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Belgium - When the going gets tough, the tough doesn't get going |
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#1 |
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Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 6,215
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Belgium - When the going gets tough, the tough doesn't get going
Fantastic performance from Wales, but totally and utterly spineless from Belgium. How pathetic are they??
Any team that has hopes of winning major international tournaments, which this Belgium side aspires to, needs to be able to have the ability of digging deep when things aren't going for them. Down a goal, down a man etc, finding a way through against a spirited side, if you look back through all the tournaments, you'll see very few teams win tournaments by just strolling through them ala Brazil 1970. All international winning teams have to have mental toughness, its a criteria for winning any tournament. France faced a spirited Ireland side, didn't play well, but dug very deep to get themselves out of a hole in that game. Do Belgium possess any that? Doesn't look like it too me, what wimpy inept performance, as soon as they face a bit of pressure they just fall apart. Cant see them coming close to winning anything with this "golden generation". Anyone who considers putting money on them for the 2018 WC must be mad IMO. Overhyped sh1te. Congratulations to Wales, well deserved. Belgium, bloody hell. |
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#2 |
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Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Swansea
Posts: 1,972
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Quote:
Fantastic performance from Wales, but totally and utterly spineless from Belgium. How pathetic are they??
Any team that has hopes of winning major international tournaments, which this Belgium side aspires to, needs to be able to have the ability of digging deep when things aren't going for them. Down a goal, down a man etc, finding a way through against a spirited side, if you look back through all the tournaments, you'll see very few teams win tournaments by just strolling through them ala Brazil 1970. All international winning teams have to have mental toughness, its a criteria for winning any tournament. France faced a spirited Ireland side, didn't play well, but dug very deep to get themselves out of a hole in that game. Do Belgium possess any that? Doesn't look like it too me, what wimpy inept performance, as soon as they face a bit of pressure they just fall apart. Cant see them coming close to winning anything with this "golden generation". Anyone who considers putting money on them for the 2018 WC must be mad IMO. Overhyped sh1te. Congratulations to Wales, well deserved. Belgium, bloody hell. They did do one thing right, they managed to keep Bale relatively quiet and I do wonder whether their manager put more emphasis on stopping him as he was convinced that would win them the game. Bale had four players around him at times which of course makes it difficult for him but gives other players, who are perfectly able and capable as shown tonight, more room and time on the ball to set up chances. Going into this game I was terrified of seeing us getting hammered to be honest, after seeing Belgium against Hungary I was expecting a very strong and confident side tonight but after their first goal it just all sort of went downhill for them really and there wasn't much of a fightback from their lads after they went 2-1 down. It's not like Belgium have the excuse of not knowing too much about us either, we played them twice in qualifying and drew out in Belgium then beat them over here. There was just a lack of passion and spirit in them tonight, like they expected an easy game like Hungary and were a bit shocked when we dared to put up a fight. |
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#3 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 12,605
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Quote:
Fantastic performance from Wales, but totally and utterly spineless from Belgium. How pathetic are they??
Any team that has hopes of winning major international tournaments, which this Belgium side aspires to, needs to be able to have the ability of digging deep when things aren't going for them. Down a goal, down a man etc, finding a way through against a spirited side, if you look back through all the tournaments, you'll see very few teams win tournaments by just strolling through them ala Brazil 1970. All international winning teams have to have mental toughness, its a criteria for winning any tournament. France faced a spirited Ireland side, didn't play well, but dug very deep to get themselves out of a hole in that game. Do Belgium possess any that? Doesn't look like it too me, what wimpy inept performance, as soon as they face a bit of pressure they just fall apart. Cant see them coming close to winning anything with this "golden generation". Anyone who considers putting money on them for the 2018 WC must be mad IMO. Overhyped sh1te. Congratulations to Wales, well deserved. Belgium, bloody hell. England gave them a very good game and could easily have won it. They really got 'stuck in" that day and edged it 1-0 with a monent of class. |
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#4 |
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 4,578
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They have a terrible manager. That is the difference between them and Wales and that's why they lost
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#5 |
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Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 3,150
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It was pitiful watching them fail so ineptly to penetrate Wales at 2-1 down and worst so at 3-1. They had nothing. I personally blame the Manager (who will likely go now); He's had everything handed to him and hasn't done much with it. Time for change.
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#6 |
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Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Utopia
Posts: 10,162
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Quote:
It was pitiful watching them fail so ineptly to penetrate Wales at 2-1 down and worst so at 3-1. They had nothing. I personally blame the Manager (who will likely go now); He's had everything handed to him and hasn't done much with it. Time for change.
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#7 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: London, UK
Posts: 11,516
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That's down to the manager. He has to install the correct mentality in the players. Wilmot is failing badly with the players he has.
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#8 |
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 15,842
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Bit overboard, this thread.
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#9 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Deep Within The Chain Of Evil
Posts: 51,262
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Quote:
Bit overboard, this thread.
Wales are going through a great period now, with a squad that have grown together with an excellent balance. I wish them well for as long as it lasts, and their fans dont put any pressure on them, they just support them. They lost a few pre tournament games, but there was no meltdown. |
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#10 |
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Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 757
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Did an England.
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#11 |
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Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 7,401
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Quote:
They have a terrible manager. That is the difference between them and Wales and that's why they lost
Belgium are no different from England. No identity and no clue. When they face a side with a clear gameplan, they can't cope. |
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#12 |
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Deep Within The Chain Of Evil
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Bingo. It is bizarre why a team with so much talent on the pitch has so little off it.
Belgium are no different from England. No identity and no clue. When they face a side with a clear gameplan, they can't cope. Every game is different, and if a manager was the over riding factor in every game, we could predict the league quite accurately every season. Of course, a good manager makes a difference, but Coleman is not suddenly one of the all time greats. He's done a great job with a very settled, and good squad, where no one puts any pressure on them. |
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#13 |
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 12,605
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Anyone would think they have a team stuffed with great players.
They have even threatened to do much at WC's or Euro's so why should they this time. ![]() They have a few very talented players who show flashes of how good they are, but that's about it. QF was par for this team. |
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#14 |
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: West London
Posts: 5,657
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They seem to be reliant on either Hazard or KDB having a blinder to get them thru.
Neither performed anywhere near their best yesterday. To be fair, they were missing quite a few defenders yesterday and the replacements were pretty poor. |
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#15 |
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 2,969
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Put in a Belgian back four of Alderweireld, Kompany, Vermaelen and Vertonghen in that match and you get a different result I'm sure.
They had no foundation at the back to press ahead in that game. The two young lads who were brought in looked terrified every time the ball came near them. I don't know how many caps they had between them, but it can't have been many. Taking the left back off for Mertens showed how thin their defensive squad was. Fair play to Wales for taking advantage though, Robson-Kanu probably couldn't believe his luck for his goal. And the first Welsh goal was avoidable, that De Bruyne had to come back to help out the full back who'd shown zero strength, speed or reactions, and give away an entirely avoidable corner. |
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#16 |
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Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 3,975
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Quote:
Put in a Belgian back four of Alderweireld, Kompany, Vermaelen and Vertonghen in that match and you get a different result I'm sure.
They had no foundation at the back to press ahead in that game. The two young lads who were brought in looked terrified every time the ball came near them. I don't know how many caps they had between them, but it can't have been many. Taking the left back off for Mertens showed how thin their defensive squad was. Fair play to Wales for taking advantage though, Robson-Kanu probably couldn't believe his luck for his goal. And the first Welsh goal was avoidable, that De Bruyne had to come back to help out the full back who'd shown zero strength, speed or reactions, and give away an entirely avoidable corner. |
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#17 |
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Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 7,401
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Quote:
Belgium have been brilliant in a couple of games, and not so in others. That's how things go. Wales were hardly sparkling against England.
Every game is different, and if a manager was the over riding factor in every game, we could predict the league quite accurately every season. Of course, a good manager makes a difference, but Coleman is not suddenly one of the all time greats. He's done a great job with a very settled, and good squad, where no one puts any pressure on them. Nobody has said Coleman is one of the all time greats but it's equally nonsense to suggest he has had no bearing on their success. Let's not forget that their core of PL players aside, Wales have an average squad who have overachieved massively. Ultimately the only difference between them and NI is the top level of quality in the starting XI that Northern Ireland don't have. But put that to one side and they have done phenomenally well to even get out of their group. |
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#18 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: UK
Posts: 17,848
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I have to say, football is so marginal.
It's easy to be wise after the event. Belgium could easily have won. They had a lot of good chances, a couple of good penalty shouts. Good luck to Wales though. Well deserved win. |
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#19 |
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Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 26,160
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Of only they had Vardy, eh?
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#20 |
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: UK
Posts: 17,848
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Quote:
Of only they had Vardy, eh?
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#21 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,089
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They have brilliant individual players but they have a similar situation to England, unable to play effectively as a team, lack of team spirit and they're mentally weak. Having Hazard as captain is a terrible decision.
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