Re: Rode Duivels Part Six: how to defend corners You know watching the Red Devils in my early years I remember teams built on tight defense with strong counter attacking. I'm glad they seem to be able score but I'm taken aback by the inability to defend. 4 f'ing goals to Austria at home, Really?!?! Belgium could have put themselves in 2nd with the ability to control their own destiny. Now the team needs to win the rest of its matches against Azerbaijan and Kazikistan beat/tie Austria away or beat/tieTurkey at home and perhaps hope for a draw in Germany with some help. Throughout the 80s and 90s in WC qualifying they always managed to sneak through but lately it seems like Belgium can't get the key win or the upset win when they need it... Tired of not taking care of business... /end of rant
Re: Rode Duivels Part Six: how to defend corners I think we've at least learned some new things from these two games The good: Vossen & Ogunjimi have emerged as worthy forwards at this level Legaer showed he can be an asset to the NT (not sure if I want him taking all free kicks though) Witsel has re-emerged as a worthy Rode Duivel Lombaerts is a solid alternative at CB The bad: Bailly is lacking confidence and it shows in his game we need to sort out our defense of set pieces if we want to win at this level What we already knew: The lack of real fullbacks will inevitable cost us goals, however admirably Alderweireld/Vertonghen/Vermaelen try to fill the void And even though you all know I am not Leekens biggest fan by any measure, I don't think he really can be blamed too much for our situation after four games. My two major concerns are his insistence on keeping Van Buyten and Bailly in the team and his penchant for zonal defense on set pieces.
Re: Rode Duivels Part Six: how to defend corners With Van Buyten, we would have won this match. He's dominant on corners and wins so many aerial battles. It's a shame we tied (it feels like a loss to be honest). But with the way it has worked out, we have to play a mediocre Austria away, and a mediocre Turkey at home. Austria will have to play Germany twice still, while Turkey still has to play Austria twice. Our last game will be against a German team that in all likelihood will already be qualified. We're not out of it, not yet at least. We need to ditch the zonal marking of corners, especially against a slow, but physical team like Austria. We need to put in any one of Gillet, Mignolet, Proto in net, seeing as Bailly has lost confidence. Simons out of the first XI, as he's a step slow. Vertonghen needs to be central. The rest was ok, no need to change that up (flank defence is a toss up, but a quick guy like Arnautovic needs to be defended by a quick, alert flank defender, so lets hope Cavanda will get some games in by March at Lazio).
Agreed, it's still just a one-game swing. And Turkey and Austria still have to play each other twice, so at least one of them will lose points. And both of them have played twice already against the minnows in the group, whereas Belgium has only once.
One thing that we'll have to start accepting is that this generation will never be able to play the old-fashioned Belgian style (grinding out 1-0 and 2-1 victories behind a great defensive organization). They are just not wired that way. I think Leekens realizes by now that for them to win games, they need to score goals. They will concede, even if they get considerably better in terms of positioning, concentration and discipline.
I disagree, we saw that against Germany, we can grind pretty well, but we were missing Vermaelen and Van Buyten (I realize you dislike him, but he only makes one mistake a game, unlike some other players). Thats a whole lot of defensive grittiness and aerial strength gone for one game. My ideal lineup after watching all these games is -----------------Gillet/Mignolet------- Alderweireld---Van Buyten---Kompany----Vermaelen Legear----------Fellaini-------Vertonghen---Witsel ---------------Ogunjimi----Vossen--------------- It's not our most talented lineup for sure, but it's the one that will probably have us score more and keep the ball out of our own net.
Alderweireld struggled mightily against Arnautovic. You only watch the Germany game but you forget about the seven goals we gave up against inferior opposition - one of which was with Van Buyten in the team. Only against Kazakhstan (again without Van Buyten) did we keep a clean sheet, and that was with help from the ref.
Van Buyten was on the team against Kazakhstan (he did get a bit lucky with the handball, but that can happen to anyone, like Witsel in Turkey). None of the Turkish goals were his fault (Alderweireld first, then Vertonghen miss hit a incoming cross, and one ball deflected off Fellaini). I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on that one. Alderweireld did struggle, but there's no one else who wouldn't struggle against Arnautovic. Vertonghen (if he played centrally), could have helped out a great deal as opposed to the slightly slow Simons.
And I've gained a lot of respect for the Vossen-Ogunjimi duo but Leekens had the good idea in why he selected them: they're in form. Our front line should always be formed out of whichever players in the Legaer-Hazard-Lukaku-Vossen-Ogunjimi-Dembelé group are performing best for their club team.
That's fair, but I think that the level of comfort between Vossen and Ogunjimi is something we shouldn't underestimate. There's an inherent advantage whenever you play with a guy who's game you know like the back of your hand.
Boyata struggled even more, and I don't even wanna think about how Gillet would've performed. For our next 2 games Alderweireld is our only option. In march when we play Austria again, perhaps Vanden Borre is ready to reclaim his position.
I don get a point.Clubs like Anderlecht,Genk and Brugges are doin pretty well in Europe and u guys r tellin that they don have good side backs!
Not real ones. Gillet plays that position for Anderlecht but he would be a disaster defensively! Even Jacobs has admitted that he isn't a real fullback. The only Belgian fullback at any of those clubs that might be considered for the NT is Vanden Borre, and he is currently not playing.
Hoefkens is a central defender. If there's one area where we don't need any more players it's there. Besides the four players who have played the CB positions in recent internationals (Vermaelen, Kompany, Van Buyten, Lombaerts), I'd rank Vertonghen and Alderweireld ahead of Hoefkens as well for the CB spot. In short, we don't need him, and I say that as a Club Brugge fan.
Pocognoli is one that should at least be considered for the squad. Not sure if he's good enough to start though.
http://www.sporza.be/cm/sporza/voetbal/buitenland/Duitsland/101108_De_Camargo Igor FINALLY got fit from his pre-season injury ... and what a "De Camargo show" we enjoyed last Saturday when he came in after the interval against Bayern! Superb assist followed by a superb goal just 4 minutes later (Van Buyten looked like a greenhorn. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBf2OM6AyVk"]YouTube - Gladbach vs Bayern - 3:2 durch Igor de Camargo[/ame] If he continues like this, I don't think that Leekens can afford not nominating him soon (although I prefer Igor concentrating on his club, which is in big trouble at the moment). Btw: Logan Bailly also lost his starting spot at BMG and will be only our 2nd keeper until the winter break. Then he'll get a new chance to fight back & regain his former shape.
I only want Igor as a last resort. I'd rather want Mirallas getting a shot again, now that he's been performing very well in Greece.
I donno what Leeken thinking but he should play Gillet, Hazard, Vertonghen, VDB from start against Russia on 17th.I think his confusions will get cleared. Gillet is by far the best goalkeeper in Belgium, i think he is one of the best in europe also a legend in Bari. Leeken's ignorance towards him is irrational to say the least.
You want to start Vanden Borre even though he's not playing for his club team yet? Di Camargo is an excellent squad player for the national team, but I doubt he'll start. Who exactly would we bench for him?