The 2022/23 Belgian Pro League season has been one of incredible entertainment so far, and there is still half of the season to go. From looking at the title race to the relegation battle, to all the coaching changes that have occurred since the World Cup began, this tactical analysis will break everything down in detail. It will also be a preview of the second half of the season, looking ahead to what will surely be a race to the finish line in both the title race and which teams get relegated, with three teams automatically going down this season.
Looking at the title race
When taking a look at the title race in Belgium, the first thing to notice is that KRC Genk currently sit on 46 points, 10 points clear of second-placed Union Saint-Gilloise. This comes after a blistering start to the season for Wouter Vrancken’s side, who only have one loss from their first 17 matches of the season. This form has led Genk to give Vrancken a new contract, only six months after him joining the club from fellow Pro League side Mechelen.
A lot of these results for Genk can go down to the success of their attacking players, with Genk being the top scorers in the league. This is even more astonishing when factoring in that Junya Ito was sold to Reims in the summer, who had 8 goals and 15 assists for the Belgian side last season. Paul Onuacho has returned to his best form, with the Nigerian striker having scored 13 goals in 14 appearances so far this season.
The biggest impacts however have come from Joseph Paintsil and Mike Tresor. The former has 6 goals and 8 assists this season after replacing the departed Ito in the lineup. Tresor however, has been on a different level this season, with 5 goals and 13 assists so far.
As the xG data viz shows above, Genk have slightly overperformed their xG this season, but the majority of their goals have come from areas where they should be scoring. So while it may not stay at this pace in the second half of the season, they will still be dangerous going forward.
In second place sit Union Saint-Gilloise, who, a year on from almost doing the unthinkable and winning the league the season they were promoted, have kept pace nicely. After losing their manager Felice Mazzu in the summer to Brussels rivals Anderlecht, they looked in-house for their next manager, replacing him with Mazzu’s former assistant Karel Gerarts. This has worked wonders, with the Belgian guiding USG to the knockout stages of the UEFA Europa League by winning their group this fall.
