KICK START OR A BOOT IN THE TEETH
Purple and Whites could be left black and blue after axing boss
It will either kickstart their season or kick them in the teeth when they’re already on their knees.
Roberto Martinez can’t make up his mind where Anderlecht’s fate lies on Wednesday night. But the Belgium boss believes Celtic won’t have a better chance to book a spot in European football after Christmas than the one they have this year. Martinez has watched in dismay as the Jupiler Pro League champs’ season has descended into disarray after just seven games. Manager Rene Weiler was sacked despite winning their first title in three seasons in his first year in charge and untried Argentine Nicolas Frutos has been left in charge. Now arguably the most crucial clash of a two- team race for thi rd in Champions League Group B looms with the Hoops. Martinez will be in the Constant Va nden Stock Stad ium on a night of intrigue, partly to run the rule over fit-again Dedryck Boyata’s World Cup hopes but also to see a game he believes could determine the entire season of both sides. Speaking to MailSport, the former Motherwell player, said: “Everyone here knows facing Celtic home and away wi l l determine whether they have a future in European football this season. “Celtic will be thinking the same way – it that makes the night unpredictable. “It’s a real shame what has happened at Anderlecht in the past four months. “They took the league title from Bruges and winning the title again was an incredible moment for them, a real triumph for a group of young players with a bit of experience in there to help. “The manager did an outstanding job to build that winning team in a year. It has been sad to see how the events
of the last week or so have evolved for him. Frutos has been appointed as caretaker manager and he’s a charismatic figure but the team suffered a lot losing Youri Tielemans, the playmaker who went to Monaco in the summer.
“They are still a team who are relying a lot on Leander Dendoncker who plays for me in the national team.
“There hasn’t been a happy feeling at the club since the start of this season, certainly nothing like the one they had at the end of the last.
“They only won two of their first seven games in the league.
“They lost to Bayern Munich in the Champions League and that was probably what anyone would expect.
“They’re looking for the game against Celtic as one to kickstart their season.
“But it’s hard to tell what Celtic will find when they get here because this is not a team who have what they had a few months ago.”
The loss of the brilliant 20-year-old Thielemans to Monaco for £22million was supposed to be offset by some high-profile recruitment.
But Mar t inez revealed they’ve struggled to gel, despite the new boys being established internationals.
He said: “It’s tough to have that kind of upheaval so soon into a season, especially when you’ve won the league. It’s not as if they’ve gone a long period with no success.
“The last campaign they had two very good games with Manchester United in the quarter finals of the Europa League and won the Belgian league.
“Th at ’s a successful ason. But they’ve brought in new players, high- profile players for Belgian football such as Sven Kums and Matz Sels who are big guys in my national team.
“They also brought Henry Onyekuru back to Belgium on loan from Everton. But they haven’t really gelled.
“They’re capable of per forming on a big European night at home.
“They’ve done it before but there’s uncertainty over how thi s team is going to perform, and how they will approach the game. Frutos will definitely be looking for a reaction.”
Martinez will, meanwhile, be looking closely at Boyata and his fitness.
The stopper’s return from a pre-season injury has likely come too late for him to make the Belgium squad for next month’s double- header with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Cyprus.
But with his nation – currently fifth in FIFA’s world rankings – already qualified for Russia next summer, the 26-year-old will be desperate to make enough of an impression to repeat his Euro 2016 squad selection.
Martinez said: “I’m delighted to see him back. It’s something you have to cope with as a player, difficult spells when you are injured, but when he has joined the national team he has been impressive. He’s a man who wants to learn constantly.
“Dedryck has an incredible physical capacity and we still have high hopes for him here with the Belgian Federation.
“The reports I’ve had from Brendan at Celtic are of someone who has coped extremely well with a period of not playing and shown incredible professionalism.
“And he’s an athlete for sure, but what ’ s more impressive is his desire to listen and learn and get better as a player.
“It’s easy in the modern game to get young players who think they have nothing to learn and can’t improve.
“He has the physical attributes, he’s fast, strong, can use his body and is not afraid of defending with contact – it’s something difficult to find in modern young players. Nothing fazes him, he takes advantage of every experience.
“I came to see him in an Old Firm game and he was very impressive, always in control.
“The modern defender must start play
as well defend the box and defend in exposed situations, one against one and with big spaces, and he’s an out-and-out defender in those sort of aspects.
“When he comes to join us in the national team he is someone who takes a lot from the players we have in the group, the experience of Vincent Kompany, Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen. He made a massive impression.
“He’s very impressive in the manner he wants to soak up ideas. Dedryck is a great example.”
While Boyata has made himself a certain starter for Celtic if fit, his position in a Belgian squad with such vast depth is far more precarious.
Martinez said: “We have games round the corner but the number of players competing for these positions is large and Dedryck has had his soft tissue problem.
“I work with a group of 55 players. We will keep a very close eye on him over the next few months to see how he’s doing.
“But he has already shown he has the mentality for it.
“In Dedryck’s situation he had a real test trying to show the Celtic manager he could be important for the team.
“But in the period he wasn’t playing, his behaviour was excellent.
“Brendan has created a really good environment for his players in the day to day and this is a really good example of how to behave in that environment in order to succeed.
“How to behave when things aren’t going your way then how to flourish when things are.”