The Antwerp Post
Squad29 May 2028
A row about effort at Antwerp
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Vincent Janssen was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad29 May 2028
A falling-out at Antwerp
Glenn Bijl and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Market29 May 2028
Antwerp promote Thorgan De Bruyne from within
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Thorgan De Bruyne has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market29 May 2028
One of our own: Lois Alderweireld joins the Antwerp first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Lois Alderweireld is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market29 May 2028
Antwerp promote Leander Kompany from within
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Leander Kompany has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market29 May 2028
Antwerp promote Lois De Ketelaere from within
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Lois De Ketelaere has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
The dugout29 May 2028
Zeno Van Den Bosch gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
The dugout29 May 2028
When it matters, Maximiliano Caufriez plays
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
The dugout29 May 2028
Thibo Somers knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Thibo Somers trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
In brief
- Boardroom Antwerp keep producing them
- Squad Lessons booked for Robert Ion at Antwerp
- The dugout Daam Foulon keeps his manager's vote