As an aside, the first thing we learned is that I should stop forecasting. OK, I said it would be a draw but I felt there would be goals. End result: nine shots on target – the total from both teams. Apart from that, what struck me early on in the game was that Eden… Read More »
Belgium face Wales on Sunday and you’d expect an air of confidence about a team placed fourth in the FIFA rankings facing one in 34th position. But it’s not quite like that. Although Marc Wilmots’ men defeated Iceland 3-1 on Wednesday, both the coach and the performance were heavily criticised. Wilmots rested several players (most… Read More »
Belgium play Bosnia and Herzegovina tonight in Sarajevo. On paper it looks like the toughest match in the qualifying group. Last week they easily beat Andorra and now the hard work starts. Looking at the Belgian squad, the strength lies in midfield. Even though Zenit’s Axel Witsel and Everton’s Kevin Mirallas are missing through injury,… Read More »
It’s difficult to know where to start when writing about the Belgium team ahead of tonight’s friendly match with Australia. So much has been happening off the pitch since the World Cup, it’s not easy to say much about the forthcoming game that is at all relevant. For the past couple of years, the Belgium… Read More »
Tomorrow, Belgium will play its most important game for 12 years. On 17 June, 2002, Belgium lost 2-0 to Brazil in a match remembered by Belgians for Marc Wilmots’ disallowed goal. Now Wilmots is back and he’s in charge of a group known variously as ‘a golden generation’, ‘dark horses’ or ‘everyone’s favourite second team’.… Read More »
1. Belgium’s record in the qualifiers – seven goals at home, 11 on the road – show that they are happier playing on the break when teams come at them. This means their chances could improve as they advance in the competition. 2. The selection of the midfield trio is still a problem for Marc… Read More »
Ahead of Belgium’s clash with Russia on Sunday, Marc Wilmots has getting a bit tetchy with the press. He walked out on one session after a Flemish journalist from Sporza asked how Vincent Kompany’s groin strain was coming along. He’s also been receiving criticism for not initially selecting a team that could beat Algeria and… Read More »
It’s been a long time since Belgium played their last match in a major tournament, 12 years in fact since they lost to Brazil in Kobe. Marc Wilmots had a valid goal disallowed but he’ll have forgotten that now as he focuses on taking his team as far as possible in the 2014 edition. Wilmots… Read More »
Last week I wrote extensively about Marc Wilmots’ options for Brazil. Today, he’ll announce a group of 27 – including four keepers – as a pre-selection. Given the number of certainties and ‘highly likely to travel’ candidates, it could be that a group of four or five players will be competing for a couple of… Read More »
On May 13, Marc Wilmots will announce his ‘pre-selection’ of players who could go to Brazil. The final squad of 23 will be divulged to the public on June 2. Prior to the final group being announced, Belgium will play two friendlies, against Luxembourg and Sweden. After the announcement, Belgium will play Tunisia on June… Read More »