France-Belgium: “Obviously we have to fear the Blues”, the “seum” has given way to fear

“It’s more than football.” In the “flat country”, we only talk about the upcoming round of 16 of the Euro, which will pit the “Red Devils” against the French team, Monday July 1 (at 6 p.m., live on TF1, streaming on TF1+ and live commentary on TF1info). A reunion between neighbors that the Belgians are impatiently awaiting, six years after the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup and three years after that of the League of Nations, lost each time (1-0 then 3-2) by the gang by Kevin De Bruyne.

A decisive match for which Belgium does not have too many illusions, as explained to TF1info by Anne Ruwet, Belgian journalist and presenter, who covers the news of the Euro with her show “Dans le vestiaire” on RTL Sport. A distrust justified by the declining state of form of the selection, sluggish in the group stage, but also by the recent past with the Blues, which has left its mark.

So we will have the right to a reunion between France and Belgium, two selections that did not dazzle us during the group stage. How do you approach this match at home?

Anne Ruwet: Ce France-Belgium will serve as a reference match for one of the two selections. This is what delights me and scares me at the same time. On the French side, we know that there is always an increase in power in tournaments. When there are criticisms about the lack of efficiency, the difficulties that Didier Deschamps may encounter in finding his system, on the Belgian side, we laugh about it a little, because with the Blues, there is always a moment in the competition where the click comes. There, they put on their superhero costumes and are able to smash everything.

Now, if we look at the Belgian side, in an ideal world, having a reference match against France would be an unexpected victory. Unexpected because there are a lot of questions surrounding the players. Here, we talk a lot about the physical aspect. We have Belgian players who are out of breath, exhausted, sweating just at half-time with super wet jerseys that could be wrung out. We have some extremely high-performing individuals in clubs. We have Jérémy Doku, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku… These are guys who can carry the team and who are leaders. But we wonder how they are physically.

There is a big efficiency problem. Lukaku scored three goals which were overturned by VAR in the first two matches. All the players said he was angry and that he was going to show against Ukraine that he was going to be effective again. Except that he gave us his worst match in a long time with the “Devils”. He was hateful.

And then, there are problems with coach Domenico Tedesco. He is a young coach, he is 38 years old and his choices raise questions. While he had an open selection of 26, he took 25 players. And this, knowing that lots of injured guys, like Arthur Théâtre, Jan Vertonghen and Thomas Meunier, have started preparation on the sidelines. Why did he deprive himself of a player who could have relieved his defense? During the first match, he decided to line up Yannick Carrasco, who, as we know, can bring us a lot offensively, at left-back. Domenico Tedesco is a man full of surprises, who can especially have bad ones in store for us.

“Zero chance”, “forgotten plume in the locker room”… After the insipid draw against Ukraine (0-0), the Belgian press was not kind to its selection. Are you really worried about the “Devils” before France-Belgium?

I am both worried and impatient. Worried because Belgium has not been up to par during this group stage. For multiple reasons. We talked about tactical choices, but there is also a question of mentality. France’s strength is its winning culture. By the way, I’ll make a small aside: you are our neighbors, be nice and give us the recipe. (laughs) More seriously, if we don’t have this winning culture on Monday, it’s because we have no place in this tournament and we have to go home.

For now, the three group matches have given us more questions than answers. That’s what’s scary. We know that we have players who can make a difference, a team with intrinsic qualities. But that’s not enough. We mustn’t forget that we were still in the most accessible group with Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine. We managed to finish second when by finishing first, we were going into a part of the table that offered a clear view until the semi-finals. There, we come up against France. There’s reason to be frustrated.

When France gets going, it’s going to be monstrous

Anne Ruwet, Belgian journalist-host at RTL Sport

Precisely, this 1st round remained stuck in the craw of the supporters. They made their discontent heard by whistling the “Red Devils” from the final whistle against the Ukrainians. We feel that there is a fracture that has been created between the public and them…

In reality, we have a double split. First, between the media and the “Devils”. As journalists, we can be quite critical, especially with Domenico Tedesco’s choices. The one about putting Yannick Carrasco at left back caused a lot of talk among us. He didn’t like it and he let us know. From the first match, he was a bit fed up with the press. Then, there is what happened with the supporters, at the end of the match against Ukraine. While they had the opportunity to finish first and open up a royal road for themselves, we felt them feverish, with a glaring lack of intensity and desire. The fans were unhappy, they whistled them. Kevin De Bruyne, our captain, who was going towards them, turned around and told his teammates to go back to the locker room to show their disapproval. In interviews, these same fans said and repeated that they did not understand these whistles.

I think above all they are telling themselves that the supporters are not 100% behind them. You can have a difficult match, struggle, but you have to show a minimum of desire and will. If you have that, the supporters are with you. If they take time off, travel to Germany and spend money, it is not for the pleasure of whistling. They want to be proud of a team, itself proud to wear the crest. They have not felt all that. The best response they can give is on Monday on the pitch. We expect them to fight.

After this match against Ukraine, Wout Faes, one of your defenders, said that Belgium “not afraid” to face the Blues. Do you think, on the contrary, that the Belgians should tremble at the idea of ​​playing France?

It’s funny because, in our post-match show, we completely isolated this interview. We said to ourselves that he has a totally different speech from what we hear in the “Devils” locker room. I started it by saying that we have a defender who is not afraid and who has confidence. It’s good because the kid is still young. He knows that he will be present in the center of defense because he is a favorite of Tedesco. But when he goes to see the scouting Tedesco, with Barcola, Mbappé and Dembélé, he will be less smart.

On the offensive side, there is nothing to be done. When France gets the machine going, it will be monstrous. In the middle with Tchouaméni, Rabiot and Kanté, we know that it is strong. If we compare the sectors of play, we have to be realistic: obviously Belgium must fear this team. Especially with our defense, our big weak point that we had targeted before the Euro. It has been completely revamped, there are players who are coming back from injury and who missed the first matches, like Thomas Meunier. There are questions and I am afraid that they will come back to haunt us against the French armada. I salute the fighting spirit of Wout Fares, but given his qualities and his record, France is not just any opponent.

The group stage was a cure of humility for the Blues

Anne Ruwet, Belgian journalist and presenter at RTL Sport

In Belgium, some press headlines are echoing the misplaced arrogance of the Blues, who would already see themselves qualified before even having played. Which some observers had already believed to detect against Switzerland at Euro 2021. Do you believe in French arrogance?

With the group stage that it has proposed, I don’t see France arriving with its chest out. There will be no overconfidence. The group stage was a cure for humility for the Blues, and that is precisely the biggest danger for us: that the French team wakes up and delivers a reference match that will bring everyone back into agreement.

We obviously know that there is a rivalry between France and Belgium, but above all there will be respect on both sides. For you, a France-Belgium match may seem a bit anecdotal, but for us, it is an exceptional match, with intense emotions. There are supporters who tell me that they cannot watch this match. It is too hard for them, there is an epidermal side. It is more than football, it is more than a ball going into a net, it is honor and pride that are at stake. At kick-off at 6 p.m., I do not know what state the Belgian fans will be in.

This rivalry changed dimension with the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup, then the semi-final of the Nations League in 2021, won each time by the Blues…

That’s starting to be a lot, isn’t it? (laughs) 2018 is clearly a turning point in the Franco-Belgian rivalry. Considering the scenario of the match, Samuel Umtiti’s goal remains a scar on us. Of course, we can congratulate France for their realism and their clinical side in front of the cage. But, in terms of the game, what Belgium offered, we have the feeling that a turn was missed. This is an opportunity that may not come around again anytime soon.

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As for the Nations League, it is worth remembering that Belgium led 2-0 at half-time. We don’t know what happened in the locker room, nor what Didier Deschamps could have said to his players, but in the end, we lost 3-2. Imagine the emotional elevator we experienced. I actually rewatched the images of the match yesterday while preparing for Monday’s France-Belgium. At the end of the match, when we were 2-2, VAR canceled a goal from Romelu Lukaku. Even this revenge, we didn’t get it. It’s all well and good to always want to postpone this revenge until later, but it remains a scar that we can only heal by winning on Monday. With all the fears that we can have around French qualities and our blatant deficits since the start of the Euro.