Van Bommel admits French superiority after his first defeat

Mark van Bommel suffered his first defeat as manager of the Red Devils against France, who scored late in the game, confirming that the gap between the two nations remains too large to be bridged quickly. The Dutchman stressed that the situation was not desperate, even though the result was disappointing.

First defeat for the Red Devils

He had wanted, this Monday, to revisit the same playing principles he introduced in Rome, principles he has been applying for a week with the Red Devils. Despite the defeat, he said he was very satisfied with the implementation of these tactical foundations.

“The way we applied the press, our intensity… There's no shame in that. As I said, just because you follow these principles doesn't mean you'll win every match,” the Dutchman emphasized.

He added: “We will always want to have possession if possible, find the spaces, create chances. Today, we didn't really have chances, more opportunities, which is different.”

“The style of play was there. Then, it's the details that make the difference, like against Spain at the World Cup. It's on those details that we need to work,” he concluded.

Van Bommel aims to finally beat France as Zidane lines up his B team

Game analysis and outlook

He acknowledged that Belgium must give everything to compete with a ‘B’ team France, highlighting that the stars of Les Bleus, upon their return, made the difference. “They have a solid bench, huh,” he smiled.

“It's not a B team, the same principles were there,” he clarified, putting the French performance into perspective while staying realistic.

He indicated that next week, facing a potentially different side under Zidane's direction, the Red Devils will try to play in the same way.

France make nine changes, Belgium limit the turnover

The goal remains to establish a clear playing identity, even against a stronger opponent, with the Euro in two years as the target. “France has a head start on us, of course,” Van Bommel concluded.