Last first round match Gooch plays without Dragutinovic for the first time, that's a good test for him.
Not much consolation after the UEFA Cup showing, but at its good to see Standard come and take out their frustrations on East End, the Belgian equivalent of directional tech.
It had to be done. Those players need to go to vacation with a relief. Anyway, those 3 points are a fairly good operation as they come back in the top 4. Gooch had a good match, he almost scored and kept the defensive line safe even without Dragutinovic.
Gooch and Standard can now concentrate in winning the league or at least qualify for Champion league next year.
Standard will not be winning the league, or qualifying for Champions League next year, but I'm sure they're happy that they can concentrate on that now.
They're currently 7 points away from champions league qualification and 3 points away from uefa cup. They still have 17 matches to go in the season so anything could happen. Standard definitely needs to be more consistent in the 2nd half of the season.
It will all depend on how the December "mercato" will go. They need a finishing forward who can play against defensive pressure, that's were they consistently failed since Emile MPenza and Almani Moreira left to Hamburg. They just need someone to exploit all pristine crosses coming from Conceicao and Rapaic. You cannot afford having those stars in transit without giving them anyone to conclude their efforts.
Thanks for the updates. After the ugly departure from the UEFA Cup, Standard can now focus fully on their domestic games. I think yesterday's result moved them past AA Gent in the standings and up to 4th place (but only one point separates 4-7). It's highly unlikely they'll catch Club Brugge, who've dominated the first half of the season but there's no reason they shouldn't aspire to move up to 3rd or 4th.