INTERVIEWS - WEBSITE Skyhawk rates the season 4/10 — failed. Anderlecht crashed out in the European qualifiers, missed the objective of a top-three finish, only reached the cup final and missed out there again, and the club was run badly with mediocre transfers, a lack of vision and constant staff and position reshuffles. Qualifying for Europe at the end offers a small consolation. The main reason for the lack of progress is simple: no long-term vision.
Transfer policy zigzags every year, a few key players are sold quickly, supposed reinforcements often aren't, and players are bought for the wrong positions. The league is very physical and Anderlecht lack aerial and duel strength, so you can't move forward. Hopefully that will be addressed this summer. The match that will be remembered is the cup final — finals stay with you, even if the result was disappointing. Anderlecht's last cup win was years ago; since then they've repeatedly lost finals to Club Brugge, Gent and now Union. Top-three players: De Cat and Saliba are one and two for Skyhawk, with Cvetkovic as a possible third.
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Continue reading On underperformers: there were plenty who fell below standard, so he won't name names. The clear issues are a fragile central defence, underused flanks and a midfield that lacks both creativity and bite. On the return to a regular league format: it's hard to predict. Interest in the league may drop because some top fixtures are sacrificed, and you'll play more against smaller clubs. The format rewards the most consistent team rather than one that peaks for play-offs; that means squads must be ready early, avoid dropping points to lesser teams and have depth for every position.
European load will also matter more during the season than before. Can Anderlecht combine European football with domestic results? It depends. European qualification isn't guaranteed and the qualifiers can be tough; there's a difference between Europa League and Conference League. Playing in Europe can be positive — it builds confidence and cohesion — but only if the club first assembles a solid starting eleven. Should Anderlecht keep Taravel as head coach? No. He deserves respect for stepping in when almost the entire staff left and for reaching the cup final, but he couldn't achieve more — partly because of squad quality — and at times looked a bit lost.
Skyhawk thinks Taravel can stay on, but the club should appoint an experienced head coach who can properly assess the squad, adapt the system and get results by any means. How to strengthen: Anderlecht needs a multi-year project. Identify who to keep and who not to, focus first on the biggest weaknesses — you can't rebuild a full team in one window, but you must plug the largest gaps. Don't keep selling your few proven assets and replace them with unproven players every transfer window; that only degrades the squad. Keep Saliba and Cvetkovic. Perhaps sell De Cat but try to loan him back for a year. First buy a strong central spine, then add pace and creativity on the wings. Other reinforcements can come in later windows.
Players to retain: definitely Cvetkovic and Saliba, and De Cat if possible. Huerta isn't written off yet; Sikan could add value but played too little to judge. Bertaccini scored a fair number of goals and could fit in with the right system. Full-backs and the goalkeeper (Coosemans) are not top priorities for new signings. Ambitions for next season: it's early and depends on transfers, but Skyhawk would aim at the European group stage at minimum, ideally progressing further. To win silverware, focus should return to the cup.
The true step forward would be to return to the Champions League, which means finishing in the top two. Club Brugge will be there, but other rivals are unpredictable — Union have been clever on small budgets, Genk must manage without Europe, Antwerp remain unstable and Gent have had mixed years. If Anderlecht do good work this summer — and with many big contracts ending and changes at board level — this could be a decisive year and a chance to aim for the top two.
