Rode Duivels ep. V: Will somebody bloody save us already? [R]

About time we got lucky with the ref, REMEMBER THE 17TH OF JUNE 2002! Or more recently, Kompany vs Turkey.

Don't understand the animosity towards Deschacht, he wasn't bad. Van Damme was dissapointing though, and I'd like to see Simons benched for Vertonghen. Lukaku should be benched as well until he gets going for Anderlecht again. Vossen and Ogunjimi showed Lukaku is not our only option up front. Besides, he's too easy to cover these days. Just put 2 strong defenders against him and he won't touch a ball: Germany, Turkey and now Kazachstan.

PS: who would you have substituted for Boyata?

 

Christ, always this crap. Stop pushing youngsters who have proven jack shit forward as our saviours. When you have proven yourself for a whole season, then you have the right to claim a spot at the national team. Not if you play 2 good games.
Especially if it's not even their natural position. First you argue about how players should play their natural position, and now you turn back on it because Deschacht played as LB. Come on...

You might not have been happy with his performance (I for one thought it mediocre, like most of the other players) but Deschacht was not the substitution necessairy at that time to change the flow of the game.

 

Saw the match. First half was very poor.But in the second half they played more like a domineering team.Stop bugging bout the ref cause there will be days when u will not get the decisions.Very impressed with Vossen.Nobody ever mentioned ogunjami in this thread i guess, so credit goes to Leekens.Whatever i saw in Lukaku in two matches, looks very ordinary, lets give him some time to develop more.Lombaerts is the perfect central defense in seems,very calm and composed.I am also impressed with Fellaini, Alderweild,Witsel and Legear(as a substitute).This team plus vermaelen will win against Austria and Turkey at home.

 

Then Van Damme should've been substituted, not Deschacht. That's actually one substitution I have been yelling about for 20 minutes before Leekens actually did it.
Agree with Vertonghen <-> Simons.

Anybody knows what happened with Maarten Martens? He used to be called up regularly with VDE, but the last years I haven't heard squat about him.

 

All respect for Simons as a player and as a person, but he's done

 

We got pretty lucky. Simple as that. Bailly was a poor choice at the back, as he's suffering from loss of confidence. Gillet is a captain in the Serie A and plays steady week in week out. The choice there was obvious. The backline was fine, though it's apparent Alderweireld isn't a real right back, but that isn't his fault and it's not Leekens' fault we don't have a decent right back. The midfield was a mess. Leekens said he wanted to lineup 3 infiltrating players in Van Damme, Fellaini and Witsel, but for that to work you need a creative force to launch them. Simons ahead of a near top-class player like Vertonghen is shear stupidity.
And it's not like Leekens' dislike of Hazard doesn't have precedent, since he wasn't exactly fond of another talented, creative guy in Scifo.
The Ogunjimi sub though I must say, was inspired. While I'd prefer not to blame Lukaku for the suckiness of the team in the first half, Ogunjimi got involved by dropping back and winning headers. He was also alert, and that won us the game.
Oh and as I suspected Lombaerts was excellent as the even-tempered defender. Lombaerts-Kompany at the back would be one of the most solid central pairings in the world. But I'm afraid Georges doesn't see it that way.

 

Agreed on Gillet, Kompany-Lombaerts and Vertonghen(although Simons did a pritty good job).Also want to see Hazard in the team. Why is he on the bench? Very strange decision if he doesn't have injuries.

 

Leekens is setting us back to the VDE era. Simons over Vertonghen... are u kidding me?? U want to create chances? Ok, let's put Van Damme as a midfielder and Hazard can watch from the bench

and let us not forget tactic N1: Long balls on Fellaini all day long

 

Hazard did not see much playing time lately with his team Lille in the french league

 

Kazachstan sent a complaint to Fifa, they claim that the polish referee favoured the red devills

 

Their claim is justified

 

Possibly on the Van Buyten hand ball, but the disallowed goal was actually the right decision. We got lucky that the ref saw it and made the right call, because most wouldn't have. Bailly had his hand on the ball, and the Kazakh player kicked it from his hands. That's illegal as per the laws of the game.

 

i would prefer Lombaerts at CB,cause he looks much assured than any other. Vermaelen at LB.

 

Boyata is right-footed. I think he will struggle at the LB

 

Great result!!! Azerbaijan 1-turkey 0!!!

 

with a win against Austria later the second place would not be impossible anymore