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Karel Geraerts: Marc and Ben have been working around the clock
After a break of just over a month since the end of the league season, Karel Geraerts welcomed his side back for their first training session ahead of the next campaign on Wednesday. Afterwards, S04’s head coach spoke about his squad, his aims for the season and questions around the captaincy.
Karel Geraerts on…
… how he welcomed the team back:
I think it’s very important to say something to the players in the first training session – not just to welcome them, but also to explain my philosophy and the club’s current situation to them. It’s a necessary part of building a solid collective.
… the number of new faces in the team:
I think one difficulty in the first few days is remembering everyone’s names (laughs). Apart from that, we’re all used to this situation, and some of them even know each other from playing against each other in the past.
There will be more players coming and going, but that’s never an easy thing to predict in football.
… the transfer window so far:
I’m very pleased. Marc and Ben have been working around the clock for the past five weeks and have done a very good job, but the squad isn’t finished yet. There will be more players coming and going, but that’s never an easy thing to predict in football. The end of August tends to be the prime time for successful transfers.
… Amin Younes:
I know that Amin is a very good footballer. The club and I have already had some very good conversations with him and you can tell he’s highly motivated. You’ve got to be mentally ready, and he is.
… the coaching team:
I only knew Sidney Sam by name, as well as our new goalkeeping coach Stephan Loboué. But that’s not a problem. At Saint-Gilloise, I also joined an established coaching team. It’s not about whether you already know each other, but the quality of each individual. We have to work closely together, make decisions together, and I’m confident that it’ll all work out. We talk to each other a lot, and I’m happy with the team – everything fits together well.
One thing is absolutely clear – we can’t have a repeat of last season.
… his aims for the season:
In Belgium we always look at the table in two parts, the top 9 and the bottom 9. My goal is very simple: I want to finish in the top half of the table with the team. Exactly where we end up will come down to many factors, such as how quickly the team gels and how we start games. But one thing is absolutely clear – we can’t have a repeat of last season.
… the captaincy:
I will appoint the new captain and I don’t want to wait weeks to make that decision. I already have two or three players in mind so the situation can be cleared up as quickly as possible.
