Are Sint Truiden already in must win territory after just three games? | OneFootball

Sint Truiden have had a miserable start to the Pro League season. It may only be three games in, but they have lost all three and shipped 11 goals in the process. After a 4-1 home defeat to Charleroi in game two, they then travelled to Antwerp and lost 6-1. What will frustrate the squad and management the most is that, against Antwerp at least, they had plenty of chances to score, but their defending at the back and lack of quality up front cost them dearly.

On Saturday they host newly promoted Dender, a side many predict will be relegated and probably finish bottom. However, so far they have enjoyed a much more successful start to the season. After an opening day draw at home to Union St Gilloise, they then went on to beat Gent and Kortrijk. They have only conceded two goals this season.

It may be early, but there is already a feeling that Sint Truiden cannot afford to lose this early relegation clash with Dender. Another heavy defeat would be hard for the senior management to ignore, and head coach Christian Lattanzio could be off before he’s even managed to get his feet under the desk. He can point to a few factors against him, with the side losing so many key players over the summer. Replacements have come in, but the chance to realise their potential to help the side improve may be beyond the Italian head coach.

Sint Truiden cannot afford to defend as poorly as they did against Antwerp. Dender have shown they have the ability up front to score goals at this level. One of the biggest shadows looming over Lattanzio is the man who he replaced. Thorsten Fink managed to get a lot out of a squad that many thought would be relegated last season. They comfortably survived and have been picked apart this summer. They lost creativity and goals up front, as well as quality at the back. Losing on Saturday would see a 10 point gap between themselves and Dender already, a significant margin to start the season.

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson