Disagree, I think we have more than enough depth. If you look at Germany's team today, we've got better players in every position bar CM where they have Kroos. We're a decent team but nothing special, I agree with you on that one - but it's because they can't play together as a team and are just 11 very good footballers who look like they don't have a fecking clue what to do when facing a team with a defensive approach. Which is going to happen in 90% of our games as well so they should be better prepared for that.
Roberto Martínez is new Belgium manager
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Disagree with that. Potential replacements for Hazard & De Bruyne include Mertens and Carrasco (although he plays LWB atm), top notch players. The defense has lots of individual quality with Alderweireld, Vertonghen and Meunier (Kompany is a complicated case, but potentially a quality CB). In CM Nainggolan can be paired with one out of Witsel, Dembele, Fellaini, while Tielemans is waiting as well. The GK is world class.
In terms of individual quality, this team has everything a coach needs to succeed. Matching CF and the creative department is a problem in my eyes, but Lukaku nevertheless scored a lot after the EUROs. So to me it's definitely up to the coach to create something out of this.
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Ah no, that takes it a bit too far.
Courtois is better than Leno.
Meunier is on par with Kimmich
Alderweireld is on par with Hummels
Vertonghen (and Kompany if fit) is better than Höwedes
Nainggolan (and Dembele) is better than Khedira
Carrasco is at least on par with Draxler
De Bruyne is on par with Müller
Hazard is better than Schürrle
Lukaku is better than Gomez
"Better in every position" might be a bit OTT but we certainly don't have a worse squad individually. Meanwhile, they always look like a well oiled machine and we keep struggling to break down defensive opponents. It's very frustrating, and we're wasting a superb generation that has played together for over four years because of inept management. Preud'homme should come in and make something out of them before it is too late.
All in all, you really don't have a better team than Germany. Or France. Or Spain. You're on roughly the same level as Croatia, Italy or Portugal, though with more individual talent, i grant you. And yes, the manager definitely is a problem for you
Relax man, you were missing Hazard and De Bruyne. At least give him a chance..All right, with the 'on pars' you now included I can consent to that general statement. Still disagree about Alderweireld/Hummels and the sorting of the CM comparisons. Some other matchups are a bit tricky, but it doesn't matter since I agree that a full strength Belgium has more individual quality than that particular team.
Completely on your side when it comes to the enormous quality of Belgium's squad (see my post above) and the frustrating shortcomings in their collective play. Although I think I've seen at least some improvement after the EUROs (without watching watch every game). But yesterday's coaching performance was certainly disappointing and the team looked very similar to the Wilmots days.
@giorno He talked only about today's team, so no Neuer.
What about Neuer? What about the left back? Imo Muller is world class, KDB is not, at least not now. And I specifally mentioned the depth. Witsel, Dembele, Fellaini etc are nowhere near any german or spanish or argentian or whatever cm in terms of quality. You missed two players and boom you were playing with 2 dms and Fellaini. Mertens is making his name more as a striker now and not as a playmaker. I aslo disagree with the Hummels part.
The only world class players are Hazzard and Courtouois atm. Lukaku,. Naingolan, Carasco and KDB are top players not world class. I m not saying Belgium is not a good team but people seem to believe that other teams should just forfeit in terror when they face Belgium. The positive is that they are all young so they have 3 tournaments at least to prove something. And maybe untill then other players (now 17-18) will have emerged.
I don't disagree with you that we're not an elite team in Europe. I'm not trying to praise my own NT, but merely stating that individually, imo we have the quality to be one of the best nations int the world, but it seems like it just doesn't click on the field. We were missing KDB (who is world class for me but we can disagree on that) and Hazard but have Carrasco and Mertens as replacements, that's good depth if you ask me. It's not the players' fault that their coach is too stupid not to play Dembele but plays Fellaini instead...
As for Neuer, I mentioned their team from tonight which was with Leno, not Neuer. I don't know Hector tbh but Vertonghen is very good at LB as well. And as for Müller, I'd say he's world class, but at the #10, where he played tonight, he's not better than KDB imo as I think Müller should be played as a striker. I think he's also regularly benched by Bayern this season, isn't he? Well, technicalities but I just think that our depth is not the problem with this squad, is all.
But you compared Hazard and de bryne who didnt play this weekend thats why i put Neuer there.
Muller is overrated. Torres Mk2.
Nah Belgium and Netherlands are like England and Wales/Scotland since geographically US and the UK are so far, or the Scandinavians. Don't have to be so sarcastic, I was just pointing out the fact that they have pretty similar culture. Name me another country which has the closest culture to Belgium, they both speak Flemish and Dutch.
It's more like 'two nations divided by a common language' except for the fact that's only about the Flemish nation, not the Walloons. If a Dutchman doesn't notice the sensitivities surrounding the 'language fight' and bulldozers through it with the infamous Dutch directness, arrogance, practicality and loud mouthed bluntness, the first cultural conflict is already there.
Are these ideas of yours based on anything other than "oh they speak the same language and they're next to eachother, they must have the same culture"? Not considering ofcourse that there's a good number of French-speakers in Belgium to begin with.
Believe me, the sarcasm is warranted.
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Torres was world class, then went to absolute garbage then to an ok-decent player, still shadow of his former self. I dont think Muller has suffered such a helter skelter change.
You still didn't answer my question and I'm aware that Belgium has quite a number of French speakers but that doesn't take away the fact that Belgium and Netherlands do speak the same language.
Your sarcasm is totally uncalled for as I was just pointing out a fact in light humour yet you seem to be so offended and took it so personally. Stop being so pedantic.
Alright, here's a link: http://www.expatica.com/nl/insider-views/Expat-Voices-Same-language-different-people_100310.html
I suggest you read it. As for the sarcasm, I suppose I'm not all too patient with people who make an ignorant statement and go on to pretend it's a fact.
Luxembourg and (northern) France? Even in the Dutch-speaking regions the history with the modern Netherlands (as opposed to Netherlands meaning all of the Low Countries) is pretty testy, with the southern Dutch area of the Low Countries ending up being dominated by Catholics, with a stronger Latin influence, and the north by Protestants (with a significant Catholic minority).
England and Scotland are maybe good comparisons - but being a Scottish manager of England or an English manager of Scotland would bring its own problems.
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Someone needs to tell Martinez that Belgium are in the relegation zone.
But it's alright. He's winning their group!
Even the Flemish and the French speaking parts of our country have quite a different culture, let alone it's the same as the Netherlands, Luxembourg or the north of France.
As for our NT, today showed once again why Benteke is a much better fit than Lukaku for our system. Or maybe it was down to the fact that Witsel and Fellaini weren't playing, who knows.
North of France(Lille) are flemish and french, they speak flemish and french like Belgium. It's best to consider Belgium as culturally Belgian.
What a fraud he is. Good luck poor Belgium.Another trophy opportunity wasted. Leaving the so called golden generation in the hands of this fraud was always going to end in tears.
This guy is just full on screaming and making weird coaching gestures for 90 minutes straight. Does he know that his players might actually have at least a faint idea of their objective and how to reach it? Bit of a weirdo.
In fairness, each time they've lost in major tournaments under him, was to the eventual winners. He hasn't gone out to shit teams.
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Cursed nation.
He hasn’t beaten a great team in a meaningful game either apart from Bazil where we hung on for dear life the entire second half.
The sooner he’s gone the better, hopefully before the World Cup but don’t count on it. We’ll never win something under him.
In reality, it's one big game every two years he makes a shite of. The rest are expected wins and most of them aren't really a challenge.
I always thought he was a shite manager, talks a good game, but only has one of way of playing, can't sort out a defence, looks like a bald eagle and plays shit football.
This team had a great chance of winning some trophies but they spoiled it by hiring this clown.
Underwhelming record tbh, considering the talent he has at his disposal.
Never rated him I was shocked he got this job in the first place.
The parallels with Southgate are there really — a very talented pool of players with a good sense of spirit and togetherness who blitz in qualifiers and friendly matches, but when it’s time to win something they seem to disintegrate. You never have any faith they’ll do it. Much like Southgate, Martinez has only won one (Brazil semi) genuinely tough game against other high level opposition.
Bit harsh on Southgate, he’s been to 2 tournaments, reached the semis in 1 and lost the other on penalties to a really good Italy team.
Which, like Martinez (whose record is near identical), appears to be in spite of his managerial ability. Those games are the only ones of any real difficulty and as soon as they come up they shell up and lose.
Fair enough. I think in his tenure the two tournaments (not counting nations league) he’s finished 3rd at the World Cup and lost to Italy in the quarters of the Euros. It doesn’t look bad on paper but you’ll know better than me on the subject.
I'd be pissed off if I was Belgian. So many good players wasted their prime years on a Wigan/Everton level manager.
Yea, they were wasting it under Wilmots and continue to do so under Martinez - except that their golden generation is now in their 30s.
2018 was their best chance to be fair. And they were unlucky then to an extent.
This year - I doubt many gave them a chance. Starting with that backline and players like Witsel just shows that they lack quality in a lot of positions
What did Joachim Low achieve at club level?
Says something about the players available when the ex spurs duo are still playing in defence.