Royal Antwerp

Last Match Paid

First Division A

Round 10

KV Kortrijk 2 - 1 Royal Antwerp

2022-10-02 19:30 More Reports

Next Match Paid

First Division A

Round 11

Royal Antwerpvs. Sint-Truiden

2022-10-07 21:45:00 More Previews

Team details

Team statistics

Get statistics

Player	Number	Position

Universal Player Grid

Players Stats

Rat.	Pos.	No.	Player

Season Guide

2022/2023

Royal Antwerp

In

Vincent Janssen (att), Monterrey), Christopher Scott (mid), Bayern Munchen II), Davino Verhulst (gk), Apollon Smyrnis), Anthony Valencia (mid), Independiente Del Valle)

Out

Johannes Eggestein (sp)(att), St Pauli), Aurélio Buta (r)(def), Frankfurt), Sander Coopman (sp)(mid), Nill De Pauw (sp)(mid), Mbwana Samatta (sp)(att), Fenerbahce - end of loan)

Antwerp were a massive disappointment last season as they never really looked close to challenging for the title despite having a very expensively assembled squad and were really poor toward the end. That poor finish of the season spelled the end for Brian Priske after just a season in charge and now Mark van Bommel comes in as his replacement. He has pedigree from spells with Wolfsburg and PSV and his appointment makes the Good Old a real force to be reckoned with. Dutch international and former Tottenham striker Vincent Janssen is the most high-profile new signing so far and it is a bit puzzling that the club made such an investment in him given how good Michael Frey was last season as the main striker. The core of the squad has been kept intact and players like Radja Nainggolan, Bjorn Engels and Viktor Fischer should dominate at a league like the Belgian one. It will be interesting if the likes of Manuel Benson and Michel Single Balokwisha kick on as well after having good seasons last year. There is good depth across the board as long as no key players depart and Van Bommel can be quite confident heading to the new season, especially that most of the big clubs do have new manager as well. He will insist on more discipline and bigger effort across the board for his side to genuinely compete with the likes of Brugge and Anderlecht for top honours.

Target

A genuine push for the title at last.

Season Review

2020/2021

№3: Royal Antwerp

Antwerp started the season under new coach Ivan Leko with a sweet win over Club Brugge in the belated Cup final of the previous campaign. Yet, they could not maintain that early momentum and had their stumbles in the league in the first couple of months, dropping points to lower division sides. However, the Good Old started to find their form as the season went on and a run of one loss in eight and four wins in a row briefly even put them top of the table. They also impressed in Europe, beating Tottenham at home on the way to securing a spot in the last-32 of the Europa League. Yet, the toll of the number of games played in condensed time shoed towards the end of 2020 as three losses in a row saw the team lose ground in the race at the summit. Moreover, Leko shocked the club with his decision to quit just six months after taking over and accept a lucrative offer from China. Antwerp turned to an experienced coach like Franckie Vercauteren and he managed to keep the team humming along nicely as the games kept coming thick and fast in 2021. They went on a run of just one loss in eight and solidified their spot as the third best team in the league after Brugge and Genk. Indeed, the team went into the play-offs determined to battle for the second place and a Champions League qualification but a COVID outbreak hit at the worst possible time and Antwerp struggled to get wins in the final six games. Nevertheless, a victory over Anderlecht on the final day secured the third place in the standings and a Europa League slot next season. Given all the off-filed instability, that feels like a pretty good achievement for a team that continues to grow and develop in the last few years and will hope to mount a real title challenge next season.