June 30 – Belgian manager Domenico Tedesco wants his side to demonstrate confidence and “a capacity to adapt” against France in the round of 16 after an underwhelming group stage led to a storm of protest from their own fans, something the manager brushed off.
Belgium’s tournament stands or falls with the round of 16 encounter against their neighbours, but Tedesco believes that much will come down to belief on the day.
“We worked on this belief the last two or three days because if there is no belief, there is nothing. So we have to believe and everybody knows that we need a top day,” said Tedesco.
He added that Belgium won’t be the favourites, even though the French were also underwhelming in the group stages, finishing runners-up behind Austria and scoring just a single goal in Group D.
Kylian Mbappé’s injury became a major talking point, but he returned in the final group game and left a good impression, tormenting the Polish defence. Manager Didier Deschamps repeatedly pointed out that a new tournament starts in the knockout stages.
“I think that both teams created a lot of chances in counter-attacks, but also out of possession,” said Tedesco. “That’s the problem with the statistics, because if you just look at the numbers, you can say they are weak and they are weak, but it’s not true. In both cases, I think if you see the games of Belgium and the games of France, both teams created a lot, even in possession, I think many chances, a high number of expected goals.”
The Italian-German and Belgium had arrived in Germany on something of a high – a simple qualification campaign followed by the easiest group of the tournament. Yet, in the space of ten days and three matches, the public perception of the team took a major hit, resulting in the Belgian fans booing their team off following a goalless draw with Ukraine in Stuttgart.
“The fans are allowed to do anything, you know, if they have emotions if they have some…
Source link : https://www.insideworldfootball.com/2024/06/30/tedesco-shrugs-off-fan-protests-saying-belgium-will-adapt-france/
Author : Paul Nicholson
Publish date : 2024-06-30 20:42:32
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