th in Play-off I and certainly does not seem to participate. Trainer Guido Brepoels sees these play-offs mainly as an important step in the learning process of his team. Genk is working on an excellent series. With a final sprint of 17 on 21 it won its ticket, at the expense of fixed value AA Gent.
Standard and Club YLA are slightly more likely to get involved. Club YLA started the season very well under coach Dennis Moerman. They took an astonishing 21 out of 21, but in the return round the machine stalled somewhat and points were lost against all PO I teams and Ghent.
For example, after a season in which it remained largely under the radar, Standard was still able to jump to 3rd place. In Liège they are no longer as dominant as they used to be. The club also had to deal with a lot of injuries and recently player Vanity Lewerissa was also diagnosed with breast cancer. The club also seems to be focusing more on the cup final against Anderlecht for a price.
