And so it came to pass that Belgium failed to qualify for the 2012 European Championships. The writing has been on the wall for some time and to expect a victory in Dusseldorf was asking too much. The Belgian squad is obviously full of talent but lacks quality in several positions and – it has to be said – technical nous.
The latter has to come from the coach and it’s time for Georges Leekens to call it a day. He’s a proud and confident man but in the world of international football, he lacks vision and ability. My preference would be for a Belgian to replace Leekens and Eric Gerets would be an excellent choice as he has won titles at home and abroad. It’s almost certain that the Belgian FA could not afford him but perhaps Gerets could drop his price after his well-paid stints around the world. The other problem is that Leekens is under contract until 2014, but with Rio beckoning the stakes are high.
As for the match, Belgium were tactically naive. Bastien Schweinsteiger apparently told Daniel Van Buyten exactly how Belgium would play and that’s how it worked out. Germany soaked up a bit of pressure and then killed them off. It was as simple as that. Timmy Simons said he did his best to contain Mesut Özil but as the German scored one and made two, it clearly wasn’t enough. I‘ve long been a supporter of Simons but Belgium has to find someone to replace him. A certain Jelle Van Damme springs to mind – at least in the short term; he has Simons’ spirit and he’s a natural leader – more vocal than the superb Vincent Kompany. With a strong personality on and off the field, Belgium could go far. If Leekens is allowed to struggle on and if Van Buyten and Simons are given the chance of one last throw of the dice on the road to Rio, it could all end in tears.
Hmm, Van Damme's best position is the left back or left wing though. In a central position he's not the strong. But he should be part of the squad somehow, that's true. As a replacement for Simons there is Defour (natural leader and certainly vocal) and Vadis. With these two ligned up next to Witsel and Fellaini there's not need for worrying about the midfield.
Agree that Leekens has to go, he just doesn't get modern football. But he'll probably stay until 2014, since the amateurs at the Belgian FA extended his contract and are very unlikely to want to pay a severance package and bring in someone like Gerets who would cost a lot more.
Simons and Van Buyten should go too, there is enough quality to replace them. Biggest concern still is the backs (but that could change in a year) and up front..this comes back to modern football, our system needs to be adapted (perhaps Barca influenced) to accommodate our talent.