Belgium coach Marc van Bommel expressed satisfaction with his team's performance, despite the 0-1 defeat by France in the Nations League.
"My players understand the style of play and the joy radiates from them. I can't blame them. The way they press, sprint together back in defense... that's exactly what we want to see. We didn't have many clear chances, but we had situations that with a little more precision could have turned into scoring chances. Details determine the result. It was the same at the World Cup against Spain. And there everything was decided by details.
The disappointment in the locker room is great. However, on the pitch, the pleasure of the game was visible. The intensity – "That's what they enjoy. They're happy when they win the ball and play with it. Everyone was strong, Charles De Quetelare too. Everyone deserves a perfect 6. Moreira may not have been that good with the ball at his feet, but he was very useful without it. He brings intensity with his reactions," said Van Bommel.
The specialist also highlighted the performance of Mika Godts and Romeo Lavia.
"What Mika Godts is showing is at a very high level. We know what he can do with the ball, but he is also extremely useful without it. Lavia played an excellent game. But I can't let him start on Friday. I can't let every player play in four consecutive games and expect him to play at full strength. That's why I took De Bruyne off after an hour. He has played very few full 90-minute games this season. Also, in Hans Vanaken we have a good replacement. When I played against him with Antwerp, it was always difficult for us. Lukaku? I was looking for a different type of attack - with more speed," the coach added.
Van Bommel also criticized the media.
"I think you are doing the boys a disservice by saying that it was a match against a French B-team. I know that not all the big names were on the pitch. But the quality was there. Next week we play in France. We will be an even bigger challenge there," concluded the Belgium coach.