[Europe Group 7]
8 Matches 6 Wins 0 Ties 2 Losses (18 Points)
| 8/31/96 | Vs. Turkey | Win | 2-1 |
| 10/9/96 | Vs. San Marino | Win | 0-3 |
| 12/14/96 | Vs. Holland | Lose | 0-3 |
| 3/29/97 | Vs. Wales | Win | 1-2 |
| 4/30/97 | Vs. Turkey | Win | 1-3 |
| 6/7/97 | Vs. San Marino | Win | 6-0 |
| 9/6/97 | Vs. Holland | Lose | 3-1 |
| 10/11/97 | Vs. Wales | Win | 3-2 |
| <Playoff> |
| 10/29/97 | Vs. Ireland | Draw | 1-1 |
| 11/15/97 | Vs. Ireland | Win | 2-1 |
| Offense |
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Defense |
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Experience |
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Capacity to surprise |
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With the level of the domestic league falling steadily, all the powerful players have gone abroad and Belgium finds itself in the midst of a unprecedented dark age. It is almost a miracle that Belgium nevertheless won through its qualifiers. However, these severe conditions may also bring some good luck to the Belgian national team. More than anything else, the key to the preliminary league will be the clash with old enemy Holland. If Holland considers Belgium on the same level with South Korea and overlooks the Belgians, an upset is possible. To put it another way, that it is only visible way for breaking through to the championship round.
Compared to the goalkeeping where Vande Walle and De Bilde provide superior stability, the backline, which was synonymous with Belgian soccer in its heyday, is full of holes. Although both side backs are promising and have many techniques at hand, there is no sweeper in sight to take the place of the retired Albel and de Wolfe. There are more problems at midfield, where the retirement of the general Siefer from the national team was a great shock to the team. What has come up now is using Wilmots in the command tower. However, it is hard to have all that much hope for him as a passer and the attack pattern is unavoidably narrowed to counterattacks. Probably no final decision will be made until the last possible moment.
The offensive side is where Belgium is worth watching. Combined with Walem and Boffin, Nilis, the best player on the team, and Oliveira work together as a finely tuned machine. De Bilde, who holds back, is warhorse who takes a backseat to no one.
*UNION ROYALE BELGE DES
SOCIETES DE FOOTBALL
ASSOCIATION
[Address]
- 145 Avenue Houba de
- Strooper B-1020 Bruxelles
[Established] 1895
*10th World Cup
(1930, 1934, 1938, 1954,
1970, 1982, 1986, 1990,
1994, 1998) |
Luis OLIVEIRA
* Forward
The trump card in the counter-attack that is Belgium's lifeline.
Oliveira was Brazilian, but at age 16, he was scouted by Belgium's famed Anderlhito. Eventually he wound up becoming a Belgian citizen, then a member of the Belgian national team. Currently, he plays for Fiorentina in the Italian Serie A, where he combines with his colleague Batistalta for the most devastating attack in the league. On the Belgian national team, he forms another great combination, in this case with Nilis. He is the "shadow striker" type, who is more effective the stronger his partner is. His greatest weapon is his astonishing speed. He is the ideal player for the counter-attack.
Georges LEEKENS
Coach Leekens was born on May 18, 1949 and is an underrated leader with a rich career and track record. He coached at top Belgian teams Anderlhito and Club Bruxelles, as well as in Turkey and France. His skill at understanding players' psychology has been compared with that of Jacque of France. During the end of last season, he gave up his position as coach of Musukulon, which was leading the league and with the release of previous national team coach Fan Moore, made the lightning move to the position as coach of the national team. In the World Cup qualifying round, he used his skills intelligently and saved the team from destructive circumstances.
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