Youri Tielemans aims to beat Italy and move past global disappointment

On the eve of the Italy‑Belgium clash, Youri Tielemans chaired the press conference as captain, a role confirmed by coach Mark Van Bommel. He said he wants to beat Italy and move past the World Cup disappointment where he left the pitch injured during warm‑up before the quarter‑final against Spain.

A captain marked by the World Cup injury

The elimination against Spain was experienced by Tielemans with heightened frustration, as he had to watch the match from the sidelines, injured during warm‑up. This “small personal disaster” must now be left behind him, in his own words.

Ambitions under Van Bommel’s direction

“There is no sense of revenge in me before this match. Injuries are things that happen in football,” he put in perspective at the Olympic Stadium in Rome. Van Bommel, in one of his early speeches, reminded that Belgium could have beaten Spain in the quarter‑final and won the World Cup with a bit more luck.

Youri Tielemans gives a wooden reply to Rome, says it's not enough

The captain continued: “Yes, maybe we could have. But that luck is created. That’s also the coach’s message.” He added that the team must be able to be better on the details so that luck smiles on them.

Tielemans emphasized that the long international break gives Van Bommel the opportunity to implement numerous playing principles: intensity, speed, fairness in the details and team cohesion, even if time is limited.

The Manchester United midfielder concluded that Van Bommel’s method is based on simple and clear principles, and that the whole squad must be on the same wavelength to succeed against an opponent like Italy, which won the Euro in 2021.