Genk Boss Not Lost Dressing Room, DOF Insists Ahead Of Rangers Clash | OneFootball

George Wood/Getty Images

Genk director of football Dimitri De Conde has claimed that his manager Thorsten Fink has not lost the dressing room ahead of the Europa League meeting with Rangers.

Belgian club Genk go into their Europa League clash with Rangers needing to overcome appalling domestic form which has presently put them in the 14th spot in the Belgian Pro League.

This wretched form has led to murmurings that Fink has lost the confidence of his players and is unable to motivate them.

De Conde suggested that there will always be grumbling voices when the team are not winning.

The director of football though, backed his manager, claiming that the rumours of dressing room unrest are false, and that the team spirit is high as witnessed in training.

De Conde told Belgian daily HLN: “People who say that should come and see the training pitch. You see the team spirit there.

“There’s a real grit to win in every training exercise.

“But as always in football: if you don’t win, you always have individuals who complain.

“That’s no different at our club than at other clubs.

“I would ask those who are negative about it to take a look in the mirror and definitely step up their game this week to give Fink the confidence he deserves again.”

Genk face a tough test away at Rangers, who despite their poor domestic form have regularly flourished in Europe, and we have taken a close look at the game here.

Fink’s counterpart at Rangers, Russell Martin, finds himself in a similar predicament domestically, as the Gers are in the relegation zone.

Rangers were eliminated from the Champions League, after losing at the playoff round stage to Genk’s domestic rivals Club Brugge.

They have though been told by one Belgian boss that Genk are not at the same level as Club Brugge.

Both Fink and Martin have the opportunity to turn their season around with a win, but equally, both managers also are so precariously placed, that an adverse result could see the calls for their heads only grow louder.