The BBC recently predicted that Belgium would win the World Cup. One of the factors that prompted this argument was the efficiency of their defence. Presumably this was based on their record in the qualifiers: six goals conceded in 10 games. Over half of those games were against opposition such as Estonia, Cyprus and Gibraltar.… Read More »
When Roberto Martinez opened his press conference earlier today, he could have said, ‘The players who got us to Russia have done a great job but as a country we are lucky enough to have one of the game’s top midfielders who didn’t participate much in the qualifiers. Radja Nainggolan can come into the squad… Read More »
Martinez is here to stay Just before midnight on Thursday, the Belgian FA made – i.e. leaked – a shock announcement. Roberto Martinez would be extending his stay as coach of the Belgian team for a further two years. They’d previously said they would evaluate his performance only once the Russian dust had settled. Martinez… Read More »
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 »
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 »
Half of the Belgian squad play in the Premier League. Eden Hazard and Vincent Kompany are arguably more famous than their counterparts in Roy Hodgson’s squad. But not every Belgian footballer is a household name and of those on the fringes of the national team, by far the most interesting is a player who’s better… Read More »
Marc Wilmots has announced the Belgian squad to meet the Ivory Coast next week and there are no shocks. In keeping with previous squads, Wilmots is sticking with his trusted players regardless of whether they play regularly with their clubs. Of the 23-man squad, only one position is genuinely up for grabs – reserve right… Read More »
It’s been a busy old week in Belgium football. The latest Red Devils squad was announced, the transfer window closed with a whimper and the famed Clasico closed the week with a few of its own brand of fireworks. For me the highlight of the week was a good news story; the return of Anthony… Read More »