2023-10-19 10:05:00
The coincidence of the calendar meant that Standard – Anderlecht would be played, within one day, on the same date as last season: October 22, 2022 versus October 23, 2023. But in one year, almost everything has changed in each of the clubs .
On October 22, 2022, Anderlecht supporters had the match stopped prematurely for the second time in five visits to Sclessin. Disgusted by the performance of their players, who led 0-1 but then conceded three goals, they threw smoke bombs onto the field. Only three starters (or two, if Stroeykens plays and not Diawara) from this Black Sunday will still be in the current team, which is much more experienced. In theory, the hell of Sclessin might no longer scare players with such experience.
A year older than last season
In 2020, Vincent Kompany’s Anderlecht (and Vercauteren as T1) was sometimes 20.9 years old. But last season, age wasn’t the problem. In Sclessin, for example, Sporting had an average age of 25.9. Van Crombrugge was almost 30 years old, Vertonghen was 35 and Refaelov even 36. Debast was the youngest, at 18 years old. This season, Jesper Fredberg and Brian Riemer are banking even more on experience. In the absence of Thomas Delaney, who has not yet recovered, he will have to choose between Stroeykens (as once morest Mechelen) and Diawara. With Stroeykens, Anderlecht will be 26.7 years old this Sunday. With Diawara, she will even be 27.3 years old. Sporting will therefore be one year older than last season.
Fabio Silva did not yet have the experience to survive in the hell of Sclessin. ©BELGA
716 more matches than last season
The older the players are, the more matches they have in their legs. The eleven that collapsed at Sclessin last season had played 3,149 professional matches – in all competitions – or an average of 286 matches per player. Vertonghen was obviously already the record holder, with 800 matches, followed by Refaelov (643). But Sporting, which will travel to Sclessin, will have played even more matches: 3,865, or 716 more. Vertonghen (840) has more than Schmeichel (789). And the Mauve with the fewest matches of all – Theo Leoni (36 matches, including those with the Futures) – plays as if he had been a starter for ten years. What’s more, the current team has played more big games than last season. Schmeichel was champion with Leicester, Augustinsson and Thorgan Hazard played for many seasons in the Bundesliga, Rits, Dreyer and Dolberg played in the Champions League. Van Crombrugge, Hoedt, Murillo, Ashimeru and Refaelov had not experienced matches of this level.
422 caps this season, 289 last season
The best barometer for calculating the value of a team is its number of national team caps. Sporting which will present itself at Sclessin has 422 (or 390, if Stroeykens plays). Last season, the Mauves only had 289. And this time, the national teams represented are better ranked in the Fifa ranking. Belgium is 5th, Denmark 18th and Augustinsson’s Sweden is 23rd. Murillo’s Panama was 61st and Refaelov’s Israel was 76th.
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