FORMER BELGIUM INTERNATIONAL Gilles De Bilde believes Ireland are the weakest side in Group E, but has warned that the Red Devils cannot approach the match with a complacent attitude.
De Bilde, who now works as a pundit for TV channel Eleven Sports, earned 25 caps for Belgium between 1994 and 2000, and also played for Anderlecht, PSV, Sheffield Wednesday and Aston Villa among other clubs.
And the former striker feels his country’s second Euro 2016 group match with Ireland on 18 June is a must-win game.
“It’s a very difficult group with Italy and Sweden. It’s important for Belgium to take the three points against Ireland, with all respect for Ireland,” he tells The42.
“(Belgium) should normally beat the least strongest team of the group.
You’re always thinking, because it’s a difficult group with Sweden and Italy, it should be alright against Ireland. But if you go into the game with that mentality, it’s going to be difficult to win for sure.”
Belgium go into the tournament placed second in the Fifa world rankings, higher than any other side in Europe, and ahead of group rivals Italy (12), Ireland (33) and Sweden (35).
Yet despite high expectations in the country, the team is not without its flaws. And De Bilde is in no doubt where the side’s biggest weakness lies — defence, and in particular, at full-back.
Marc Wilmots’ team has not kept a clean sheet since their 1-0 qualifying win over Cyprus last September, conceding in their last seven consecutive matches. Moreover, with defenders Nicolas Lombaerts, Bjorn Engels, Dedryck Boyata and captain Vincent Kompany all ruled out through injury, the backline will undoubtedly be weakened further.
Vincent Kompany is among Belgium's notable absentees through injury. Joe Giddens
Joe Giddens
Tottenham’s Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld have been two of the best centre-backs in the Premier League this season, but they both invariably operate in the full-back slots for their country. The injury issues, however, mean that the duo are now expected to play in the centre at international level.
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“We have a lot of trouble with our defence,” De Bilde adds. “A lot of players are not fit and out from the tournament, so that’s why (Vertonghen and Alderweireld) are probably going to start in the middle of defence, but they’re used to that with Tottenham, so it won’t be a problem. But it means that on the sides it will be a problem, so that’s worrying for the team.
We saw it against Norway and in the games before against Finland, so we’re a bit weak defensively for the moment.”
And asked whether the Belgians were concerned about any one Irish player in particular, De Bilde preferred to highlight the Boys in Green’s “collective” strengths, adding: “It’s not like Sweden with Ibrahimovic.”
In addition to their injury problems, certain Belgian players, such as Christian Benteke, Thibaut Courtois and Eden Hazard, have had below-par seasons at club level, and De Bilde acknowledges this is also a concern for the team, who are ranked as fifth favourites to win the competition by one bookmaker.
“We have Vermaelen with Barcelona who didn’t play a lot of games, we have Kompany out, De Bruyne was out for four months.
“So it’s a big question at the top of the tournament.
Hazard is one of our top players, so it’s important he’s fit and he does well for the country, but he’s a big question mark at the moment.”
And does De Bilde think the team is good enough to win the competition outright?
“Due to all these injuries and due to the lack of form of some players, the problems won’t go (away) too easily, so I’m not sure.
“We should have a good tournament, because we have a lot of quality players that play for different big teams in Europe.
Individually, we’re strong, but as a team (I don’t know)
“It’s difficult to say, as you’ve got (other strong contenders like) Spain, Germany, England, France as hosts, so I don’t know, I’m not too optimistic.”
De Bilde is no stranger to playing against Ireland himself. He made a substitute appearance in the first-leg of Belgium’s 1998 World Cup play-off qualifier against the Boys in Green.
After drawing 1-1 in the first leg at Lansdowne Road, goals from Luis Oliveira and Luc Nilis, in between a Ray Houghton header, ensured the Belgians progressed 3-2 on aggregate.
You can’t compare it to today. The atmosphere over (in Ireland) was really crazy. The team played for their lives almost and for qualification,” De Bilde recalls.
“When we play against countries like England or Wales or Ireland, it’s always tough and always difficult, because they’re used to playing with lots of passion.
Even though they lack quality sometimes, they play with heart and play with passion, and they get far with that as well.
“I used to play with Luc (Nilis) at PSV as well. It was obviously a good feeling to play with these guys because they’re all good players and they had a good career as well — it was always nice, always fun.”
Yet after impressing against Ireland, the Belgian side exited the subsequent World Cup at the group stages after consecutive draws in games with Netherlands, Mexico and South Korea. Euro 2000 was similarly disappointing where the Red Devils again failed to progress from the group stages, despite co-hosting the tournament. So given the number of talented players at their disposal, does De Bilde feel his generation underachieved on the international stage?
“It’s difficult to say — it was another period, another generation. There were other teams that were very strong in that period like France and Holland and Brazil.
This generation should be stronger than our generation in every way, but they have to prove it in a big tournament. Eveybody talks about the quality and the talent in the team, and there is talent, because when you look at where the players play — Man City, Man United, Chelsea, Barcelona, in Europe in the big competitions — then you have a good squad. But they have to prove it now also that they are as good as everyone says.
“If they are out after the first round, you can’t speak of a golden generation because you can’t prove it on the field.
“Two years ago (at the 2014 World Cup), it was a completely different time, because it was in Brazil, it was their first big tournament for all these guys. They were youngsters, they didn’t have the (necessary) experience, but now they are two years older, now it’s time to prove that they are as good as everyone says. They won’t have any excuses now.”
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Former Belgium star says Ireland the weakest team in the group
FORMER BELGIUM INTERNATIONAL Gilles De Bilde believes Ireland are the weakest side in Group E, but has warned that the Red Devils cannot approach the match with a complacent attitude.
De Bilde, who now works as a pundit for TV channel Eleven Sports, earned 25 caps for Belgium between 1994 and 2000, and also played for Anderlecht, PSV, Sheffield Wednesday and Aston Villa among other clubs.
And the former striker feels his country’s second Euro 2016 group match with Ireland on 18 June is a must-win game.
“It’s a very difficult group with Italy and Sweden. It’s important for Belgium to take the three points against Ireland, with all respect for Ireland,” he tells The42.
“(Belgium) should normally beat the least strongest team of the group.
Belgium go into the tournament placed second in the Fifa world rankings, higher than any other side in Europe, and ahead of group rivals Italy (12), Ireland (33) and Sweden (35).
Yet despite high expectations in the country, the team is not without its flaws. And De Bilde is in no doubt where the side’s biggest weakness lies — defence, and in particular, at full-back.
Marc Wilmots’ team has not kept a clean sheet since their 1-0 qualifying win over Cyprus last September, conceding in their last seven consecutive matches. Moreover, with defenders Nicolas Lombaerts, Bjorn Engels, Dedryck Boyata and captain Vincent Kompany all ruled out through injury, the backline will undoubtedly be weakened further.
Tottenham’s Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld have been two of the best centre-backs in the Premier League this season, but they both invariably operate in the full-back slots for their country. The injury issues, however, mean that the duo are now expected to play in the centre at international level.
“We have a lot of trouble with our defence,” De Bilde adds. “A lot of players are not fit and out from the tournament, so that’s why (Vertonghen and Alderweireld) are probably going to start in the middle of defence, but they’re used to that with Tottenham, so it won’t be a problem. But it means that on the sides it will be a problem, so that’s worrying for the team.
And asked whether the Belgians were concerned about any one Irish player in particular, De Bilde preferred to highlight the Boys in Green’s “collective” strengths, adding: “It’s not like Sweden with Ibrahimovic.”
In addition to their injury problems, certain Belgian players, such as Christian Benteke, Thibaut Courtois and Eden Hazard, have had below-par seasons at club level, and De Bilde acknowledges this is also a concern for the team, who are ranked as fifth favourites to win the competition by one bookmaker.
“We have Vermaelen with Barcelona who didn’t play a lot of games, we have Kompany out, De Bruyne was out for four months.
“So it’s a big question at the top of the tournament.
And does De Bilde think the team is good enough to win the competition outright?
“Due to all these injuries and due to the lack of form of some players, the problems won’t go (away) too easily, so I’m not sure.
“We should have a good tournament, because we have a lot of quality players that play for different big teams in Europe.
“It’s difficult to say, as you’ve got (other strong contenders like) Spain, Germany, England, France as hosts, so I don’t know, I’m not too optimistic.”
De Bilde is no stranger to playing against Ireland himself. He made a substitute appearance in the first-leg of Belgium’s 1998 World Cup play-off qualifier against the Boys in Green.
After drawing 1-1 in the first leg at Lansdowne Road, goals from Luis Oliveira and Luc Nilis, in between a Ray Houghton header, ensured the Belgians progressed 3-2 on aggregate.
“When we play against countries like England or Wales or Ireland, it’s always tough and always difficult, because they’re used to playing with lots of passion.
“I used to play with Luc (Nilis) at PSV as well. It was obviously a good feeling to play with these guys because they’re all good players and they had a good career as well — it was always nice, always fun.”
Yet after impressing against Ireland, the Belgian side exited the subsequent World Cup at the group stages after consecutive draws in games with Netherlands, Mexico and South Korea. Euro 2000 was similarly disappointing where the Red Devils again failed to progress from the group stages, despite co-hosting the tournament. So given the number of talented players at their disposal, does De Bilde feel his generation underachieved on the international stage?
“It’s difficult to say — it was another period, another generation. There were other teams that were very strong in that period like France and Holland and Brazil.
“If they are out after the first round, you can’t speak of a golden generation because you can’t prove it on the field.
“Two years ago (at the 2014 World Cup), it was a completely different time, because it was in Brazil, it was their first big tournament for all these guys. They were youngsters, they didn’t have the (necessary) experience, but now they are two years older, now it’s time to prove that they are as good as everyone says. They won’t have any excuses now.”
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