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Belgium - When the going gets tough, the tough doesn't get going


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Old 01-07-2016, 22:46
Thomas007
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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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Old 02-07-2016, 00:22
SwanGirl
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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.
To be honest, I got the impression that they may have done a bit of an England tonight. When they went 1 goal up I don't think they expected us to keep our heads and keep playing our system as we did, we didn't panic and kept playing and eventually that paid off. After half time I was expecting Belgium to come out as the stronger side but they seemed totally clueless.

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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Old 02-07-2016, 01:02
Dixon
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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.
Even the great Brazil team had to dig deep a few times in 1970.
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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Old 02-07-2016, 04:38
Xela M
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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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Old 02-07-2016, 05:53
007Fusion
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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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Old 02-07-2016, 06:40
dearmrman
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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.
To be fair though, they should have had a free kick on the edge of the box, and a penalty as well, with Wales been reduced to 10 men. That is not to knock Wales performance, as they deserved the win, but it could have been different, had those decisions been given.
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Old 02-07-2016, 09:11
misawa97
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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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Old 02-07-2016, 09:14
celesti
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Bit overboard, this thread.
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Old 02-07-2016, 10:21
Deep Purple
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Bit overboard, this thread.
Unbelievably so. I'm getting that Chris Coleman could win games on his own, without a team here.

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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Old 02-07-2016, 10:26
Nikelodeon81
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Did an England.
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Old 02-07-2016, 10:34
ags_rule
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They have a terrible manager. That is the difference between them and Wales and that's why they lost
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.
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Old 02-07-2016, 10:52
Deep Purple
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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.
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.
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Old 02-07-2016, 11:28
Dixon
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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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Old 02-07-2016, 11:44
Jokanovic
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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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Old 02-07-2016, 12:02
RepublicOfYorks
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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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Old 02-07-2016, 12:41
mikeyddd
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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.
You can't be sure of that, on the last 3 results Belgium couldn't beat Wales with stronger defences. Who knows if things would have been different last night.
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Old 02-07-2016, 15:23
ags_rule
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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.
See I even disagree that Belgium were brilliant against Hungary. The first half was very even and for a good 20 minutes it looked as though Hungary were going to equalise. Ultimately the Hungarians ran out of steam and had a mental collapse when the second goal went in. 4-0 flattered 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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Old 02-07-2016, 17:30
gemma-the-husky
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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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Old 02-07-2016, 19:41
FMKK
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Of only they had Vardy, eh?
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Old 02-07-2016, 23:40
gemma-the-husky
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Of only they had Vardy, eh?
you know it. it would have made all the difference.
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Old 03-07-2016, 16:38
Ghost Misguided
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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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