Stéphane Pauwels has launched a fierce attack on Mark van Bommel. According to the Belgian journalist, Belgium’s national team coachhas no clear tactical plan and the substitutions are well below par.
Van Bommel made a strong start as Belgium beat Italy and Turkey in the Nations League. Defeats against France followed, 0-1 and 4-1, although there was still optimism afterwards about the football on show.
Speaking on the French-language channel LN24, Pauwels made it clear he wants none of that. The journalist criticised Van Bommel and the people who appointed him, and said he cannot understand why predecessor Rudi Garcia had to leave after the World Cup.
"Our big, very 'Flemish-ised' association with their Flemish bosses decide to appoint a Dutch coach. He only won the title and the cup with Royal Antwerp. So we appoint a national team coach who could just as easily have been at Mouscron or Poperinge, they would have taken him too. It had to be a Fleming!" Pauwels fumes.
Pauwels then turned to Van Bommel’s substitutions in the 4-1 defeat to France. "He’s just doing whatever. And yet we still conceded four goals," Pauwels says, referring to the closing stages when the French scored four times.
"Van Bommel makes stupid substitutions. But after the match he still tells us we acquitted ourselves well against a big country. Under the previous national team coaches there would already have been much more criticism. But now the Belgian FA are apparently just satisfied," said the astonished Pauwels.
Belgium resume their Nations League campaign on 12 November against Turkey. Three days later, they face Italy.