Mathias, I didn’t see you clearing the ground.” Vincent Kompany teases his press secretary by referring to what has become the photo of the day: the Anderlecht coach, shovel in hand, clearing snow in Neerpede. “Everyone helped: the staff, the marketing, etc. It made me happy.”
A moment of relaxation and solidarity in a tense context. Anderlecht plays (partially, let’s not forget the Cup) its season over two games.
“We are in a good flow and want to continue on this path. We played well against Ghent without winning. The situation is what it is. We cannot influence what will happen elsewhere, just win our two games.”
And even with such a result, Anderlecht may have to settle for fifth place and the playoffs 2. A scenario that repeats itself for Kompany. Last season, he had to fight for a long time to be in the playoffs. And the same when the competition stopped in 2020.
“I didn’t wait to be a coach to manage moments of pressure. I have often been in this kind of situation. Above all, we must not spend the night getting tired while calculating. We must create our bubble and not not start the game with emotions that could cost us our concentration.”
He even joked that he no longer had anything in hand because he is no longer on the pitch. “I don’t even think I’m fit enough to play a gala like the match in honor of Olivier Deschacht”he joked.
His experience on the field will still count. Kompany has also lifted a corner of the veil on how he approached the money-time of a season when he defended the colors of Manchester City.
“I knew the others were going to make a mistake”he says. “By staying calm and having a method of working, you make others bend and you end up taking the advantage.”
