Felice Mazzù, coach of RSC Anderlecht. Our new head coach takes on his challenge with pride, ambition and a sense of responsibility. "Of course I have my own principles as a coach, but I will respect the identity of this club."
On his appointment as head coach of RSC Anderlecht:
"If I look back for a moment on my career as a coach and how I finally became coach of RSC Anderlecht, a club with so many titles and so much grandeur, I feel proud above all. Whoever you are: when RSC Anderlecht comes knocking on your door, it's very difficult to say no to a club that means so much at a European and even an international level."
On his vision:
"The project is simple, actually: first and foremost, the idea is to compete for titles again as soon as possible. Whether that's in the league or in the cup: Anderlecht has to be ambitious."
"At the same time, I want to build on the project that has been implemented here in recent years, by the club and by Vincent Kompany. Of course I have my own philosophy as a coach, but I always adapt to the players that are available and I especially want to respect the identity of this club. I want our supporters to recognise themselves in our football."
"That also means that we will place a lot of importance on attacking football and on the integration of youth players into the first team. It’s quite unbelievable, the work that is being done here at the Academy and the players that emerge from it. I want to be very attentive to that aspect, but I also need to find a good balance, because at the same time everyone knows that the results will be very important."
On the staff:
"I have brought some people with me because I have built a strong relationship of trust with them. For me, trust is an essential concept in a dressing room. I have been working with Sandro Salamone, our video analyst, for years. Same thing with Thibaut Meyer, our physical coach and goalkeeper coach Laurent Deraedt, with whom I have built a strong friendship. And of course there is my assistant Samba Diawara, who is very important for the development of the training sessions but who will also be in constant contact with the U23 and youth players who train with us. Guillaume Gillet will be the T3 of the first team but will also have an important role with the U23 team of Robin Veldman. Both Samba and Guillaume will function as an important link between the first team and the U23’s. Besides that, I’ll be working with a lot of people who were already at the club. I already feel a lot of mutual respect and trust. I think we have put together a very complementary team."
On the new acquisitions Ishaq Abdulrazak and Nilson Angulo:
"Peter Verbeke and his team have already provided us with two young talents who, with their speed and explosiveness, can add some more verticality to our football. They are two young players who will need some time to adapt, but I am sure they will be able to prove their worth at the right moment."
