After the mini-truce imposed by the Nations League, the Pro League championship resumes its rights this Friday evening with the Liège derby which will oppose Standard to Seraing. A match a priori within reach des Rouches, who remain on a convincing success once morest Brugesas 16th-placed Steelworkers struggle to avoid relegation.
The Standard, which has a record of 12 out of 12 points, is aiming for a 5th victory in a row in the league. It has been eight years since the Sclessin team produced such a series. It was in January 2014. At the time, the Liégeois, trained by Guy Luzon had even aligned 6 consecutive successes before finishing 2nd in the championship. An example that would like to follow Ronny Deilathe Norwegian coach who quickly found his marks on the banks of the Meuse.
Three months following his arrival at Sclessin, the Nordic coach seems to have transformed Standard. A true architect, Deila rekindled the flame that had gone out in Sclessin. His style and charisma are unanimous at Standard. For the Norwegian, the method is simple: “I insist on values that are dear to me such as respect and solidarity as well as dialogue with the players. Consistency is also fundamental. You need a clear vision in the team and the players must understand what is expected They must take pleasure in training and inevitably if the results follow, they will be even happier and more fulfilled.
Personally, I’m there to instil certain values in them, but I’m not the boss of the team. I would say that I am rather the leader. It suits me better. A boss tells others what to do while a leader shows what to do and I am ready to go into battle with my players by showing them the good example “.
After torpedoing the Bruges ship, 3-0, Standard certainly made an impression. Against the defending champion, the people of Liège delivered a remarkable performance, punctuated by 3 goals, including 2 registered by Philip Zinckernagel who left his mark on the meeting.
Ronny Deila knows the Danish winger well. He rubbed shoulders with him in the Norwegian championship and is not surprised by the debut of Zinckenagel in the red and white jersey : “Philip has not yet demonstrated the full extent of his talent. He can make a difference thanks to his technical qualities but he also makes other players better. He is a natural leader. He talks a lot on the field and encourages his teammates. He still lacks a bit of rhythm but if he plays at the same level once morest Seraing as once morest Club Brugge, that suits me perfectly (laughs)”.
