Tag Archives: benteke

Belgian young guns challenging for places at the Euros

There have never been so many Belgians in the Premier League. It’s a boom time but the 2016 Euros are fast approaching and young guns in Belgium, France, Germany and Spain – and even in the Premier League itself – will be battling for a place in Marc Wilmots’ squad. Wilmots has been notoriously loyal… Read More »

Brussels – setting for a game of Devils and Dragons

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 »

Time for Team Belgium to deliver

Belgium go into back-to-back matches with Macedonia and the country expects. The exploits of the 10 Belgians in the Premier League have not gone unnoticed – just the opposite in fact. The Saturday night football programmes tend to start with ‘Belgians abroad’ before turning to the domestic fare. The stadium will be packed on Tuesday… Read More »

Monday Mash: Mati’s back, Jelle’s off, Marouane’s booed off and Meme’s pissed off

It’s been a typical week in the world of Belgian football, both on and off the field. There’s been lots of talk about red cards and suspensions, one player who wants to be a ‘Red Devil’, another who seems a little unsure about his future and another who is seen as a saviour for his… Read More »

Jupiler League review: leaders Anderlecht need to avoid the January sales

It’s just over halfway through the season proper in the Jupiler Pro League but as the ‘end-of-season playoffs’ count for 40% of points overall (points gained by the end of the classic season are divided by two), we’re just getting started in Belgium. No one likes the current system and this is probably the last… Read More »

World Cup qualifiers – Red Devils’ report cards

Marc Wilmots used 15 players in the games with Wales and Croatia. Here’s my view of how the players fared in the two matches. Thibaut Courtois: Hardly tested in the two matches; made important saves and interventions when necessary. He’s there to stay. Guillaume Gillet: Superbly taken goal against Croatia but he’s not a full… Read More »

Belgium drop points and go level with the Balkan Two

After two matches, Belgium are level on points with Croatia and Serbia at the top of the World Cup qualifying group. They had hoped for two victories – Wales in Cardiff, Croatia in Brussels – but it was not to be. A defensive error against Croatia, one that was almost repeated later in the game,… Read More »