Why KV Mechelen Early Season Scoring Is Built On Shaky Ground – Team Analysis

KV Mechelen have been a respectable side in the Belgian Pro League for quite a long time.

Having spent all but one of the last 18 seasons in the top flight, as well as finishing in the top half of the table on several occasions, its fair to say theyve earned their reputation as a club that punches above its weight year in year out.

Last season, they placed eighth in the league, only missing out on a European competition playoff at the hands of Gent, who finished nine points higher.

It was their fourth time in five seasons, since their promotion after a solitary season out of the Belgian elite in 2019, that they finished in the top 8 — quite a feat for a club not traditionally considered one of the big boys in the country.

This season, theyve started fairly well again, indicating that they can push for another high ranking in the standings this year.

After six rounds, they are currently 9th in the table, but perhaps more surprisingly, they are the third highest scoring outfit in the league with 10 goals: only bettered by shock leaders Dender (13) and the other surprise package, Westerlo (12), who are sitting in fourth.

What makes their goalscoring record even more surprising is that their expected goals (xG) average is pretty low at just 1.09 per game, meaning theyve almost doubled the numbers they normally should be getting at this point, with nearly two goals a game on average six games in.

This tactical analysis and scout report will explore in depth the keys behind their offensive success under head coach Besnik Hasi so far this season and whether their numbers are sustainable or if there are underlying issues in their team and/or tactics that are being papered over by some great finishing.

KV Mechelen Spacing Issues

One of the most noticeable things about the way Mechelen attack when you watch them play is just how spread out the players are on the pitch.

Besnik Hasis side mainly line up in a 3-4-3 shape, with a heavy focus on wing play and a direct approach offensively.

The biggest protagonists in this system are their wing-backs, normally the adventurous German Patrick Pflücke on the right, who is a winger by trade, and the domestic Daam Foulon on the left.

Their aim is to get them as wide and high up the pitch as possible, with the deeper players on the ball being tasked with finding them in spaces through long balls and quick switches of play.

While this has paid dividends on many occasions this season, when you look beneath the surface, its clear that there are some structural issues in the way they set up when in possession.

Lets take a look at some of those issues via some in-game illustrations below.

The above example is early on in the game against Anderlecht.

As mentioned before, you can see the wing-backs taking up a position high up the field early on in the build-up phase.

However, we can also see one of the ce