Ahead of the 2014 World Cup, Belgium were expected to bring us their own brand of ‘Total Football as everyone looked forward to some of Europe’s top names getting together in a major tournament. From a Tottenham perspective, the Belgians gave us the only real interest of this World Cup with Jan Vertonghen, Mousa Dembele and Nacer Chadli in the squad although all three have enjoyed mixed fortunes in Brazil.
Ultimately, Belgium took maximum points from their three group matches but as Dembele conceded, the displays weren’t always convincing.
“We’re happy with the start. It’s maybe not the sexiest football we’ve shown but we’re very happy with nine points out of nine,” Mousa told Goal.com following yesterday’s hard fought victory over South Korea.
“You see that with every game we win we have more confidence. Today was a bit difficult as well; in the second half we did a lot of defending, but at the end of the day it was positive.”
Belgium’s only goal last night was scored by our own Jan Vertonghen as he followed up a free kick with an enthusiasm that was rarely seen at the Lane last season. Their play may not have been pretty in this tournament, but at least Belgium continue to give us some interest as they prepare to play Jurgen Klinsmann’s USA next Tuesday.
