How the Dutchman asserts himself in the Red Devils' dressing room
How has Dutch asserted itself in the Red Devils' dressing room? The new manager Mark van Bommel speaks Dutch to his players, three days after the 0‑2 win in Italy at the start of the Nations League. This Monday, Belgium BEL will face France FRA at the King Baudouin Stadium.
Languages and understanding
As the images released by the Belgian Union show, van Bommel addresses his players in Dutch. “It’s true,” he confirms on VTM’s microphone, adding that his assistants Boudewijn Zenden and Maarten Martens speak French fluently. The players understand him very well, especially when he speaks slowly, and he notes that if something is not clear after a meeting or a training session, he re‑explains it or delegates the task, without it being a problem, sometimes even in English or in Spanish with Matias Fernandez‑Pardo. Live, the statistics and the lineup are available, and supporters can even add the channel to their Google favorites.
Duel statistics
It will be the 79th meeting between Belgium and France, with a practically balanced record: 30 Belgian wins, 29 French successes and 19 draws. The Belgium BEL versus France FRA match will be played at the King Baudouin Stadium, marking the second matchday of Group A1 of the Nations League.
Zidane's past
After the dismissal of Domenico Tedesco, the technical director of the Belgian Union, Vincent Mannaert first contacted Zinedine Zidane before turning to Rudi Garcia. Zidane was only interested in the role of manager of the Blues, and two years later he appears at the King Baudouin Stadium to face the Red Devils. Mannaert had met the French legend in 2015 in Bruges, where he had come for an internship as part of his coach training.
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Zidane's predictions
Zidane describes the match as “a difficult encounter”, emphasizing that Belgium has a new generation, a new coach and strong individual players emerging from a great World Cup. He adds that the Belgian team “comes out of a very good World Cup and has strong individual players and a strong collective”. He notes that the Blues are playing four matches in a short period, without real preparation between games, and hopes to improve ball recovery. The French manager promises some tactical changes for the match.
Absences and captains
The Blues will have to do without Kylian Mbappé, who is unavailable for the rest of the international window. The captain’s armband will therefore return to Ousmane Dembélé, whom Zidane describes as a leader through his actions on the pitch. “It would be crazy not to use his experience,” the manager says, adding that Dembélé has a lot of energy and is fit to play the four upcoming matches.
Van Bommel looks forward to meeting Zidane in the Nations League
Both teams arrive in Brussels with confidence, ready to battle as soon as the kickoff on Monday evening.