Rome is the first stop for Mark van Bommel’s Belgium, with the new coach preparing to impose his ideas quickly before the Nations League meeting with Italy on Friday night.
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Van Bommel, 49, takes charge of the Red Devils after two years away from management. His last job ended with a remarkable 2023 treble at Antwerp: the Belgian league title, Belgian Cup and Belgian Super Cup.
The former Netherlands midfielder, capped 79 times by his country, has been appointed after Rudi Garcia’s contract was not extended in July. Garcia had guided Belgium to the quarter-finals of the most recent World Cup.
Vincent Mannaert, Belgium’s technical director and a candidate to become the federation’s next chief executive, made contact with Van Bommel in April. The appointment is seen as a major success for the Dutch-speaking side of Belgian football, with French increasingly absent from the new coach’s media appearances.
Van Bommel’s first competitive match comes at the Stadio Olimpico against Italy on Friday, with kick-off at 20:45. He is expected to move Belgium towards a 4-3-3 system, built around direct football, a high press and tightly defined tactical roles.
Charles De Ketelaere said the manager had made his principles clear from the beginning, describing the approach as one that suits a Belgium team and a Flemish football culture comfortable with structure.
Kevin De Bruyne admitted he did not know Van Bommel particularly well because he does not follow the Belgian Pro League closely, but said his first impression was of a typically Dutch coach: straightforward in his communication.
Nicolas Raskin said the group had already spent considerable time on tactical work and video sessions. He described Van Bommel’s plan as modern and attack-minded, with pressing designed to push the team forward, and said the coach places importance on explaining his decisions to the players.
The former PSV Eindhoven coach has never hidden his forceful character. During his spell at PSV from 2018 to 2019, he faced criticism over closed training sessions and clashed with the club’s medical department. He was dismissed in December 2019 after saying that, while he sees himself as a dominant person who often believes he is right, he had taken matters too far.
His selection decisions have already made a statement. Thomas Meunier and Alexis Saelemaekers have been left out, while Romelu Lukaku is not expected to start against Italy.
Lille defender Nathan Ngoy, however, could be handed a place in the starting line-up in Rome.
The next appointment in France
Belgium will return from Italy to host France in Brussels on Monday. Van Bommel, like Zinedine Zidane, ended an illustrious midfield career at the age of 36 with a red card; now his first week in the Belgium job brings two demanding Nations League tests against major European opposition.
