The Standard coach missed his big official debut. The Croatian coach used war metaphors to highlight what his players had missed.
We know that Ivan Leko has, in theory, the house style in Sclessin. His incendiary character and his very aggressive play should have been welcomed with open arms at Standard… but for that, results will be needed. “We knew it would be a difficult match between two teams who need results,” begins Leko in comments relayed by the Newspaper.
“He was a well-organized opponent. And in these kinds of matches you have to have a killer instinct. I could compare this type of match to a boxing match,” continues Ivan Leko graphically. “And it was Kortrijk who scored the winning punch. Well done to them, they created their chance. We have to accept it, accept the criticism… but also keep our heads held high.”
Ivan Leko wants Standard players to ‘die on the pitch’
The Croatian then continued the warrior theme by using a well-known cliché: “Giving 100%, that won’t be enough. I want my players to be ready to die on the pitch,” he said. “I want them to be ready to die in training too. We have to give everything to improve things, because tonight it wasn’t good enough.”
Standard supporters will agree with their new coach on this point. Ivan Leko took over a club in bad shape, but couldn’t see himself doing without coaching: “Look, I could have stayed on my sofa with a glass of wine. But it’s my vocation. Life is too short for play safe,” explains the Croatian coach. “I fit in well here. We will come back stronger.”
2024-01-21 09:51:44
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