Bruges, five times champion over the last seven years, is becoming more and more the club that flies over the competition. An observation far from being due to chance for Thomas: “I think it is the fruit of a long work. I arrived with the new management, the new president, the new owner. There was a substantial and immediate investment. Which did not immediately bear fruit, but which began to work with the Preud’homme era. And we see it since, it’s their 4th or 5th title in a short time.”
From there to nickname Club Brugge “the Belgian Bayern Munich”? Not so fast…”I don’t think we can speak of a Bayern Munich yet because Bayern are above the rest at all levels. Whether it’s in the game, in terms of finances, its history… In Belgium, I think what’s lacking is above all that the competitors don’t follow. Teams like Anderlecht, like Ghent, are always up and down. I am completely delighted with what is happening to the Union, but logically, it is not normal for it to be the Union, the only team that can make Club Brugge tremble… Despite a season that has was less qualitative than in the past, Club Brugge did very well and ended up champion of Belgium.“
It’s not normal that the Union is the only team to shake Club Brugge
It is in the other clubs that the shoe pinches: “For me the big disadvantage is that the competitors of Club Brugge do not do their job. While in Germany, neither Dortmund nor any other club can compete with Bayern Munich. And that’s where we have very little error. While for me in Belgium, at the level of the game there are teams which can fight with Club Brugge. Perhaps not in terms of finances, there it has become complicated. But on the ground there is a way to do better. We have seen that Ghent managed to do a good job of hurting the Club, even the Union which did not really have a chance during its confrontations with Bruges and which deserved victory more than once. It hasn’t been easy for the Club but I think there is room for a long and healthy competition, it’s just that the sauce does not take away from the opponents.”