Is he better off than others? “We have great ambition, we fear no one, we must finish first in the group. I would have said it if we had had another draw too. Afterwards, we will see if we play Egypt well first; it would be the big entry match. And it will be important to respect the opponents.”he said, as in a reference to the 2022 World Cup.
The west coast location of this group suits it: “I think the temperatures will be mild; travel too. The advantage on the west coast is that we can play in the evening ; I prefer. It feels like the World Cup is really starting now.”
The rest of the tournament
There will only be new opponents in the tournament for the Devils. “It’s a draw that really resembles that of a World Cup. We won’t face any Europeans, but we’ll meet them again later,” said the coach.
Finishing first in the group would mean a more affordable round of 32: “This is what we have already discussed with the delegation : being first would allow you to face a third rather than a second. It’s an advantage for sure.”
France, which he knows less well, was less lucky: “They have Norway, the scarecrow of pot 3. Senegal remains a good African nation, which has many dual nationals. It seems to me that they have already met in the World Cup (Editor’s note: in 2002). But between us, France fears no one and can beat everyone; I’m not worried about them. But that interests me less ; I am Belgium coach.”
The next few weeks
“Firstly, I will go to the CAN with my assistants, to scout Egypt. We will also work on the base camp. This is the most important thing, to have as little travel time as possible between the training center and the hotel; to have a quality pitch and a hotel where we will be peaceful.”
It is said that the quality of all base camps is not the same. “I heard that too, but we have already done work upstream through Pierre Locht in particular. We already have four possible base camps. We have a wish, but I don’t know if Canada could choose the same one as us. We have until the beginning of January to make our choice, and if necessary; I’ll go see for myself.”
News of the injured
The French coach also gave news of Lukaku and De Bruyne. “Romelu is training, but it was a little early for him to return to competition. It won’t be long; but I’m glad he’s not skipping steps. There are a lot of matches with Napoli. When he comes back, he will have to continue and that’s what he will do.”
“Kevin is doing well; he has started his rehabilitation. We saw him smiling in Sclessin against Liechtenstein. He is delighted to play in another World Cup, and I am delighted to take all these players to this tournament. We need all our players to be fit, especially not injured, that’s what will count.”
