In what turned out to be yet another tumultuous season for Club Brugge, the 18-time Belgian champions sacked Ronny Deila in mid-March, after less than a year in charge, despite guiding the club to the title playoffs and the quarter-finals of the Conference League.
The club then turned to Nicky Hayen as his temporary replacement, with the current Club Nxt head coach promoted to the first-team role until the end of the season.
However, the 43-year-old may have given himself a legitimate shot at getting the job permanently, with Hayen unbeaten in his eight matches in charge so far.
He has them level on points at the top of the table with Anderlecht domestically, while also guiding them past Greek giants PAOK in the Conference League quarter-finals to set up a European semi-final with Serie A side Fiorentina, something a Belgian club has not achieved since 1993.
This tactical analysis will examine Nicky Hayens tactics in-depth and discuss how Club Brugge has managed to have such a dramatic upturn in form under the 43-year-old Belgian.
The Belgian side has a chance to win two trophies still this season.
Nicky Hayen Preferred Formation
As mentioned at the beginning of this tactical analysis, Nicky Hayen has only been in charge of the senior side for eight matches, so the graphic above gives a more detailed look at what Club Brugge have played all season.
However, since Hayens appointment, he has not really looked to change much from a formation perspective, with the Belgian sticking with a back four.
