No resort in Dubai for Anderlecht, but gray Brussels: the purple and white resumed training as the last first division team
Anderlecht were the last first division team to start training again yesterday. The foreign internship saw the purple and white fall into the water this winter. Refaelov and co. called themselves at the practice complex in Neerpede for a training week.
Anderlecht hadn’t had a normal time in Dubai. Training at 25 degrees, a tournament against Basel and Zamalek… Three yards unfortunately. RSCA canceled the training camp due to the corona crisis. You do not want to be quarantined in the Emirates one week before the competition resumes against Standard. Yet that did not stop players like Hoedt and Zirkzee from going to Abu Dhabi and Dubai during their vacation. They enjoyed it to the fullest.
Instead of training near a Dubaian seaside resort, the inhabitants of Brussels report to Neerpede yesterday at 5 p.m. The first practice session of 2022 was so late because the players had been given an extra day of leave after the 0-7 victory over Beerschot. Anouar Ait El Hadj signed early present. The dribbler came back last summer with one and a half kilos overweight, but had already announced on Instagram that he had now sharpened his condition during his leave. “Let’s correct our mistakes.”
It was a quiet evening. Many players to start covid tests, but because not everyone was of course sporty, it was mainly possible to train. Anderlecht protected it during an extensive walk-in session, in which no precautions were taken yet. Refaelov and Verschaeren even got out of their car wearing a mouth mask.
We don’t get to see any new faces (yet). In Italy they have been speculating for days that AS Roma right back Bryan Reynolds (20) will be hired, but that is premature. RSCA is investigating that trail, but at the moment it has been found before. The file of Peruvian striker Percy Liza (21) is also not in a final phase.
One practice game addressed
Anderlecht want to keep intact. Okay, Kouamé has gone to the Africa Cup and Sardella can be loaned out, but RSCA prefers to supervise his team. For example, it recently started working together with Michael Verschaeve, the mental coach who also guided Remco Evenepoel and the Deceuninck – Quick-step cycling team. He manual Evenepoel, for example, within a difficult period after his heavy fall in the Tour of Lombardy. Ellen Schouppe, the previous mental coach, focuses mainly on the youth academy.
When all test results are in, the workouts are intensified. In principle, Anderlecht had a practice match against RKC Waalwijk on Sunday, but that is also cancelled. The Dutch canceled through… corona. Westerlo comes well to Neerpede for a game. (jug)