The Big Bad Belgium thread

Faux country or not, they have a very good squad now. And are Holland's most talented neighbour. For years we waited for the talent to develop into good players, took a bit longer then expected. But the end result is also a lot higher. THey just need 1 point to qualify. And it will be interesting to see what they are going to do in Brazil. Their current squad:

Keeper:Simon Mignolet (Liverpool)  Koen Casteels (Hoffenheim), Thibaut Courtois (Atletico Madrid),

Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Atletico Madrid), Laurent Ciman (Standard), Guillaume Gillet (Anderlecht), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City) Nicolas Lombaerts (Zenit Sint-Petersburg), Sébastien Pocognoli (Hannover), Daniel Van Buyten (Bayern München), Thomas Vermaelen (Arsenal), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham),

Midfielders: Nacer Chadli (Tottenham), Steven Defour (Porto), Moussa Dembélé (Tottenham), Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Timmy Simons (Club Brugge), Axel Witsel (Zenit Sint-Petersburg)Kevin De Bruyne (Chelsea),

Attackers: Zakaria Bakkali (PSV), Christian Benteke (Aston Villa), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Romelu Lukaku (Everton), Dries Mertens (Napoli), Kevin Mirallas (Everton)

If you look at it, it's the ultimate EPL squad, lot's of PGD. But also has creativity. Though not so much in the midfield. Downside is, they dont have a genuine world class gamechanger, yet, cause this squad is fairly young. And one of those players could become an Ozil, RVP, Robben, Ribbery etc. The plusside is their defense, which is proven to be extremely succesfull during the qualifiers so far.

I hope Belgium will play like this:

--------------Courtois---------
Alderweirld-----Vertonghen-----Kompany-----Lombaerts
------------Defour---------Witsel
--------------De Bruyne-------------
Hazard--------Mirallas------------Bakkali

They have a number of talented players, but they're getting a bit overhyped these days, probably because the majority of their players is playing in the EPL. This said, I can see them having another successful era similar to the early to mid 1980s, when Belgium was a real international force (and Holland more or less non-existent).

Your most talented neighbour is the sea that will consume your land and finally give me a house on the beach here in Aachen.

You mean the time when Holland was rebuilding their squad so they could win their only trophy to date?

Northern-Germany will also be flooded then ye tool. And judging by the annual Elbe/Donau pictures I think I would be safer here then in Germany. So far Holland only got bigger and the sea got smaller..in the same time span Germany only got smaller...so who is the better of the two eh!

Genau!

They are hyped in England because a lot of their players play in England so we know them well. 

Also because their team and their squad is better than the England team and squad.

I meant the huge media exposure they get by playing in the EPL, the only true 'global' league. Hence the level of hype.

any more hyped than the Golden Generations of other nations in recent years? Portugal, Czech Republic, Croatia, Germany etc?

Well, it depends. Germany has no 'golden generation' as such and the backlash has already been felt after the recent failures on the international level ("mentally fragile" and what not). The Czechs, Croats and Portuguese actually went far in international competitions at least, even if failing at the final step on the senior level. Belgium however has been hyped for years and only now they're actually close to qualifying for a major tournament! And it's not like they killed everyone on the youth level either, e.g. like the Portuguese did.

Germany's Golden Generation is now, the 2010 Wörld Cüp Wönderkids

There is no such thing as a 'golden generation' in Germany. Players like Draxler, Götze or Gündogan weren't part of the 2010 team, while the likes of Schweinsteiger and Lahm have been around since 2004. Germany continues to produce class players on a regular basis ever since the reforms on the youth level took fruit.

Belgium, Portgual and the likes are relatively small countries, so naturally it's more difficult for them to have a continuing output of quality players.

certainly overhyped on what they've done so far, but they do have a very good set of players & could do damage at this world cup if they click.

Fey - Mirallas over Benteke/Lukaku? doesn't score enough to be main striker.

I actually expect them to 'do some damage' next year because Wilmots has finally managed to get them 'click'. They're a team now, not just a bunch of talented players. They can and likely will go far next year.

But as good as Belgium are, they are not the world beaters Fey's propaganda is making them to be, in some kind of 'Groß Holland' delirium he is in, forgetting the simple fact that the Belgians, as confused as they are as a nation, would rather join Germany than create a Union with Holland...

German press joins the Belgium hype:

Belgien und sein Aufstieg zur Weltspitze

Vorbild für das Vaterland

Die Nationalmannschaft Belgiens hat in der WM-Qualifikation geglänzt wie kaum ein anderes Team. Die Qualitätsdichte im Kader ist womöglich höher als jemals zuvor. Einige sehen die Auswahl bereits als einen der Mitfavoriten auf den WM-Titel. Doch woher kommen plötzlich die ganzen Ausnahmespieler? Und was ist heute so anders als in der Vergangenheit?

http://www.spox.com/de/sport/fussball/wm/wm2014/1310/Artikel/belgien-nationalmannschaft-geeint-in-zeiten-der-uneinigkeit-marc-wilmots-marouane-fellaini-eden-hazard-axel-witsel-vincent-kompany.html


Brilliant comment by some dude in the comments section:

Tja, Marc Dutroux wurde weggesperrt, die Kinder trauten sich wieder aufn Bolzplatz und bam 10 Jahre später...goldene Generation

debaser wrote:certainly overhyped on what they've done so far, but they do have a very good set of players & could do damage at this world cup if they click.

Fey - Mirallas over Benteke/Lukaku? doesn't score enough to be main striker.

He is still their best footballing striker, if they add Vossen they got the strikeforce one needs for a good campaign, the footballer, the strong EPL Black striker, and the poacher.

blutgraetsche wrote:I actually expect them to 'do some damage' next year because Wilmots has finally managed to get them 'click'. They're a team now, not just a bunch of talented players. They can and likely will go far next year.

But as good as Belgium are, they are not the world beaters Fey's propaganda is making them to be, in some kind of 'Groß Holland' delirium he is in, forgetting the simple fact that the Belgians, as confused as they are as a nation, would rather join Germany than create a Union with Holland...

Yes, there is a bit of a Tottenham feel around the squad, but they can become true top class.

And sooner then later, Flanders will return Heim ins Reich!

blutgraetsche wrote:I actually expect them to 'do some damage' next year because Wilmots has finally managed to get them 'click'. They're a team now, not just a bunch of talented players. They can and likely will go far next year.

clicking in qualifiers is one thing. nobody knows what they'll be like at a tournament 'cause this generation hasn't qualified for one..one big question will be whether players like Hazard can bring their best form to Brazil in the summer after (potentially) a 50+ game season.

Look what to Belgium the last time they were at a major tourney...Wilmots scored a perfect goal, not given obviously cause of the Brazil bias those 3th world refs always have. Nontheless, they did well with such a poor squad. Imagine now with the current squad and with Wilmots as coach!

winning at Croatia, so definitely qualified. Lukaku scored twice. maybe Fey will find room for him in his team?

He's too black for Fey's liking.

perhaps so.

I reckon they should go for a front 3 of Hazard-Benteke-Lukaku. no defence in the world would like to face that.

In my team there is only room for footballers!! As always! Lukaku scored twice, yes, but both were on the counter. I want Belgium to play like the dominant team they can be, not a midtable EPL team.

scoring goals is a footballing ability too!

So Huntelaar is a good footballer?

yep!

The most ridiculous 'purist' obsession is to brand 'counters' as something bad and inferior. It's beyond ridiculous actually. Good counters take as much skill as patient buildups do. Very few teams have mastered both, and those teams are usually the best ones.

Holland wont even be the best Dutch speaking nation in Brazil next summer :|Though if you count those accents as Dutch..

Nontheless it's good to see Belgium back at the highest level, and football is really alive again. A few years ago, Belgian NT matches didnt even get broadcasted anymore. Because they would lose anyway. They even get a tiny bit of arrogance now, and expect at LEAST the QF in Brazil. Which is totally unbelgian. And cant stop looking at the FIFA ranking atm cause they are above Holland now. They have a huge chip on their shoulders when it comes to the Dutch which is odd. Cause when we met them in 1994 and 1998 Holland lost and got a draw.

I hope we meet them again 2014, cause it's a great rivalry, much more fun then with the Germans nowadays.

Holland would likely beat them.

Doubt it, last time Holland beat them was 1997. And last summer when they played them again after 8  years it ended 4-2 for Belgium.

It's a do or die match for them. Like Holland has with Germany.

Still, a pity we arent one country anymore...imagine the teams over the past. I think such a nation would have rivaled Germany, Italy and Brazil.

Belgium are awesome,  as any hipster will tell you. Rival Spain on paper as the best XI from a Euro nation,  but lack the depth of Spain and Germany. If they can keep their key players fit and avoid burn out before the summer, then a semi final shouldn't be out of the question. Would love to see them play Holland now that the Dutch nemesis that is Portugal are officially shit (drew 1-1 with Israel last night)

Their central midfield is nowhere near Spain or Germany, hell, or Brazil and Italy for that matter (the latter aging quickly nowadays though). The centre of the park is where matches are decided.

STOP THE HIPSTER HYPE!

blutgraetsche wrote:Their central midfield is nowhere near Spain or Germany, hell, or Brazil and Italy for that matter (the latter aging quickly nowadays though). The centre of the park is where matches are decided.

STOP THE HIPSTER HYPE!

for someone who doesn't care whether others respect Germany you sure do seem to get wound up by minor slights

Dembélé --- Witsel

De Bruyne --- Hazard --- Mirallas

Hardly call that 'nowheree near' Spain and the other Austria.