This can be a thread to follow the U-21 championchips. Here are Belgiums squad list. Goalkeepers: Logan Bailly (KRC Genk), Frank Boeckx (K. Sint-Truidense VV), Michaël Cordier (FC Molenbeek Brussels Strombeek). Defenders: Laurent Ciman (R. Charleroi SC), Steve Colpaert (FC Molenbeek Brussels Strombeek), Sepp De Roover (Sparta Rotterdam), Guillaume Gillet (KAA Gent), Nicolas Lombaerts (KAA Gent), Landry Mulemo (K. Sint-Truidense VV), Sébastien Pocognoli (KRC Genk), Thomas Vermaelen (AFC Ajax), Jan Vertonghen (RKC Waalwijk/AFC Ajax). Midfielders: Jonathan Blondel (Club Brugge KV), Marouane Fellaini (R. Standard de Liège), Faris Haroun (KRC Genk), Maarten Martens (AZ Alkmaar), Killian Overmeire (KSC Lokeren OV), Anthony Vanden Borre (RSC Anderlecht), Axel Witsel (R. Standard de Liège). Forwards: Tom De Sutter (Cercle Brugge KSV), Tom De Mul (AFC Ajax), Stijn De Smet (Cercle Brugge KSV), Kevin Mirallas (LOSC Lille Métropole). What will the starting lineup look like? Who are the keyplayers?
In fact they are all very good players and we didn't even take our best ones, namely Dembele, Maaroufi, Defour and Kompany. This is my desired line-up: -----------------------------------Bailly Gillet------------Vermaelen------------------Lombaerts-----------Pocognoli ----------------------Van den Borre------Fellaini ------------------------------Martens De Mul--------------------------Mirallas----------------------------Witsel Our GK is a major talent, as is our left back, who will probably not play because Mulemo played the entire campaign. In midfield we have solid gold, even our benchplayers are fantastic. Let's just hope that Martens isn't too tired. Our attack is very good as well, Mirallas being a major talent and De Mul forcing his way into the Ajax first team. Witsel is a midfielder but I'd play him in attack, where he could be crucial on the wing. He plays in the first team of Standard together with Fellaini. Tom De Sutter is a very useful pinchhitter and Stijn De Smet is a talented striker.
Ok, it so you would say it looks good for you guys in this tournament then. I have seen a bit from your supertalent, Eden Hazard, in the U-17 Euro. And man, what a player! He was player of the tournament for me, and this in company with players like Fran Merida, Bojan Falque, Kroos etc. But i guess this tournament came too soon for him. Maybe next time I guess.
Yeah, he's great. He's one of the biggest Belgian talents I have ever seen. Problem is that he actually still plays for the U16 and that for the U21's we have Martens, Defour, Maaroufi, Haroun and Witsel, of which some even weren't selected because there were too many players for the same position. Anyway, I'm really looking forward to the U17 WC, I think Hazard can be great over there.
Yes, it feels great, doesn't it Anything can happen from here on... especially with Vertonghen and Fellaini back in the team. At least that's what i believe. I live in Holland and it feels really good to hear Jan Mulder and Ruud Gullit say on dutch television they are big fans of this belgian team
Definitely looking forward to wednesday! Only thing I'm not so sure of is Ciman. He's doing pretty well in the league but looked a bit out of his depth against the dutch. Maybe just nerves though, since it was his first match. Would it be an option to start vertonghen as centerback? With fellaini and vdb in center midfield? That way Demul could start on the right. I keep reading Vertonghen can play in midfield as wel as in defence, but I've never seen him play in the back. Anyone has?
I haven't seen Vertonghen play in defence, but even if he could i think i would still put him in midfield. He's such a valuable player in midfield, he brings a lot of agression and cleverness. I would say our midfield is our biggest strength and we should take advantage of that. Also i thought VDB didn't play as good in the center as he did on the right, but maybe that's because we were missing Fellaini (who recovers so many balls, it's unbelievable...) I agree with the fact that Ciman looked a bit uncertain at times, but i would give him another chance. Maybe it was due to nerves. He looked a bit iffy when Rigters scored IMO (although it was a great goal). But if i remembered it correctly Ciman committed a foul and received a warning a few moments before that goal, so maybe that's why he was holding back a bit in the action that lead to the 1-1. At least that's the way i saw it.
Very insightful comment, I couldn't agree more . If Ciman doesn't work out again, we can still change during halftime.
Yeah, probably right. Besides, if Vertonghen plays as enthousiastically in defence as he does in midfield, he would probably give away too much freekicks around the box, maybe even a penalty waiting to happen. I don't mean to badmouthing him though, I loved his all-action displays.
Yes, he might need some "room for error" I love these enthusiastic type of players too I ain't no Bruges-fan, so normally i don't like Blondel that much, but now he's on "our" team, i love him... He's the sort of player you love to have on your team, but hate to play against. We don't have that many options in defence, do we? Do we have any centrebacks left on the bench?
Don't think so. After the loss of Colpaert and Vermaelen, the only non-starting defenders are fullbacks Gillet and Mulemo, so fingers crossed. And you're right about Blondel, I'm close to hating him in the league (because of his sometimes dirty play), but was very glad he came on for vdb in the last match. I like him a lot more on the left. In Brugge they use him almost as a defensive mid, don't really get that.
Hmm, they're not playing bad, but Serbia is defending pretty solid. Fellaini seems to be forgetting he is supposed to be a defensive mid, almost playing like a striker. Not really my kind of football. And Pocognoli looks absolutely exhausted.
Too bad. Too many of our kids looked tired last night. We did dominated them for long stretches, but we missed sharpness in front of goal. We didn't deserve to go out, though. Oh well.
I think it was a really poor game (very in line with the PK party of Eng vs Net) I'm reading everywhere that Belgium should have won but I saw the game and can't say that I agree. The team was down for 87 minutes and didn't show enough heart or ideas to turn things around. I was really dissapointed with the perfomance of Blondell (who seemed more worried about killing a serbian than using his talents), Fellaini (he was on the right places doing the wrong things all game long) and Vanden Borre (he should have the talent, experience and poise to take over this kind of games) Also, I trust your opinion guys, but Bailly showed anything but "major talent" during the last two games, being directly responsible for two goals (both FK) and responding poorly on a third (see his posture during Serbia' second goal) Still this tournament leaves belgian soccer with more pluses than minuses, first the place on the Olympic Games, and some confirmations as Pocognoli, de Mul, Martens and a sensation that history could have been even better with a healthy Vermaelen and perhalps help from Defour, Dembele, Kompany and/or Maaroufi. Lets hope that the other youngsters (U-17) also do their part on the coming WC in Korea and maybe, maybe, with could start looking some light at the end of the tunnel in which the NT seems to be submerged in.
i agree on you about Bailly. Check my posts here on that matter in the past, i got quite some critique on it, but bailly hasn't succeeded in proving me wrong. I also agree that serbia deserved to win. It took way too long before we became dangerous (except for that insane misser of Fellaini in the first minute) and when we were, the finishing lacked a lot of quality. I saw a technically superb Serbia. That team has quite some talent, even their substitutes ( i was impressed by Basta) But negativism shouldn't be predominant after this EC. they did good
They did a lot better than our senior team. Also, that Serbian team was one of the oldest in the competition. Their superior experience showed.
Serbia wasn't better at all. Did any of you even see the second half? After the lucky first goal, the Serbs could easily play their favourite game, just sitting back and relaxing. We had some good chances, among others Fellaini's and totally outclassed them during the second half. The second goal only came because we played with three defenders. This Belgium team has really impressed me. For the Serbs Ivanovic and Jankovic were great.