Despite the disappointing points harvest, there was a positive atmosphere at Cercle Brugge’s training. The team lost some strong players after last season, but according to coach Onur Cinel, the development of his players is clearly visible.
“In the months we have been working together, progress has been very good,” says Cinel. “Not everything you see on the scoreboard reflects our work, but the efforts of the boys are exemplary. Everything is a process, and we are getting there step by step.”
Cinel emphasizes that Cercle had to fight to the end for retention last year, but that the team is now playing better football. “There has not yet been a single opponent who has been able to dominate us for 90 minutes. We have been able to put our foot next to every team. Now we also want to translate that into results, especially in our home games. Hopefully we will start with that on Sunday.”
Cercle Brugge will host Zulte Waregem this weekend, which will travel to Brugge with confidence after the convincing win against AA Gent. Yet Cinel also sees opportunities there: “In this competition, anyone can beat anyone. If we maintain the level of our last matches, we can certainly achieve something.”