0 of 2: A look back at the Turkish and German Qualifiers

Two painful loses have ushered in the Belgian' start to their qualifying campaign. A narrow home defeat against Germany, caused by Daniel Van Buyten's mistake, was the first match. Then, a wild 3-2 defeat in Turkey caused qualification hopes to take a tailspin. Tied 1-1 after Daniel Van Buyten redeemed himself with a header, Vincent Kompany made a silly challenge, giving him his second yellow card of the night. With the Rode Duivels down to 10 men, Turkey took advantage to score another goal (due to Jan Vertonghen's mistimed kick). Van Buyten provided some hope with his second of the night (another header), but then Turkey scored another goal, ten minutes before full-time. So that leaves the Duivels with no points and with second place (Turkey) 6 points ahead they find themselves in a precarious position. Group A's standings paint a bleak picture, but there are somethings to remain positive about.

Firstly, from a defensive standpoint, except for a few moments of idiocy, Belgium looked pretty solid. With four high-quality centre backs in defense (Vermaelen and Alderweireld on the flanks), both Germany and Turkey couldn't really break down Belgium. The back-line was also covered by the gritty midfield, helping matter from an organisational standpoint. So how can Belgium avoid the dumb mistakes? Well to be honest, the fault is likely due to two things. The first is that the back-line had never played together (well at least all four of those players together), so Georges Leekens should pick a back line and allow them to grow together. Secondly, Van Buyten and Kompany (the two players who made the crucial mistakes in each respective match), have never really looked secure playing together. Usually one central defender is rather flamboyant while his partner is sober and no-nonsense. Unfortunately, both Kompany and Van Buyten fall into the first category. Nicholas Lombaerts and (to some extent) Thomas Vermaelen can be placed in the second group. With Kompany suspended for the next match, and Lombaerts likely back from injury, we may get a look at a slightly less imposing Belgian defense, but also one that is less gaffe-prone.

Against Germany (where Belgium played better in my opinion), a 4-3-3 was used, with Dembele on the right flank. This worked well, since whenever Toby Alderweireld was in trouble, he could pass the ball to the available Dembele (who can protect and move forward easily with the ball at his feet). Eden Hazard wasn't as involved as hoped, but he did draw the German defense apart, giving Dembele room to operate. Timmy Simons lost track of Ozil once or twice, but he was mostly solid. Vertonghen and Fellaini were excellent as always. Lukaku always weighed on the German defense, but he's still too inexperienced to capitalize on the mistakes of the opposition (contrast that with the opportunistic Wesley Sonck).

Against Turkey, Leekens opted for a 4-4-2 diamond formation with Guillaume Gillet replacing the slightly unfit Eden Hazard (who was able to make a cameo at the end of the match). Alderweireld had his hands full with the excellent Arda, and he handled him well enough until the mistake which led to the first Turkish goal. Vermaelen wasn't brilliant at left-back, but he was decent enough. Van Buyten was excellent and Kompany was also fine for the most part, except his foolish rash challenges which had him sent off and doomed Belgium. While the midfield trio of Fellaini, Vertonghen and to some extent Simons, were good, Gillet looked a little too flat for the international game. While he tried hard, he didn't give Belgium a good enough attacking presence on the right. It was evident that with four central defenders at the back, a diamond midfield is too compact, leaving gaps on the flanks and room for the opposing wingers and fullbacks to run. The 4-3-3 is better in this respect in that the attacking flank players (Hazard and Dembele) can clog the the sides of the pitch, making it harder for the opposition to attack via the flank. It also puts less pressure on Alderweireld and Vermaelen to run-up from their positions in the defense. Finally, with two wingers and one striker, there is more room for each to work in as the opposing defense is spread out more (which explains why both Lukaku and Dembele had a good game against Germany, but performed poorly in Istanbul).

Finally, I must note that in each game, after a good first half, Belgium came out flat in the second half. This may be due to Loew and Hiddink's halftime speeches or their substitutions (both made one sub at half), but either way, Leekens needs to be proactive and counteract this, possibly subbing out a player performing poorly or just changing the tactics slightly. In any case, Leekens has brought a great sense of unity to this team and also has them playing with heart and organization. If the errors can be cut out and the attacking players start to score, Belgium may be able to go on a roll. Happily, our two hardest games have been played already, so that is also a positive.

Until the next game!

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)

Belgian Selection for the German Qualifier

Earlier today, Georges Leekens released his selection for the qualifying matches against Germany and Turkey. Here are the names:

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.

Finland vs Belgium: Recap and Player Ratings

Oh man that was bad.
If I wasn't a rabid fan of the Rode Duivels, I'd have stopped watching after half-time. A low-intensity, poorly contested match, Belgium went down meekly to an average Finland 1-0. The only goal of the game resulted from a big deflection off of Vincent Kompany in the first half. It was quite similar to the goal Belgium conceded against Bulgaria in their last match: a counter attack on the right flank was cut back to the striker just inside the Belgian 16. The Finn struck the ball against Kompany and this left Logan Bailly flat-footed. There really isn't much to discuss in terms of noticeable events so on to the ratings.

Logan Bailly, 4: Very slow to react to the deflection and way too many nervy moments, even though Finland rarely threatened. Very disappointing and I'm pretty sure he won't be lining up against Germany in 3 weeks time.

Guillaume Gillet, 3: He was likely the worst player on the field today, but since we have no other rightbacks, there was no alternative. He got beat on the defensive end way too often and he left much too much room behind him. On the attacking end, he added little besides a couple of wayward volleys.

Vincent Kompany, 5: Too casual in the first half and didn't look his quality self today. He did give a nice ball to Benteke for Belgium's best chance in the game.

Thomas Vermaelen, 6: An okay outing. Never looked too troubled by Finland's attack and by the end of the game he was Belgium's most attacking player with a lot of forays into the opposing half. That does seem like a role more suited to full back than a centre back though. You can see where I'm going with this.

Nicholas Lombaerts, 4: Never looked comfortable at left back. He was reluctant to go forward and when defending he stayed too close to the middle, giving the Finnish wingers too much space. Subbed at the half.

Jan Vertonghen, 5: Pretty invisible (which isn't too bad for a defensive midfielder). Had a rocket of a shot saved at the end of the first half.

Axel Witsel, 3: Everything he tried, just didn't work. No lack of effort, but that doesn't win football matches. He seemed like he was unfamiliar with his teammates and his position.

Jelle Van Damme, 4: At one point in the first half he was playing as a forward. Not really his position. Didn't do much of anything really. Don't count on him starting against Germany.

Kevin De Bruyne, 6: Had some nice crosses, but he just didn't receive the ball enough from his teammates. Still, it was a promising debut and a lone bright spot for Belgium.

Eden Hazard, 6: Best player on the field for Belgium, but that isn't saying much. He kept the ball in his possesion for more than needed and his crosses weren't great. But his attacking threat was the most noticeable of the entire team.

Christian Benteke, 4: His poor rating is partly due the atrocious service provided by midfield. But he wasn't great either, with poor touches and bad positioning. May need a couple of years to mature before being ready as an international.

Normally I'd give the subs a rating, but they didn't really add anything to the team. Pocognoli, a true left back, was better than the misplaced Lombaerts, but it had little effect on the game. The second half was a little better in terms of defending the counter, but that was more likely a result of the change in formation from a 4-3-3 to a 4-4-2. Georges Leekens has a lot to figure out in the coming weeks, because this was just not good enough from any standpoint.

On a positive note, Belgium's under-21 team beat the French in an important qualifier, 1-0, so well done to them.

Starting XI against Finland

Today, Georges Leekens revealed the starting eleven that will lineup in Finland tomorrow:

--------------------------Bailly------------------------------

Gillet--------Kompany-----------Vermaelen------Lombaerts

------------------------Vertonghen----------------------------

-------------Witsel------------------Van Damme------------

-----De Bruyne---------------------------------Hazard---------

---------------------------Benteke------------------------------



The biggest surprise is in the midfield, where Steven Defour will be left on the bench in favour of Jelle Van Damme. Without Defour, I'm slightly worried there won't be enough creativity with just those three. Vertonghen is pretty limited on the attack, besides the fact he has a powerful left-footed shot. Van Damme and Witsel are pretty similar box-to-box players who defend better than they attack. They both can infiltrate into the opponent's 16 and score, but they aren't wizards with the ball at their feet,though Witsel is better than Van Damme in that respect.

I'm slightly surprised that Leekens chose Vermaelen at centre back and Lombaerts at left back (I thought it would be flipped), but it probably doesn't make too much of a difference.

The inclusion of Kevin De Bruyne in the XI is to be expected since Jonathan Legear is out injured. He had a very nice game against Gent the other day and some in Belgium are beginning to say his talent is even greater than that of Defour (I'd argue they are different players with regards to their playing style so the comparisons are useless).

It's interesting to note that the three starting attackers are all still under 20 years of age. That bodes well for the future, but not so much for the present. Thus I'm going to be pessimistic and say that Belgium loses tomorrow 2-0. But hopefully I'm wrong (I usually am anyways).

Belgium Squad Changes

A couple of updates on the team being sent to Finland. Firstly, Kevin Mirallas, Jonathan Legear and Thomas Buffel are out with injuries. Striker Bjorn Vleminckx of NEC Nijmegen has been called up to replace Mirallas, though no replacements will be taken up into the selection for the other two absentees. Georges Leekens has also indicated to the Belgian media that Romelu Lukaku will not start against Finland.
This may cause the match to be less informative than hoped, in terms of learning what combinations work for the Germany match. Still, some players like Kevin De Bruyne and Laurent Ciman will want to grab their chance to impress Leekens and foreign scouts.
The game is at 6:00 pm Brussels time and as far as I can tell, it won't be televised on Flemish television, though it will be on RTBF 2. So let's get excited (or at least feign it).

Belgian Selection for the Finnish Friendly

The Selection

Goalkeepers:

Logan Bailly (Borussia Mönchengladbach/Ger)

Jean-François Gillet (Bari/Ita)

Silvio Proto (Anderlecht)

Defenders:

Laurent Ciman (Standard)

Olivier Deschacht (Anderlecht)

Guillaume Gillet (Anderlecht)

Vincent Kompany (Manchester City/Eng)

Sébastien Pocognoli (Standard)

Nicolas Lombaerts (Zenit Saint-Petersburg/Rus)

Jelle Van Damme (Wolverhampton/Eng)

Thomas Vermaelen (Arsenal/Eng)

Midfielders:

Thomas Buffel (KRC Genk)

Kevin De Bruyne (KRC Genk)

Steven Defour (Standard)

Eden Hazard (Lille/Fra)

Jonathan Legear (Anderlecht)

Christophe Lepoint (AA Gent)

Bernd Thijs (AA Gent)

Jan Vertonghen (Ajax/Neth)

Axel Witsel (Standard)

Attackers:

Romelu Lukaku (Anderlecht)

Kevin Mirallas (Olympiakos/Gri)

Christian Benteke (Standard)

A relatively safe selection from Leekens. The most promient names missing are Van Buyten (injured), Fellaini (not match fit yet), Dembele (looking for a new club). Mehdi Carcela and Alderweireld are playing with the under-21 squad in the important qualifier against France. One modest surprise to some is the inclusion of Romelu Lukaku, the 17 year-old Anderlecht striker who is just coming back from a knee injury. Now, Ariel Jacobs, Anderlecht's coach, likely isn't to be too pleased with this decision, but he did bring Lukaku back for an already decided match against The New Saints in European qualifiers.

There isn't too much to say about this selection, so on to the predicted formation for the game. As we know, Leekens likes to play a 4-3-3, so the XI should expected to be lined up in that fashion:

--------------------------------J-F-Gillet----------------------------------------

G-Gillet--------------Kompany--------------Vermaelen-----------------Deschacht

----------------------Defour------------------Vertonghen--------------------------

-----------------------------------Buffel------------------------------------------

-------Legear-----------------------------------------------------------Hazard

-------------------------------Lukaku/Benteke---------------------------------

That's how I believe Leekens will begin the match, though obviously things could change very rapidly. We may see Lukaku sub in late in the game, or he could just start and get subbed off at the half. I'm not too crazy about Buffel as the attacking midfield (might as well take Maarten Martens or Dries Mertens). But he'll probably just hold that role until Fellaini gets back for the Germany game. Check out this blog again after the game, because I'll give a recap with player ratings, if I can find a proper webstream of the match (it's on August 11th in Finland). It's Belgium's only preparation before the Germany match, so let's hope they make it good one.

Rode Duivel Player Profiles: Right Back

Ugh, it gets ugly here. Right back is almost without doubt the Rode Duivels' weakest position. It wasn't always like that; Eric Gerets and Eric Deflandre were ever present in the Belgian lineup and could always be counted on to give an excellent performance. Now though, there is a lack of a great, pure right back in Belgium. There's some interesting talents for sure, but none that would inspire any confidence for awhile. In a 4-3-3 (Leeken's preferred formation for Belgium), the fullbacks do not necessarily need to provide as much offense, since there are already two wingers on the flanks. So the preference (if I put myself in Georges Leekens' shoes) would be for defensive-minded fullbacks who do not need to reach the opponents' goal line, but provide the understaffed 3 man midfield with coverage.

The Contenders

Sepp De Roover: Here's a guy that's been pretty unlucky in terms of injuries. A few years ago, he was off to a blistering start with FC Groningen, defending well and hurting opposing teams with his banana-like crosses and freekicks. Then he got hurt, badly, forcing him to miss a season. Afterwards, after coming back from the injury, Advocaat called him up for Belgium and he performed very well against Hungary. And then he got injured again. Now with the ambitious Belgian league side Lokeren, De Roover is looking to get back in the national team picture. I think the right back positon is, right now, his to lose.

Guillaume Gillet: Ok, to be honest, I don't like Gillet at right back at all. He gets foward well enough and he has a nice right footed shot (especially on volleys), but he's constantly out of position, leaving Anderlecht open for a counter attack. In the Belgian league he doesn't get exposed too often since the pace is slower and his defensive partners, Juhasz and Mazuch can deal with the usually pedestrian threat offered by other Belgian teams. But it's in Europe where he looks out of his depth. I maintain that if Andelecht had a better right back than Gillet, they would have beaten Hamburg and probably made it to the finals of the Europa League. In his defense, when he played for Leekens at Gent, he was quite good at right back, so maybe he can recapture that form that bagged him his big transfer to Anderlecht.

Toby Alderweireld: Since I've already talked about him in the previous column, I'll make it brief. Alderweireld showed enough promise against Bulgaria to convince me he could be a good player at right back. But, in order to get better, he needs defend higher up the field and give the opposing winger little space. He needs also to be more willing to get past by half and support the midfield.

The Outsiders

Anthony Vanden Borre: Ah yes, the great, unfulfilled talent that is Vanden Borre. If his career had gone according to plan he'd be a world-class right back by now, storming up and down the right side for a big club. But then we learned that Football Manager 2005 isn't always right. After an awful display against Spain (funnily enough the year before he was man of the match against that same team), Vanden Borre hasn't been given a chance at redemption for Belgium. His poor judgement on and off the field has stunted his national team career, but the fact remains, he is fast, strong, technically gifted and not afraid to attack. He's been criticized for being extremely careless leading to defensive lapses, but to some extent, his loan spell with Portsmouth under Avram Grant put an end to that. If he has truly turned a corner and his mind is focused on football, he may warrant another selection.

Ritchie De Laet: De Laet is a reserve team player, so he really shouldn't be considered for a selection. But since he's a reserve (and the best one on his team judging by his award) at Manchester United, I'll cut him some slack. Because of his tremendous pace, De Laet could be a definite asset. He's defensively good, due to his experience at centre back as well. But tactically and offensively he comes up short. Lacking a good cross and big game experience, De Laet is a project and should only be considered once he's playing regular first team football (it needn't be as a starter if he's still at Man U).

Denis Odoi: He had a good season last year with STVV and was named the best left back (he's naturally a right back) in Belgium. He isn't brilliant in attack, but he's fast and is quite strong in the air. May become more prominent on Leeken's radar if he signs with a bigger team like Gent.

Laurent Ciman: Probably never given a fair chance at Club Brugge, Ciman is a rather slow but steady right back (though also comfortable at centre back) who plays for Standard Liege. With an incredibly hard right-footed shot and good aerial ability, Leeken's may be tempted to call him up, if he performs well with Liege.

Marnick Vermijl: An 18 year old Manchester United prospect, Vermijl is a natural right fullback. I must confess I don't know too much about him, but if Ferguson likes him, we may as well keep an eye on him for the future.

My Pick: Sepp De Roover, Anthony Vanden Borre as backup

Leekens' likely pick: Sepp De Roover, Toby Alderweireld as backup

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.