The Belgian Pro League is well and truly underway now, with the majority of sides having played five games. However, after five games, there are still five teams who have not won a game yet. These are Kortrijk, Westerlo, OH Leuven, Standard Liege and Charleroi.
For Kortrijk, there is hope that the imminent takeover by Burnley will change their fortunes. The side did manage to pick up their first point at the weekend with a 1-1 draw at home. However, this came against Standard Liege, and the side were winning until the 72nd minute. They do appear to have perhaps found a striker, with Cardiff City loanee Isaak Davies getting off the mark. The new owners will not have long left in the window to bring in enough quality to change the Kerel’s fortunes.
Second bottom Westerlo have spent a lot more than the others on the list this summer. After coming back from 2-0 down against Eupen in the opening game, the side have lost to Club Brugge, Gent and Anderlecht. Against KV Mechelen at the weekend, the side were 2-0 up thanks to goal from new signings Lucas Stassin and Matija Frigan. However, after Rob Schoofs scored in the 74th minute, things fell apart for Westerlo. Within 10 minutes they were 3-2 down and had lost their fourth game in a row. There is still time for the squad to gel with lots of new faces, but there will be some growing concern.
OH Leuven are really under pressure. The fans are frustrated, and they are turning on head coach Marc Brys and the board. Their 3-1 defeat to Eupen did not help matters, especially considering that they have spent more than the Pandas this summer. They did fight for a 1-1 draw with Antwerp, but the following defeat to Eupen has certainly scuppered any goodwill that bought the side. Should this continue, expect to see Brys out of the hot seat after three years in charge.
Standard Liege are also having to deal with a frustrated fanbase. Owners 777 have not spent big in the summer, yet the rumours that they are going to add Everton to their portfolio of clubs has meant that Standard fans are unimpressed with where their club sits on the priority ladder. With just two goals in five games, they are crying out for more attacking creativity and finishing. It appears that, with the window running down, head coach Carl Hoefkens is going to have to find that from within the group he is currently working with.
The final side Charleroi have drawn with two of the aforementioned sides, while their 0-0 draw against Genk has given them three points this season. They lost 2-0 to Cercle Brugge and 2-1 to Anderlecht. They have only scored one more than Standard Liege, making them the second lowest scorers in the league. Their big summer signing up front in Oday Dabbagh is already having to settle for a spot on the bench, despite having scored on debut. There are plenty of injuries for the Zebras already, however most of those are at the back. Felice Mazzu is a good coach, but he will need to work some magic to get the side firing this season.
Kortrijk and OH Leuven face each other on Friday night with a chance to grab their first three points. Standard host RWDM in what will likely be a fiery atmosphere. Westerlo travel to a strong Cercle Brugge side while Charleroi host Sint-Truiden.
GBeNeFNÂ |Â Ben Jackson
