Luke Le Roux has set himself a clear mission at Cercle Brugge: to revive his own career and pull the team out of the relegation zone. The midfielder recently provided an assist against Anderlecht, but his focus is entirely on the collective and the precarious league position, with the club sitting 18th on just three points from nine games (zero wins, three draws and six losses).
"My assist against Anderlecht was nice, but I would have preferred to win," said Le Roux. The 1-2 defeat to the Brussels side on October 10th highlighted the difficulties facing the Green and Blacks. With just three points from nine matches, Cercle occupy 18th and second-bottom place in the Jupiler Pro League. The team has a goal difference of minus ten, having scored 11 and conceded 21.
Turnaround required
Le Roux, however, sees positive signs to build upon. "Our strong first hour makes me hope that we can quickly turn around our precarious situation in the ranking," he explained. That hope is urgently tested after the heavy 5-2 defeat to Union Saint-Gilloise last Saturday, in which S. In that match, Le Roux played intensely against Dylan Aquino. The recent form from the last four matches shows one win and three losses. A 2-1 win at Sporting Hasselt, with goals from A. Manneh and S. Ngoura, was followed by defeats to Anderlecht and Union.
The next opportunity for points comes this weekend, when Cercle Brugge host Antwerp at the Jan Breydel Stadium on Sunday 1 November. Antwerp currently sit 11th in the table. The last meeting between the two sides, at the end of January, ended in a painful 0-4 home defeat for Cercle. A repeat of that must be avoided at all costs.
Trailing leaders KAA Gent by 22 points, the title race is obviously not a realistic target. The immediate task is to break the negative spiral and connect with the mid-table group. The coming weeks, including the match against Antwerp, are key for that.
For Luke Le Roux personally, it is a chance to prove his value to the team and rediscover his form. His commitment and vision in midfield could play a key role in the search for more stability and better results. The match against Antwerp kicks off on Sunday afternoon.
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