Belgium arrive in France with tired legs, two major absences and no appetite for retreat. Mark van Bommel intends to keep his side playing on the front foot on Monday night, even as Kevin De Bruyne and Youri Tielemans sit out through suspension.
The move
Van Bommel has indicated that Belgium’s regular starters could be asked to begin a fourth successive match when they face France at 20:45. The schedule has placed four fixtures into 11 days, creating an obvious physical concern after a demanding run.
“It is a lot,” Van Bommel said of the workload, while stressing that De Bruyne and Tielemans will not start because of their bans. He noted that players have also had to adjust from the different systems and habits they experience with their clubs.
Leandro Trossard returned to action in Friday’s 3-0 win over Turkey and has been declared ready to start. Van Bommel believes Trossard, Nicolas Raskin and Roméo Lavia can all line up together.
Trossard is expected to be most effective from the left, although the Belgium coach also sees him as capable of operating centrally as a number 10. Belgium can use two defensive midfielders, but Van Bommel pointed to the way De Bruyne and Tielemans dropped deep to collect possession against Turkey.
The missing pair presents a substantial problem. Van Bommel described De Bruyne as his best player and Tielemans as his captain, but insisted the squad has the capacity to handle their absence if every player understands his task.
Belgium’s coach does not plan to introduce a radically different tactical approach simply because the opposition is France. He believes a major switch of system would demand adaptation time his group has not had during this international window.
“We want to play our game everywhere,” he said. “The players have been intelligent, started matches well and shown a strong physical level.”
Belgium have monitored their performance data closely and Van Bommel said the group had set three records, including measures relating to intensity and speed across 15-minute periods. The key question against France will be whether that output can last the entire match without causing injuries.
The French season around it
France represent Belgium’s toughest test of the spell, in Van Bommel’s view. He considers Zinédine Zidane’s side among the finest teams in world football, with enough individual quality to settle matches in isolated moments.
Kylian Mbappé decided France’s 1-0 victory in Turkey, while Michael Olise scored the only goal when France won 1-0 in Brussels. Belgium felt they had enough chances in that earlier meeting to take something from the game and believed they controlled a 20-to-25-minute spell after the interval.
Van Bommel said the teams had been close in Brussels, despite France’s wealth of elite talent. He praised Zidane’s task of sustaining France’s level while managing a deep squad.
Belgium will not abandon their principles, but their coach accepts that the match may turn on the side’s condition on the night. His priorities are clear: stay defensively disciplined, limit the opportunities conceded and find a way to finally beat opposition of France’s level.
“At some point, you have to begin winning against teams like these,” Van Bommel said.
