OTHER Jérémy Taravel has tinkered with his defence ten times in thirteen matches. Het Nieuwsblad looked into it. The reason for all the changes remains unclear. Injuries or suspensions often played a role (Kana, Sardella, Augustinsson), but not always.
Physical readiness may also be a factor. Earlier reports suggested Ilic was pushed down the pecking order because he is unlikely to play for Anderlecht next season — his purchase option is said to be too expensive. Diarra started most often, with 11 appearances. Augustinsson was frequently preferred as well, with 10. Behind those two there was constant swapping between Camara, Mamaar, Ilic, Sardella, Hey, Kana and Angély, with appearances for those players varying between seven and one.
Only once did a settled back four seem to emerge. After the 5-1 win over OH Leuven, Camara–Ilic–Diarra–Augustinsson started three games in a row. On matchday 29 Anderlecht then lost to KV Mechelen and Taravel returned to rotating. Sardella reappeared in the starting lineup, but Anderlecht were beaten at home again by Cercle. In any case, the constant reshuffling at the back has not paid off. Anderlecht's defence creaked repeatedly in the play-offs and has not kept a clean sheet since 15 March. The question now is which quartet Taravel will field in the cup final.
Source: © Internal source
