Belgium National Team

[don vito of fitzroy]

Just for the bandwagoners...

2-0 against Scotland, goals from Benteke and Kompany in the 69th and 71st minute. Plenty of chances to score but was starting to get nervous when it was still 0-0 after 60'.

Another classy assist by De Bruyne and a great strike by Kompany.

Courtois, Alderweireld, Vermaelen, Kompany, Vertonghen, Witsel, Chadli, Mertens (Mirallas - 55' ), De Bruyne, Dembele (Hazard - 45' ), Benteke (Ilombe - 86' ).

Quite the luxury when you can have Fellaini out injured and still leave Hazard on the bench. Lack of depth anyone?

Who are the goalies? Does Jean-Francois Gillet get called-up anymore? I'm assuming he would get competition from Courtois, Mignolet and Bailly.

 

[Kompany]

Gillet is 3rd choice. Bailly is gone - didn't seem to have the right personality to succeed.

 

[Magma]

on the belgium wagon (i have been for a while though)

heard that prince vince's goal was an absolute ripper. de bruyne is in fine form in the bundi too.

 

[hawkman]

Belgium will probably be the first European team to qualify. I
After France they're my second most liked European team

Have to get past Croatia. They won't be easy to beat

 

[Kompany]

heard that prince vince's goal was an absolute ripper. de bruyne is in fine form in the bundi too.

On a Belgian football show the night before the pundits had been saying they were missing the old Kompany, the player who would run forward all the time and do tricks. Well all game long Kompany played exactly like that. Then when he was being interviewed after the game, he admitted he'd seen the show but that it hadn't influenced him - although you could tell by his face he was lying .

Have to get past Croatia. They won't be easy to beat

Yeah I agree. Today Croatia has more experience than us, but we're only playing them in a year's time. We seem to get better constantly now.

 

[Magma]

kompany of old?

stop it, my pants are stiff

 

[moomba]

Watched this game. Thought De Bruyne was a class apart.

Starting to worry a bit about Chelsea in a few years.

Belgium look the goods although they'll want to top their group and avoid playoffs. And that won't be easy.

 

[moomba]

heard that prince vince's goal was an absolute ripper.

That it was. Not too many central defenders capable of that.

 

[Cruyff14]

That it was. Not too many central defenders capable of that.

Nesta could do it with his eyes closed.

 

[Kompany]

Chelsea also have our biggest ever talent (apparently) - Charly Musonda Jr (16).

Apollo Creed



I guess it's only a matter of time now until I go to the dark side really

 

[HolyRioli]

2 goals in 2 games from Benteke, and both to open the scoring. Good start to his international career

 

[apollo_creed]

Too bad Benteke is playing like s**t for Villa though. Caught his game against West Brom and it was most underwhelming. Hope he succeeds and performing (well scoring) at international level is a good sign.

With De Bruyne apparently dominating in Germany and looking the goods - and in that case likely to play for Chelsea next season - still can't understand the signing of Marko Marin.
I know he might be injured at the moment or whatever but surely it can't be long before they stick his face on the back of milk cartons.

And Kompany, all I need now if for you to come full circle on Mourinho....!

 

[HolyRioli]

Yeah he was hopeless against West Brom - didn't seem to be judging the flight of the ball well at all, unable to hold the ball up properly, etc. Still, it was only his first or second start (I haven't watched the Tottenham game) so I'll cut him some slack

Shame though, because the balls that Albrighton (early) and Bannan (late) were floating into the box were just begging to be hit

 

[Kompany]

Yeah I watched the games against West Brom and Spurs and he was very disappointing indeed. But he's still learning - it is quite a steep step from the Belgian league straight into the EPL.

I thought he was s**t against Croatia as well though but these last 2 games were a major improvement. The goals may be partly due to De Bruyne's crossing - they played together at Genk and he knows where the ball is going (both crosses were aimed right for the 2nd post), and even though he had a really bad miss against Spurs, he hasn't had that many good crosses at Villa really.

Next to his 2 goals, his work rate was excellent. Dropped deep constantly and was often available to receive and hold up the ball for a second or two.

 

[Rustin Cohle]

We'll have half of Belgium signed at this rate. De Bruyne looks like a really promising player for the future.

 

[don vito of fitzroy]

Nesta could do it with his eyes closed.

He probably could but he was never the most audacious player on the ball. He was a true CB. Gaetano Scirea, who played for Juve and the Azzurri in the 70s and 80s, would have done it with his eyes closed. Great defender and just as great going forward.

 

[don vito of fitzroy]

Gillet is 3rd choice. Bailly is gone - didn't seem to have the right personality to succeed.

Thanks for that. I just checked Bailly's Wiki page and he has really gone off the ball post-Moenchengladbach. He was good in his first season or two.

 

[Collingwoodity]

Speaking of juve and Napoli (and italy at times) is any other decent teams using this right now?

Udinese and Lazio try it in patches... will be the way of the future..

 

[HolyRioli]

Inter have been playing 3-4-1-2 (or 2-1) this season

 

[Tomnat Tigers]

Croatia will have a good team in a couple of years. Have a couple of future guns in their ranks. Mateo Kovacic and Alen Halilovic.

 

[Cruyff14]

What does that have to do with Belgium?

 

[Tomnat Tigers]

What does that have to do with Belgium?

Nothing but I didn't see the need to make a new thread on croatia like GB did for brazil, when this thread was to discuss a nation on the up and Croatia look to be on the up as well.

 

[Redalert]

Croatia will have a good team in a couple of years. Have a couple of future guns in their ranks. Mateo Kovacic and Alen Halilovic.

Sime Vrsaljko too. I just hope he gets transferred to a European giant so we see him playing in the elite leagues of the world.

 

[Latro]

Arsenal are interested in one of the young Croatians.

 

[Tomnat Tigers]

Ante Roguljic is the one we have been linked to Latro. There saying for 1.5 million so he must be a talent considering his only 16.