Belgium already seem completely sold on Mark van Bommel. The Dutchman lost his second game as Red Devils head coach 1-0 to France, but the Belgian media still raved about the way his side performed.
Following last week's 2-0 win over Italy, Belgium again looked for long spells on Monday night as if they might get a result. Then Michael Olise struck the only goal of the game just before the end. A setback for Van Bommel, but the praise has kept coming.
"One observation, after the first two internationals under Mark van Bommel: get to the stadium on time. Or make sure you are ready on your sofa, because from the very first second it is 'full throttle' - regardless of the opponent," Het Laatste Nieuws concluded after Van Bommel's opening two matches in charge.
"The nice thing about Mark van Bommel is that he is not intimidated. However technically superior France proved to be, Belgium were on the halfway line when they built from the back. Man to man. Two years ago Belgium excelled in caution and fear, but now the team at least dared. They did not retreat into a bunker. Nor did they build a defensive wall full of sandbags. Or switch to a five-man defence. On the contrary."
Just two matches in, Belgium already seem fully won over by Van Bommel. "This is how you win the hearts of the nation. This is why on a Monday evening you want to brave the traffic misery on the Brussels Ring. Or, as a child, stay up a little later than usual for once - surely it can't hurt just this once, Mum and Dad? Was everything perfect? No. But the Devils entertained. They did not let themselves be bluffed," HLN said.
"In a packed King Baudouin Stadium, the Red Devils did exactly what head coach Mark van Bommel had asked of them: put the opposition under pressure with open visors, fully believing in their own chances," de Standaard added.
"The first defeat for Mark van Bommel. Yet the head coach still managed to win over the crowd," Het Nieuwsblad wrote. "The appointment of Mark van Bommel as head coach has certainly caused a stir: a good Dutch sauce has been poured over the Red Devils."
Van Bommel was not unhappy either. "I told the boys that I cannot blame them for anything. If you see how quickly they are taking on board our way of playing, they are doing that very well. It is the details that determine whether you win or not. That was already the case at the World Cup. So we are on the right track. On the one hand, I am satisfied, but on the other you do still lose this match."