Chapter 68 Looking Forward

"This is completely my proposal, and Coach Antienis just adopted my opinion!"

The reporter who made a special trip from Belgium to Florence was stunned when he heard what Degan said. Although he had suspected before that Degan would play a big role in this matter. After all, Degan's influence in the Belgian football circle is obvious to all, but he never thought that this matter would start. That's what Degan meant.

"After the game with Portugal, I thought of this problem. After the World Cup in Germany, some people in the Belgian national team have lost their desire to win, which is what I am most worried about, so I found Coach Antienez and suggested to make it more like Thomas. I am also sorry for those teammates who failed to enter the national team, but there is nothing we can do. As coach Antienis said, we must look forward. Belgian football has been in place for many years, and the former European Red Devils have long been no longer majestic. Continuing, if young people are never allowed to rise, Belgian football will still not change.

"Do you mean that the players who may be defeated this time will not appear in next year's European Cup?" This is what people are most concerned about now.

Digan thought for a moment and said, "It's not certain. There is still a whole year before the European Cup. No one knows what will happen. The only thing I can tell you is that the Belgian national team will always open the door to those players who desire to win!"

"But isn't it unfair to do this? After all, those players played the qualifiers, and they are the contributors for Belgium to advance to the European Cup, but now they are excluded from the national team just because of an attitude, which may make people feel unfair!"

Degan shook his head and said, "No! Of course, you may have some truth, but it is all Belgian players who support Belgian football, not a certain person or a certain team. Of course, it can be said that those players who enter the national team training list for the first time are here to pick peaches, but in fact, they are also for Belgium. Contribute to the football career! It may be a little unfair, but it's still the same sentence, we all have to look forward!"

After the press release of this interview was released, it immediately caused a great uproar in European football. Why didn't people expect that a player would have such a great influence to decide who could enter the national team!?

Digan's name is once again connected with the ball bully!

Some people still doubt the motivation for doing this, and there is even a saying that because Digan clashed with Pepe in the last round of the European Cup qualifiers, was banned by UEFA for three games, and could not participate in the group stage of next year's European Cup, so they came up with such a high-sounding reason to ruin the competition. Team Lishi.

"I'm not that mean! What's the truth? You will see it by next year's European Cup!"

Anyway, things can't be changed. Three days after the Belgian Football Association announced the new national team training list, the team completed the assembly.

Those players who were selected for the national team for the first time are naturally very excited, especially those young players. They never thought that they would one day be favored by the national team.

Journalists from European countries have also gathered in Brussels, and they also want to see what's so great about these carefully selected players.

Belgian football has attracted attention like this, except for the first time since the end of the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Over the years, Belgian football has indeed fallen. The former European red devil is no longer powerful and has become a second-rate in Europe. Think about how beautiful Belgian football was. In 1986, they even reached the semi-finals of the World Cup. Although they were defeated by Maradona in the semi-finals, Sifu and Selmans also impressed the fans.

As a representative of Belgium's golden generation, Sifford was only 20 years old when he participated in the Cup. From 1986 to 1998, he represented Belgium in four World Cups in a row, but after entering the 1990s, the European Red Devils were no longer the same invincible division. After the 1990 World Cup Le Mans' departure has further weakened the team's offensive strength, and to this day, Belgium has become a second-class team in Europe.

The Belgian men's football team was once known as the "European Red Devils", but since the retirement of superstars such as Sifford and Predholm, Belgian football began to fall into a low point, and after the retirement of striker Wilmotz, they missed the finals of the 2004 Portuguese European Cup.

However, with the joining of Degan, the European Red Devils Belgium finally have the opportunity to show their style in front of the world. Germany is the runner-up of the World Cup. Although Degan has been stubbornly claiming that the runner-up is a failure, for Belgians, the runner-up undoubtedly represents a glorious rise of Belgian football. Point.

Head coach Antienes is very lucky. It was already a happy thing to have Degan as a super striker, but looking at these players in front of him, he found that he was too negligent to miss so many excellent young players. Now he no longer needs to be jealous of anyone, because He has too many young talents.

In the position of goalkeeper, Antiennis originally thought that Proto was excellent, but now he has a younger and better Bayley. This handsome big boy is definitely the most promising player to become a world-class goalkeeper after Predholm. After three years of starting with the Belgian league, Genk will not be the end of Bayley. His future should be the five major European leagues. If he develops normally, he will become a world-class goalkeeper sooner or later.

The tall Bayley has a huge range of control and is closer to Cech than his predecessor Predholm. There are few competitors among goalkeepers of the same age, and what he needs is to prove himself in competitions like the European Cup.

Antiennis has implicitly regarded Bayley as Belgium's number one goalkeeper, and with Proto and Mignollet, three insurances are enough to reassure him.

The back line of the Belgian national team, the combination of new and old, as long as they are given a chance to show, they will definitely become the envy of every country.

Van Biten, who plays for Bayern Munich, the hegemon of the Bundesliga, has strength and experience, and Compani, who has been tested in the World Cup, is currently the core of Florence's defense. Although he is young, his strength is very outstanding. Ajax's central-back combination Vermron and Villetonheng are young, but they already have the potential of world-class central defender. In addition, veteran Hoykens and Vandenborg of Genoa also have good strength. Left-backs Lombards, Poconioli, and young right-back Drur, who played for Loquen, are also talented at the moment.

In addition to Van Bitten and Hoykens, most of the other defenders in their early 20s have experienced the baptism of the competition and are at the golden age of both ability and experience. The common feature of these defenders is that they are tall and strong and their physical ability is very outstanding.

After Sifford retired, the Belgian team's midfield has not had a good organizer for a long time. After the 2002 World Cup, there was only one midfielder who played in the Bundesliga for a long time, and former captain Gul.

Now Antienes doesn't need to take a headache with this problem. After personnel adjustment, Belgium's midfield configuration is not luxurious, but as long as they are given a chance, they will definitely shock the world.

Simmons, Gul and Bufer are still fighting in the team, providing their experience. Witsel, the captain of the Belgian league giants, has excellent offensive and defensive ability, as well as the midfield perpetual machine Fellaini, who also plays for the standard scorching sun, and the Asian young player who plays for Piacenza in Serie B, England and the Dutch Dembélé, the main midfielder of the Erkmaar team, Defour of the Standard Sun, Martens of the Alkmaar team, and David of the Genk team. Hubert, some are offensive and defensive midfielders, and some break through the sidelines with strong organizational ability. If such a midfielder plays perfectly, it can pose a threat to any team.

The Belgian team has the world's first striker Degan, as well as Miralas, Bolette, de Couleir and Dred, who were selected into the national team for the first time. These four strikers Bolette and de Couleir are both strong and tall centers. Miralas is the second striker with a certain technical ability and a relatively balanced overall balance. , Dreid is a small forward of the small fast spirit type. They can arrange different frontline combinations according to different opponents, and each combination will have good lethality.

Overall, although the current Belgian national team has good technical ability, their biggest advantage is their physical strength. In terms of height and physical strength alone, few teams can compete with them. If Antienis wants to, they can even cast a starting lineup with a height of more than 190 on the field.

If you have to find weaknesses, it is their experience, especially in the case of Degan's absence, the international competition experience of midfielders is relatively lacking. In addition, speed and flexibility can barely be regarded as their weaknesses. In fact, most of their tall players are not as slow as imagined. If such a team is perfectly combined and plays overall football, it will be difficult for any team to easily win against them.

When he first accepted the Belgian national team, Antiennis's biggest headache was how to stimulate the residual value of those old players. Now he has no such trouble. With so many excellent young talents, he feels that he should be envied. That one.

"François! Are you still worried now?" Antienes couldn't help asking proudly.

François didn't expect that there were so many pearls hidden in the big list circled by Digan with a pen. He had to admit that he was too timid before.

"Okay! I admit that Rod is right! But, old friend! Are you really going to use all the newcomers in the game in three days?

Antienes did not hesitate and nodded and said, "Of course! What these young people lack most is experience. I want them to familiarize themselves with the game style of the national team as soon as possible. Don't worry! Francois, it's just a warm-up match. The results are not important. We should look forward and take a long-term perspective. Next year's European Cup is the time to really test us!"

François didn't say anything, but couldn't help feeling a little nervous. He admitted that these players who entered the national team training list for the first time were indeed excellent, but the football match depends on the results.

Even if it's just a warm-up match!

If the record of these two warm-up games is not good, the pressure they will bear at that time can be imagine.

Although at present, the public opinion of the outside world has been suppressed, as long as there is a problem with the performance of the national team, countless people will definitely jump out and bombard them, especially those players who are excluded from this training list.

It is still unknown whether Antiennis can hold on.

Of course, this is not what he is most worried about. Francois is most worried about whether these young people can bear the pressure once there is opposition. Once they are under heavy pressure and destroy these good seedlings of Belgian football, they are eternal sinners.

François's worry, Digan in Italy, also has the same concern. He admits that his practice has some intention to promote it, especially for those young people who are less than 20 years old. If they are given enough time to wait patiently for them to grow up, the European Red Devils will also recover in the future, but he I can't wait, that's why I stuffed all the seedlings that are still growing quietly into the national team.

In the past two days, Degan has also been on the phone with Antiennis all the time to ask about the team's training. Although the feedback from Antiennis seems to be good, Degan is just worried.

Finally, the day before the start of Belgium's first warm-up match, Degan flew from Italy to Brussels, so he did not hesitate to bear Irina's complaints and came to supervise the battle in person.

"Rod! You should have a good rest at home for this rare holiday!" Antienes looked full of confidence.

Degan is not as optimistic as him. This personnel adjustment is equivalent to a major operation on Belgian football, but there must be a painful process in such a major operation.

Now what Degan can do is to pray that tomorrow's game can have a good result, otherwise, some people are afraid that they will make trouble again.