Club Brugge started the season as holders and favourites and initially looked very hard to beat, winning eight of the opening nine games, playing typical Ivan Leko football and looking every hungrier and determined.
Yet, cracks began to appear in early autumn as the team went on a poor run of six away games without a win. That included some very poor results at Waasland-Beveren, Charleroi and Kortrijk, while results at home, where the Black and Blue are usually so reliable, proved wavering too.
That, added to the fact that Genk set a superb early pace, suddenly meant that the champions were in real trouble and staring at a big cushion to the summit. They found a bit more consistency and purpose after the winter break and pulled off a few good wins in tight games but nevertheless ended the regular season some seven points off the leaders and facing a massive challenge to repeat their title triumph.
Leko's men played some of their best football of the season early in the play-offs and definitely looked on their way to topping the team at the top but then got outplayed in the direct game away from home, losing 3:1, and never managed to close in again.
At the end, a second place to a truly excellent Genk side is no disgrace but there is certainly some disappointment at lowering of the standards and Leko seems to be on his way out after just two years.
Yet there is still an excellent squad there and in Hans Vanaken the team has a superb player that continues to produce and excel and has long outgrown the Belgian Jupiler League.
