Belgian Football Talk
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Belgium-Turkey: Player Ratings
Simon Mignolet, 6: Hard to give a rating to a player whose only real contact with the ball came when picking it out of the net. Very few keepers would have saved that goal, and if they did, it would have been sheer luck. His distribution was fine, but not spectacular.
Toby Alderweireld, 6: Not really his position, but Alderweireld looked alright as a right-back. Kept Arda under wraps for most of the game (when Arda showed up on the right that is). His forward play wasn't great, but he served in a few good balls into the box (especially on corners). Needs to stay wider, however, when going forward.
Vincent Kompany, 7.5: Dominant, didn't give Kazim a sniff (had one fanatastic block on him though). He did everything he needed to do, and when the time came for attacking, he did it with verve. The true captain of this squad and without a doubt my man of the match. At the end of the match, he told reporters Belgium would go to Germany and beat them, and said with unbelievable conviction. If only we had 9 more of him.
Nicholas Lombaerts, 5.5: Didn't respond quick enough to the first goal. Great player for Zenit, but a little shaky for Belgium. Still, kept calm for most of the match, and otherwise unremarkable.
Jan Vertonghen, 4.5: Simply put, he's out of position at left-back. This can be masked against worse teams like Azerbaijan, but here he didn't look comfortable, especially when Arda showed up on the left. Had two good chances to score on set pieces, but missed both. Presumably, he'll make a big money transfer this summer and it will sway Leekens to play him as a centre-back beside Kompany.
Steven Defour, 5: Not nearly up to his usual standards. He looked out his depth at times. He put in a lot of effort, but it was all so laboured. Didn't see him much going forward either and his incisive passing was absent today. It's becoming clearer by the day that he needs to move to a bigger league to avoid stagnating.
Timmy Simons, 5.5: An okay outing defensively, but his presence in a three man midfield causes problems when it comes to creativity. When he got the ball, there were opportunities to find one of the flank players, but he seemed only able to pass it nearest player to him. He tried mightily to stop the Turks possession in the midfield, but not much he could do. A more dynamic player is needed in his position, and that player was injured for this game (hint: he has a big afro and his names Fellaini).
Axel Witsel, 6: It's hard to rate Witsel, because even though he showed a lot of grittiness and aerial strength, the final ball didn't seem to be there today. He's dominant in the league, but like Defour, he needs a new challenge to improve his game. You could also tell the nerves got to him on the penalty, but that can happen to anyone.
Nacer Chadli, 4.5: Poor outing, after the 10th minute, he disappeared. Nothing worked (besides his nodded ball to Ogunjimi for the first goal). If he stayed on his feet while defending Arda, the Turkish goal could have been prevented. Still, he worked hard and Leekens should have known that he wasn't in great form at the end of the season with Twente. Chadli needs that summer break more than anyone right now.
Eden Hazard, 5: An mediocre outing for any winger, this was a terrible game for a player of Hazard's calibre. He just didn't look in sync with the team. He gave a couple good passes and had a nice action to end his match, but I can't really blame Leekens for subbing him out for Mertens (though Chadli was playing worse . His storming off into the tunnel was unneccessary aswell. This was a big game and he should have put the team mentality ahead of his own ego.
Marvin Ogunjimi, 5.5: He scored a goal and then chased the Turks around for the rest of the match. He didn't look comfortable matching up against the big Turkish defenders. I said before, I thought the match called for a striker who was more oriented to coming back into the midfield and picking up the ball. Ogunjimi wasn't that striker. But again, it wasn't due to lack of effort.
Thomas Vermaelen, 6: While he didn't bring much attacking, Vermaelen looked a great deal more comfortable defensively at the left-back position than Vertonghen. A decent substition by Leekens. Vermaelen may have just staked his claim to the left back spot (not that he really wants it).
Dries Mertens, 7: Great energy by the little man who subbed out the other little man. He won a penalty and provided some creativity going forward. Scorched the hands of Demirel with one shot. This definately won him some points in the eyes of everybody, including the coaching staff.
Jelle Vossen, N/A: Came on too late to give a mark.
All in all, it was a disappointing day for Belgian football, and it deflated some of the hype surrounding the team (which may not be a bad thing). It's positive to note that Belgium never looked overly dejected in this match. They were the better team and got quite unlucky, what with the one shot on their goal ending up on the scoresheet. Things look bleak right now, with regards to qualifying, but it ain't over 'til it's over. I suspect that on October 11 in Dusseldorf, the Rode Duivels will probably have more to play for than just their pride.
Until the next match!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Belgium-Turkey Qualifier Preview: The Showdown
Going on early reports, it seems safe to say that Mignolet, Alderweireld, Kompany, Van Buyten, Vertonghen, Simons, Defour, Witsel, Hazard and Chadli will start the match barring any unforseen injury. That likely means Thomas Vermaelen, who just came back from injury, will miss out. That's unfortunate for the captian of this squad, but it would be hard to displace Vertonghen at left-back, as he has been quite good there for the last few internationals. Many in Belgium will want to see Vermaelen in Van Buyten's centre back position, which is fair, given Van Buyten's track record, but Leekens has remained steadfastly confident in the Bayern man. At present, one of Alderweireld or Ciman will likely start at right-back. Leekens will probably give Alderweireld the spot, as Ciman has been on the bench for Standard Liege lately. Whatever the case, it's going to be an important decision, as the left flank is where Arda torments his opponents. If the defense does turn out as predicted, the wide defensive positions will be taken by centre backs, likely meaning solid defence but little attacking support from the fullbacks. That may hamper creativity, but it should give the wingers a little more leeway when it comes to tracking back.
The midfield is pretty much a given. Defour has had a couple of injuries in the past few months, but he should be healthy enough to play. If Fellaini was around, this would probably give Leekens more of a headache, but he's still recovering from an injury sustained with Everton. Simons is an excellent holding midfielder and Witsel was outstanding in his last games with Belgium, so don't expect any surprises there. It's a little disappointing not to see a guy like Radja Nainggolan get a selection after a great season in the Serie A, but it is good to see David Hubert, Genk's captain, get a callup.
The attack is where the picture gets a little hazy. While Lukaku was probable to start, he got injured at the last minute. So now it's between Jelle Vossen, Bjorn Vleminckx and Marvin Ogunjimi. Vossen is more crafty and technically skilled than either Vleminckx 0r Ogunjimi. He also doesn't hesitate to draw deep and get involved with the midfield play, and the lumbering Turkish central defenders may find that difficult to deal with. Vleminckx is probably the best finisher of the three, while Ogunjimi is the strongest and quickest. But given Vossen's attributes and his earlier performances with the Duivels, I'm picking him to start. With the absence of Dembele, Leekens has little choice other than to start Eden Hazard on the right flank. If he can replicate the form he's shown with Lille, the Turkish left-back (the young Ismail Koybasi) could be in for a long night. On the left side, Nacer Chadli will get the nod over Dries Mertens and Kevin De Bruyne (even though they both finished the season stronger than him). But Chadli is probably the most suited to a physical game, and since the diminutive Hazard will already be on the right, Leekens may feel that Chadli's strength and height will come handy.
So here's my predicted lineup:
----------------------------------Mignolet------------------------------------
Alderweireld----------Kompany-----------Van Buyten---------------Vertonghen
-------------------Defour-----------------------------Simons--------------------
------------------------------------Witsel----------------------------------------
Hazard-------------------------------------------------------------------Chadli
------------------------------------Vossen--------------------------------------
As always, international fixtures are difficult to predict, especially in this case, where both teams are quite evenly matched. But I think Belgium's momentum and crowd support will propel them to a hard-fought victory. I'm expecting Witsel and Kompany to shine, and Hazard to get an assist. 2-1 to Belgium. Yeah I know, I probably jinxed it.
Enjoy the match! (kickoff is at 8:45 pm, Brussels time)
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Austria-Belgium Player Ratings
Monday, March 21, 2011
Austria-Belgium Euro Cup Qualifier Preview: Do or Die
Friday, September 10, 2010
0 of 2: A look back at the Turkish and German Qualifiers
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Match Preview: Belgium-Germany
And so it begins. The much anticipated start of Belgium's Euro 2012 qualifying campaign. After so much losing and misery, it's high time for some performance on the field. And what a way to kick it off; a young German team fresh off a brilliant World Cup run is Belgium's first opponent. Missing some key players due to injury (Michael Ballack, Jerome Boateng and Arne Friederich), Die Mannschaft is still a force to be reckoned with. Awaiting them is a Belgian side, likewise without several important players like Jonathan Legear, Jelle Van Damme, Nicholas Lombaerts and Mehdi Carcela, who opted to play for Morroco instead. The venue will be a sold-out Heysel Stadium in Brussels, seating 50,000 supporters.
From what I have been hearing from different sources, Belgium will lineup with a very defensive 4-3-3 formation. The following players are expected to start:
-------------------------------Bailly----------------------------
Alderweireld-------Van Buyten------Kompany-------Vermaelen
----------------Simons-----------------Vertonghen-------------
-------------------------------Fellaini---------------------------
----------Dembele--------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------Hazard----------
----------------------------Lukaku---------------------------
Germany is likely to play a 4-2-3-1, with particular emphasis on the attack. Here's how we can expect them to lineup:
-------------------------Neuer---------------------------
Lahm------Mertesacker-------Westermann--------Jansen
------------Khedira--------------Schweinstiger-----------
---Muller---------------Ozil-------------------Podolski---
------------------------Klose------------------------------
One might notice that Belgium's flanks are being defended, on both sides, by natural centre-backs. Toby Alderweireld and Thomas Vermaelen may have trouble getting adjusted to their surroundings, but luckily their tactical task is mainly on the defensive side. With Alderweireld manning the mercurial Podolski, and Vermaelen on the extremely talented and quick Muller, it can't be expected that either will bomb forward on attacks. Still, Vermaelen is an excellent header of the ball on both ends of the field, and Alderweireld has a pinpoint right-footed long ball, so neither will be completely useless on the attacking end of things. The most important thing for both players is to stay wide when Germany counters, otherwise both of Germany's wingers will have way too much space to operate.
Vincent Kompany and Daniel Van Buyten will have to deal with Miroslav Klose, the cunning Bayern striker. While not the most talented forward, Klose can score with ease when given proper service. I believe Kompany, the faster of the two defenders, will man-mark Klose more often, though the aerial strength of Van Buyten will come in handy, since Klose can easily score with his head. Still, with the defensively-strong Alderweireld and Vermaelen marking Podolski and Muller, Georges Leekens must be hoping that the number of quality balls served to Klose will be kept to a minimum.
In the midfield, Leekens seems likely to give Timmy Simons the surprising start alongside Belgium's pitbull, Jan Vertonghen. Again, both have played centre-back for the majority of their careers. I assume both to keep an eye on Mesut Ozil, the German's number 10, but the faster and grittier Vertonghen will probably be the one to man-mark him on most occasions. If they can throw Ozil off his game, Germany may have some problem with creating chances. I also expect both of them to help out on their respective flank when either Jansen or Lahm move forward. Neither has much of an offensive game (besides Vertonghen's long range left-footed shot) so expect them to remain behind the German midfield for most of their time on the pitch.
On the attacking side of things, Marouane Fellaini and Moussa Dembele will try to keep the pair of Schweinstiger and Khedira occupied. Strong with the ball at his feet and quite adept at moving around the pitch, Dembele will probably marked by the more defensive Sami Khedira. It's hard to predict the outcome of such a match-up because though Khedira is very skilled at winning the ball back, Dembele has embarrassed players better with his movements on the pitch with the ball. Belgium may have a chance at winning this battle if they can get the ball to Dembele's feet. He simply doesn't have the ability to defeat Khedira in the air. Two of the world's best box-to-box midfielders in Schweinstiger and Fellaini will face off against each other in what will likely be the most fascinating match-up of the day. Technically gifted and very fast, Schweinstiger is a complete footballer, who can defend as well as he can attack. Fellaini's advantage lies on the aerial side. Tall and rugged, he steps up his game when facing a excellent opponent. Fellaini also happens to have a great deal of stamina and combined with his long strides it sometimes appears he is everywhere on the pitch at once. I have a hard time predicting which player will come out on top (Schweinstiger is obviously more accomplished), though I do expect Fellaini to play more defensively than Schweinstiger (but he will be crucial on the Belgian counterattacks).
Finally we come to Belgium's front men (or should I say front boys). Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku in particular will be in for a tough day. Realistically, I can't see either getting too much in way of service. If they want luck, they will likely have to force it out for themselves. According to the media, Eden Hazard will show up on either flank to support Lukaku and in all honesty, this could a masterstroke by Leekens. Both Marcel Jansen and Philipp Lahm play as wing-backs. If Germany commit either fullbacks forward at any time (which seems likely), Hazard could get behind either of them and he will have acres to space either to cross or run at the German central defense. That said, for at least some of the time, Hazard will likely have to help contain runs by either fullbacks, with help from Dembele and the Belgian midfield. Luckily, Hazard is surprisingly good at defending due to his tenacious nature and quick, coordinated feet. Romelu Lukaku will have a tough task on his hands, trying to battle Westermann and Mertesacker for any spare ball that makes it his way. Out of form for Anderlecht, Lukaku will probably struggle, but if he does get a chance, he needs to convert it, because he probably won't see too many on the day. The best way for Lukaku to get involved in the game would be to move around and draw the defenders out of position. This would leave them vulnerable to a quick Belgian counter, and because Lukaku has great pace and finishing ability, a goal may be created in such a fashion.
It's not easy to prognosticate the result of this game because I'm not sure how the Belgian players will play under these daunting conditions, but I suspect due to the defensive nature of the Rode Duivels, there won't be too many goals on either side. I do think Germany will get a goal sometime in the game and a resulting overreaction by the Belgian players to this will lead to another. Therefore I'm going to predict a 0-2 scoreline. I really hope I'm wrong.
Enjoy the match (it's at Friday, 8:45 p.m. Brussels time, so get your popcorn ready)
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Belgian Selection for the German Qualifier
Goalkeeper: Logan Bailly (Borussia Monchengladbach/GER), Jean-Francois Gillet (Bari/ITA), Silvio Proto (Anderlecht).
Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Ajax/NED), Laurent Ciman (Standard Liege), Olivier Deschacht (Anderlecht), Guillaume Gillet (Anderlecht), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City/ENG), Nicolas Lombaerts (Zenit/RUS), Daniel Van Buyten (Bayern Munich/GER), Jelle Van Damme (Wolverhampton/ENG), Thomas Vermaelen (Arsenal/ENG).
Midfielders: Kevin De Bruyne (RC Genk), Mehdi Carcela (Standard Liege), Steven Defour (Standard Liege), Marouane Fellaini (Everton/ENG), Jonathan Legear (Anderlecht), Timmy Simons (Nuremberg/GER), Jan Vertonghen (Ajax/NED), Axel Witsel (Standard Liege).
Forwards: Christian Benteke (Standard Liege), Eden Hazard (Lille/FRA), Romelu Lukaku (Anderlecht), Kevin Mirallas (Olympiakos/GRE), Jelle Vossen (RC Genk)
This marks the triumphant return of Timmy Simons to the national team, after being ignominiously dropped by Dick Advocaat. Leekens said he added Simons to the squad for his experience, which makes sense considering how young the rest of the team is. Van Buyten is back from injury, though question marks abound about the fitness of Lombaerts, Legear and Van Damme.
Conspicuous by his absence is Dries Mertens, FC Utrecht's creative midfielder. Leekens has stated that he hasn't called upon Mertens because of the abundance of attacking flank players, though one wonders why De Bruyne is being chosen ahead of the more experienced and proven Mertens (De Bruyne seems to have more potential to be fair and has being playing extremely well with a resurgent KRC Genk).
Right-back remains a problem with the defensively poor Guillaume Gillet looking to battle Laurent Ciman and possibly Toby Aldeweireld for the chance to defend Bastian Schweinsteiger (Vincent Kompany has been mentioned as a possibility there as well, but he was pretty poor as a right-back against Estonia a few years back).
Finally, Jelle Vossen, the current topscorer of the Belgian competition has been called up. Technically very good, Vossen has very nice skill set for the domestic level, but I'm not sure if it will translate to the international game. He'll try to wrest control of the central foward role from Romelu Lukaku, who started to look his normal self after he scored a slightly lucky goal against Partizan Belgrade and Christian Benteke, the young Standard-man (who apparently can score a difficult goal in match against Real Madrid, yet against Sint-Truiden squanders four great chances).
I'll preview the individual games in greater detail, with emphasis on the specific opponents closer to the match dates (Germany is on September 3rd and Turkey is four days later on the 7th). The excitement is palpable!
p.s. Belgium has a new jersey, made by Swiss company Burrda. While it's nowhere near as nice as their previous kit (Nike-produced), it looks kind of like the Belgium jerseys of the 90s and 80s. Let's hope the results follow.