The Belgian players are mitigating expectations for the World Cup after Sunday night’s 1-0 defeat by the Dutch national team. Although they are confident they can go the distance, they do not consider themselves among the favorites.
Belgium failed to score for the first time in fifty international matches and fell behind in the Johan Cruijff ArenA in the finals. Virgil van Dijk heads for a corner.
“In Belgium there will always be question marks. If we win it is too elated. If we win without playing well, it is not convincing. If we lose and play well, there are question marks again,” said goalkeeper Thibaut Corteis.
“We will not go to the World Cup as favorites, but we have a good team. If we are fit we could go far, like in Russia (third at the 2018 World Cup, ed).”
Virgil van Dijk scored the winning goal with a header.
Virgil van Dijk scored the winning goal with a header. Photo: Getty Images
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“We have nothing to lose at the World Cup”
Side player Timothy Castagne also noted after the Amsterdam game that Belgium are not an all-time favorite at the World Cup, although he doesn’t necessarily see that as a disadvantage. “We have nothing to lose at the World Cup. Last year we weren’t the dominant team we were and so we go to the World Cup without pressure,” he said.
The Leicester City player thinks Belgium still need time to improve. “We tried something different beforehand which allowed us to push harder. There is something in it, but we’ve been practicing for a week. So it’s not perfect yet.”
Thierry Henry, who replaced the suspended Roberto Martínez as national team manager, also saw ample room for improvement. “We have to remain positive, even if we weren’t able to score,” said the former French leaders.
“Now the Nations League is over, now we have to focus on the next thing. And in it we have to show that we have found the answers to the questions that still worry us.”
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