Belgium

[hardyboy]

 

[hardyboy]

Adnan Januzaj wtf

 

[Galning]

Adnan Januzaj wtf

They obviously offered him a spot in the squad if he'd choose Belgium.

 

[BerkeleyBernie]

I predict Belgium makes the semi-finals.

 

[Yannick03]

I predict Belgium makes the semi-finals.

We'll go out of the tournament in the second round, against Germany or Portugal. We have a good team but not semi-final material.

 

[DB10]

Seems Belgium's prodigious talents don't extend to fullbacks...though Tommy V will have the left side covered..

 

[DonAK]

Nainggolan deserved to be in the squad IMO.

 

[Ode to Django]

Nainggolan deserved to be in the squad IMO.

absolutely, when you look at the dross like Felliani.

Too much Premier League for my liking.

Eden Hazard and Dries Mertens on the flanks though :thumbsup2:

 

[Hamzah]

Agree. A lot of overrated premier league "stars".

 

[Galning]

absolutely, when you look at the dross like Felliani.

Too much Premier League for my liking.

Eden Hazard and Dries Mertens on the flanks though :thumbsup2:

Unfortunately, I don't think Mertens will start.

 

[Piqué]

Seems Belgium's prodigious talents don't extend to fullbacks...though Tommy V will have the left side covered..

If Vanden Borre gets his chance, he will surprise many people at the WC. Back to his old form. Tommy V will play central defense, Vertonghen on the left.

 

[Jesse1509]

I think Belgium selected too many defenders. Apart from that, it's a good squad. The lack of proper fullbacks will be their downfall against the better teams, I guess.

 

[Wouterinho]

They should've selected one defender less (either Vanden Borre or Ciman).

Fellaini definitely deserves a spot, he's always performed for Belgium. It was between Nainggolan, Simons and Defour for that last midfield spot... In my opinion 2 of them should've gone (one defender less as mentioned above). Anyway: Simons would've added some experience to the squad and Nainggolan is just a really good player, his biggest disadvantage is that he didn't play during the qualifiers and Defour did, that's one of the main reasons that he was selected.

About the right back position: Alderweireld will definitely play and although he's probably Belgium's weakest link, I still think he's decent. I don't think Vanden Borre would do particularly well against good teams: imagine him against a good, fast winger... He's a liability when playing a high line, especially because he's never back on time to prevent counterattacks.

 

[DB10]

Good read.

When I was about 10 years old, my father told me the joke about famous Belgians. Few things tickle my father more than pithy little axioms that turn out to be unarguable. Never sleep with a woman who keeps a diary. Always jump off the high side of a sinking ship. Great art is about love and loss. Don’t commit troops to a land war in Asia. You can’t name 10 famous Belgians.

http://grantland.com/features/world...incent-kompany-eden-hazard-marouane-fellaini/

 

[BerkeleyBernie]

Good read.

http://grantland.com/features/world...incent-kompany-eden-hazard-marouane-fellaini/

Thanks, enjoyed that. Interesting to hear about the nationwide training system they put in place, especially the age-related team sizes, to insure touches and reduce emphasis on long passes.

The result, unveiled in 2004, was Belgium’s master plan, called G-A-G — Global-Analytique-Global in French, or Globaal-Analytisch-Globaal in Dutch. The idea was to fuse the best of French soccer — its emphasis on physical power and tactical efficiency, hence “Analytique” — with the dreamy technique of the Dutch (“Global”), and invent a new kind of exciting, attacking soccer (“Global” again). “Our ultimate goal is deliberately utopian,” Sablon’s successor, Bob Browaeys, said recently. (Sablon retired from the FA in 2012.) “One hundred percent possession of the ball.”

In practice, G-A-G means standardization. All over Belgium these days, boys and girls grow up playing soccer the same way. Every school, youth academy, and village team plays the same formation — 4-3-3, with classic, dribbling wingers — and follows the same progression up to the 11-on-a-side game. Kids under the age of 7 play 2-on-2; under-9s play 5-on-5; under-11s play 8-on-8. They never use more than half the field. It is only when they’re 12 years old that boys and girls are finally introduced to a full-size pitch and the idea of a long pass.

I wonder why the 2v2 size for under-7s? I would guess that emphasizes individual dribbling, ball control, and "box-to-box" fitness, expecting that passing is a skill better learned later.