Rode Duivel Player Profiles: Centre Backs

Belgians are normally modest people who undervalue themselves and all other things Belgian. So, seeing as I am a Belgian, I tend to keep my expectations in check. But even us waffle-lovers can't deny we have been producing excellent centre backs lately. We have so many great centre backs at the moment, guys like Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld can only get to play in positions they tend not to play at their clubs. Obviously there is some overlap with positions, so some players who also play centre back may be listed in another entry. Without further ado, on to the profiles:

The Contenders

Thomas Vermaelen: Thomas Vermaelen, the former Ajax captain, transferred to Arsenal last season with clouds of doubt hanging over him. Former players questioned his ability to defend in the air given his average stature (5'11). But he silenced the critics with an impressive season, scoring a lot of goals at Arsenal, but also making a name for himself with his aggressiveness in defence. He likes to push very high up the field when defending, which can frustrate strikers, but also leaves him vulnerable. This article at the excellent football tactics website, Zonal Marking, shows why Vermaelen sometimes gets into trouble with this style of defending. Since the reign of Advocaat, Vermalen has been made captain of the national team (a mistake I believe, but that's to do with his personality than play). Whatever the case, Vermaelen is good enough to be a firm starter in the Belgian lineup at centre back. But because we have a problem at left back and Vermaelen plays that position quite well (his last year with Ajax, he played at left back and caught the eye of Wenger), he may slot in there for the Duivels. At only 24 year, Vermaelen, will likely be a stalwart for years to come for the Rode Duivels.

Vincent Kompany: Before I go any further, I should reveal my bias: Vincent Kompany is my favourite player in all of football. At such a young age, he dominated the Belgian first division, running away with the title of best footballer in Belgium (Gouden Schoen). He was elegant on the ball and he made the staid position of centre back look oh so cool. I was convinced that he would make it big, even with the injury set backs and his unfortunate spell at Hamburg. Last year my friend and I were debating Manchester City's lineup, which looked certain to feature Joleon Lescott and Kolo Toure as the regulars. But because I was so convinced of Kompany's sheer ability, I told my friend (who scoffed) by the end of the season, Kompany would be the undisputed top dog at the back for City. I was right. Those who don't pay all that much close attention (i.e. the British media), think Kompany was simply a stand-in for an injured Lescott or Toure. But one simply needs to read the Citizen''s fans' opinions, and realize, almost everyone of them sees Kompany as the first choice centre back and most believe he should be made captain. His time with Belgium has been more rocky, with inconsistent games and spats with a certain Dutch coach. He is still shaky with regards to marking his man on set pieces, (remember the Bosnia away game?) and many label him nonchalant. Nevertheless, he is still probably Belgium's best defender (yes, I said it, better than Vermaelen) and with a coach he seems to get along with well in Leekens, I would say he should feature in Belgium's lineup whenever he's available. Oh, he also can play defensive midfielder and he's pretty damn good at that position as well.

Daniel Van Buyten: Big Dan to some, Van Blunder to others, no one seems to get more flak from Belgium supporters than Van Buyten. Never mind the fact he is one of Belgium's most experienced defenders, or that he almost won the treble last year with Bayern Munich (as a starter). In truth, he does make the occasional blunder, more often with Belgium than with his club. Why? My theory is that he puts too much pressure on himself with Belgium, believing it's up to him to solve all our problems, in attack as well. He probably doesn't get enough credit for some of the great moments he's had (that goal against Scotland in 2002 World Cup qualifying) but I can understand fans frustration with him. Strong in the air, a bit slow and dangerous when used as an emergency striker, Van Buyten is still a good player. But at this point in his career (32 years of age), he may be better served as a veteran bench player for Belgium, especially with the crop of guys available now. I'm not sure Leekens would agree though, as the sheen of Van Buyten appearance in the Champions League final may give him some points in the eyes of Georges.

Nicholas Lombaerts: While the three guys listed above him play in traditionally big leagues with a lot of prestige, the 25 year old Lombaerts is toiling away in the outer reaches of Europe in the frigid cold of St. Petersburg. Dominating the Russian league, Zenit, the recent Uefa Cup winners are anchored by the subtle, but effective Lombaerts. Putting it mildly, Lombaerts is underrated by practically everyone in Belgium. I dare say he's almost equal to Kompany as a defender and he's better in the air as well, both offensively and defensively. He deserves a spot in the Belgium XI and hopefully Leekens realizes that as well. Left-footed, Lombaerts can play left back as well, but he isn't the most fleet of foot, so centre back suits him better in my opinion.

The Outsiders

Toby Alderweireld: Yep, I'm putting him as an outsider, for the simple reason that as of now, he'll struggle to beat out the guys I've listed in the section above. Now if Vermaelen shifts to left-back and Kompany plays in the midfield he may be in with a chance. Together with compatriot Jan Vertonghen, last year Alderweireld shut the door in the face of practically every Eredivisie attack, giving up an impressively low 19 goals (Ajax also had an excellent figure of over 100 goals scored). With an accurate right footed long ball, good aerial strength and youth, Alderweireld could be valuable in the future for Belgium at centre back, especially if he's paired with Vertonghen at the back. But right now, I think if he does make an impact, it will be at the position of right back, where he had a solid, if somewhat offensively naive game against Bulgaria last May.

Carl Hoefkens: The right back turned centre back, Hoefkens was the revelation for Club Brugge last season. He kept a shaky backline together (with the help of Stijnen) in the face of an imposing Valencia attack consisting of David Villa. He played exceptionally well all season long, exemplified by when overwhelmed Romelu Lukaku when Brugge played Anderlecht. But at this point, he's slightly too slow and old to get back into the Belgium picture as a regular. May get called up if there are injuries to the men listed above.

Dedryck Boyata: A left footed defender who likes to play as right centre back, Boyata was named young player of the year at Manchester City. He had some impressive performances in the season, alongside the man he likens to a big brother, Vincent Kompany. Still a little too green behind the ears to make a difference, but Boyata is definitely one for the future.

Jan Wuytens: Another lefty (foot-wise), Wuytens had an impressive season last year with FC Utrecht. Though not as talented as the other names mentioned here, his steady improvement over the years, diligent mentality and secure defending may catch the eye of a bigger club and Leekens in the future.

Timmy Simons: Alright, he probably won't ever get called up again, but the former PSV captain can always be relied upon to put in a great amount of effort at the back. It's unfortunate he and Van Buyten never seemed comfortable playing with each other in the back, leading to frequent mix ups. Nevertheless, he always plays with his full heart and soul and if by any chance Leekens is looking for a typical, dependable Belgian-type of player, Timmy is always available to add to his impressive cap total of 74.

My pick:Nicolas Lombaerts (left) and Vincent Kompany (right)

Leekens' likely pick: Vincent Kompany (left) and Daniel Van Buyten (right)

Rode Duivel Player Profiles: Goalkeeper

The purpose of this series is to give insight on players who will play, or could potentially play for the Rode Duivels. I'll start from the back (i.e. goalkeeper to defenders to midfielders to fowards). Since Georges Leekens, the coach, has stated that he prefers to have the team play in a 4-3-3 formation, I'll arrange the profiles accordingly.

In the past, Belgium has never had a goalkeeping problem. Jean-Marie Pfaff and Michel Preud'homme were world greats, dominant for Belgium in almost every tournament they played in. It's been downhill from since; Filip De Wilde had some memorable blunders at Euro 2000 and Geert De Vlieger was solid if somewhat unspectacular during the 2002 World Cup. Right now, the Rode Duivels are in a transition period with regards to the position, as the former number 1, Stijn Stijnen, retired after a spat with the coach back then, Dick Advocaat. So on to the profiles.

The Contenders

Simon Mignolet: The buzz right now in Belgium is around this kid. The soon-to-be 22 year old led his former team Sint Truiden to a dominant year in the Belgian second division. He then helped STVV to a very impressive season in the Jupiler League. This led to interest from teams abroad and this summer he made the move to Sunderland. Originally it was thought he would be the second choice behind Craig Gordon. But Gordon has just broken his arm, and this means Mignolet will likely be thrown into the fires of the Premier League. So where does he stand in terms of the Rode Duivels? Well, in the games I've seen him, he looks to be a very good all-around keeper. He's tall, 6'4 and he has good reflexes. He's frustrated superior teams like Anderlecht with some great saves, and he has good command of the box. But a national team keeper has to be starting at all times, and until he wrestles that number 1 position at Sunderland, he can't be the number 1 with Belgium. But he's young and I wouldn't be surprised if in the coming years, Mignolet becomes our undisputed national team keeper.

Jean-Francois Gillet: Gillet is, at the moment, Belgium's most accomplished keeper. He's captain of a decent Serie A team in Bari. Dino Zoff, the Italian great, has named Gillet the best netminder in all of Serie A, besides Gianluigi Buffon. At 31 year of age, Gillet has shockingly few caps for Belgium (5). That's probably because he was toiling away with Bari in Serie B for the majority of his career, rejecting offers from bigger teams. Whatever the case, he is quite talented, evidenced by his games against Spain (where he stopped a penalty) and Hungary, a game where he made a very nice, low save to keep the clean sheet. He's not very tall, at around 5'11, so that does put him at a disadvantage. But given his ability and experience, he should and likely will be Belgium's starting keeper for the upcoming qualification campaign.

Logan Bailly: Another young keeper, Bailly is 24 years old, but he already has a starting place at Bundesliga club Borussia Monchengladbach. Two years ago, when he transferred there from Genk, Borussia were looking almost certain to be relegated. But Bailly's exceptional form kept them up, and earned him the player of the season award at the club. Recently, things haven't been going as well for him. He's suffered a dip in form at Monchengladbach after a foot injury and his last appearance with the Rode Duivels wasn't exactly a resounding success. After controlling a relatively listless match against Croatia, Belgium gave up a goal from long range, struck by Tottenham's Kranjcar. Bailly should have had it, but it slipped through his hands, giving Croatia the win. While no one doubts his abilities to make impressive, acrobatic saves (look them up on Youtube, some will make your jaw drop), it doesn't appear like he's mentally ready to beat out Gillet for the spot in the Belgian XI.

Silvio Proto: Poor, old Proto (actually, for a keeper with his experience he's quite young at only 27), he was a member of an Anderlecht team that was as sound defensively as it was efficient on the attacking end. After beating out Daniel Zitka for the Anderlecht job, he must have thought it only a matter of time before he would do the same with Belgium, certainly with the retirement of Stijn Stijnen. But, so far he just hasn't gotten the chance to get capped again and it will be even harder if Mignolet gets his hands on the top job at Sunderland. Proto is an excellent keeper in the Belgian league, no one doubts that. But when he gets to play at the European level, he doesn't always impress. He definitely deserves to share some of the blame for Anderlecht's Europa League exit at the hands of HSV Hamburg. For that reason, he probably should not figure too prominently in Leekens' plans.

The Outsiders

Kenny Steppe: Was supposed to be the next big thing when he was at Beerschot, but so far he hasn't been able to impress at Heerenveen. His talent is undeniable though, and could factor into the plans if he gets back on track this season in Holland.

Stijn Stijnen: I hear you ask "didn't he retire from the Rode Duivels?" Well, yes he did, after an innocuous comment made by Dick Advocaat. But now Georges Leekens is the coach and Sebastein Pocognoli (a guy that Stijnen doesn't really get along with) hasn't be called up lately. Stijnen can produce matches where he flat out shuts down the opposition (the Brugge away match against Valencia caused some Spanish newspapers to gawk at his brilliance). But he isn't as dominant as he should be on set pieces and he's never had an outstanding performance with the Duivels (and with a defence as porous as ours, he's had more than his fair share of chances). He may still be an option, but in my mind, Stijnen's time with Belgium has passed and someone else, hopefully less combustible, should replace him.

Sinan Bolat: "Doesn't he play for Turkey?" Well, he hasn't been cap-tied yet, so I guess there's still a chance he could play for the country that he's lived in for the greater part of his life. He is a pretty excellent keeper and the only reason that I haven't put him among the first choices, is that it's looking quite certain that he will get cap-tied by Turkey (though he mentioned that he was available for Belgium, but Rene Vandereyecken, the old national team coach, never called him up). For Standard Liege, Bolat has been clutch in every sense of the word, helping winning them the Belgian league title two years ago with a vital penalty stop and sending Sclessin into ecstasy after his last-minute equalizer against AZ Alkmaar in the Champions League. He's excellent in one-on-one situations and should he ever change his mind, he deserves at least a call-up.

Thomas Kaminski: Another lad from the Flemish football factory of Germinal Beerschot. He's much too young to make an impact now, at 17 years of age. But he's dripping with potential, after some very impressive performances late in the season. May even challenge for the number 1 one spot at Germinal this season.

My pick: Jean-Francois Gillet with Simon Mignolet as backup keeper

Georges Leekens' likely pick: Jean-Francois Gillet with Logan Bailly as backup keeper

The Beginning

Hello reader.

You probably stumbled upon this blog because you were looking for something related with the Belgian national football team or Belgian football in general. That's why I started this humble blog, because, as of now, there's a lack of analytical coverage (in English or otherwise) of the Belgian national team. It's true, the recent results of the team nicknamed the Rode Duivels or Diables Rouges (that translates to "Red Devils" in English), probably haven't warranted much coverage, unless it's negative, but there some signs that could change. There are definitely some talented players that could launch us into the spotlight on the world stage.

So what exactly will I be covering? In addition to previews and reports on national team games, I would also like to spotlight some players that could make an impact for the Rode Duivels. By that, I don't just mean players like Thomas Vermaelen, Eden Hazard or Marouane Fellaini. I'll try also to look out for guys who may not be that well known, like Kevin de Bruyne, Christian Benteke or Nacer Chadli. Over August, in the run up to the first matches of Euro Cup 2012 qualifying, I'll attempt to give a rundown on every viable option for each position in the Belgian lineup in an objective and fair manner.

The next coming months will be crucial for establishing the future of the Belgian national team. The supporters are tired of painful defeats and disinterested players. They are tired of watching guys who look like they are playing as individuals rather than as a bloc. They are tired of former coaches bashing the set up of our team. Euro Cup qualification is the goal, so join me as I write about Belgium's attempts to get past an ominous group headlined by the always fearsome Germany and a Guus Hiddink-managed Turkey. It looks like it's gonna be a bumpy ride.