Anderlecht was thrown into turmoil on February 6th when head coach Edward Still informed club officials of his intention to join Watford. The news reportedly stunned the Belgian side, leaving them scrambling to name an interim manager ahead of their February 9th match against Genk.
The situation at Anderlecht became even more complex following a recent victory at Zulte Waregem, where Jérémy Taravel acknowledged the team had secured a hard-fought win. “But before, we didn’t win by suffering,” Taravel said.
With Lucas Biglia’s departure and Jelle Coen, the coach of the Futures team, lacking experience with senior players, Anderlecht’s options were limited. The most viable solution appeared to be promoting a former assistant coach – potentially the third or fourth assistant under Besnik Hasi – to an interim role.
Club officials view this appointment as a temporary fix, acknowledging the candidate’s lack of head coaching experience. Adding to the challenge, Taravel has no prior playing history with Anderlecht. He is expected to oversee a maximum of two matches – against Antwerp and La Louvière – before the club pursues a more established foreign manager. Alfred Schreuder and Jon Dahl Tomasson are currently considered top priorities.
“When a captain calls his coach by his nickname, it’s a good sign. ‘Tara’ is very appreciated by his players.”
The situation took an unexpected turn as Anderlecht delivered one of their strongest performances since Marc Coucke’s arrival, with Taravel guiding the team to the Belgian Cup final. This success coincided with stalled negotiations with both Tomasson, who reportedly declined an offer, and Schreuder, whose Saudi Arabian club blocked a potential move.
Two league matches later, Anderlecht is now heavily favored to secure a spot in the Championship Playoffs. This impressive run has solidified Taravel’s position within the club.
Despite a less-than-stellar performance against La Louvière, Taravel’s impact has been undeniable. The win boosts Anderlecht’s playoff hopes and demonstrates the positive effect of Taravel’s leadership.
“Hat’s off to the coach,” Colin Coosemans stated after Sunday’s 2-4 victory. “’Tara’ is a top guy, we know how to work very well with him.” The captain’s use of Taravel’s nickname in an official interview speaks volumes about the coach’s rapport with the players.
Notably, Thorgan Hazard has delivered his two best performances for Anderlecht since Taravel’s promotion. One of the French coach’s key challenges is revitalizing attacker Bertaccini, whom he warmly embraced after a hard-fought match at Waregem, acknowledging his tireless effort.
But imagine a dream scenario for Taravel: good luck to the DT announcing to him that he will not remain T1 in 2026-2027.
Replacing Taravel with an outsider would likely be viewed as a significant misstep, both by the current coach and the players. Any new manager would face a difficult task – exceeding Taravel’s recent success with a team that isn’t necessarily brimming with star power. A dip in form would almost certainly lead to regret from both the supporters and the players.
Extending Taravel’s contract would similarly allow the club to follow a logical organizational structure: first appointing a technical director, and then a head coach, rather than reversing the order as they did with David Hubert and Olivier Renard.
Still, consider this scenario: Taravel wins the Cup and finishes third after a strong playoff run. Good luck to the new technical director who must then inform him that he will be replaced by Alfred Schreuder (as he has proposed) or another candidate…
