Football Season Guide

Charleroi had two very different halves of last season, excellent opening four months and very poor finish, with the Zebras limited in terms of the players they could sign due to the many loans taken by the owners to keep the club running. That said, coach Mazzu is an emblematic figure in Belgian football, he has been voted Manager of the Year in Belgium twice in the last five seasons and his influence is evident as no regulars left the club this summer. At the same time, after the successful signing last summer of striker Rezaei, he should remain the main threat up front, Charleroi added two more Iranians to their squad for the new season. Especially the young holding midfielder Noorafkan is very highly rated and the Zebras have solid-looking midfield, with at least four holding midfielders competing for two places. Mazzu will almost certainly stick to his favourite 4-2-3-1 formation on most occasions, but last season he showed versatility in playing with three at the back several times and this term he might be using 3-1-4-2 much more often. The fact that Willems is fully fit again, he missed the entire last season, and also the arrival of Biatoumoussoka give plenty of options for using three at the back. Charleroi are known for their good use of set pieces, last season they scored 12 goals from direct free-kicks, or dead-ball deliveries and, with the team reported to be spending long hours this summer working on such situations, more of the same can be expected from Mazzu’s crew. Up front Pollet was loaned out after two disappointing years and as a backup for Rezaei veteran Perbet re-joined Charleroi after being their top goalscorer just three years ago. The obvious weaknesses of the team are the absence of really explosive wingers and also the fact that Marinos is the only typical right-back on the books. Mazzu is likely to address at least the second issue in the remaining weeks of the transfer window, but as Charleroi’s transfer activities are seriously restricted it is unlikely for any top names to be joining the squad.