Steven Defour came by in our late evening Facebook Live after the match of the Red Devils to take a closer look at the Belgians. “You can’t tell much from today. We did what we had to do: win against an opponent to beat. But to beat France, there must not be more injuries.”
“Winning the opening game as a group favorite is ideal to keep all the pressure off,” says Steven Defour, who was there at the 2014 World Cup.
“The job is done and now you can calmly start the next two games. You always have to grow in a tournament. But preferably without injuries, because then you can certainly not beat France.”
Martinez’s choice for Boyata is purely competition-oriented
Yesterday – to the surprise of many – Dedryck Boyata appeared in the center of the defense at the kick-off of Belgium-Russia.
Steven Defour: “The length and the performance in the last game against Russia turned out in Boyata’s favor. He also kept Dzuba out of the game.”
“So you see again that national coach Martinez has all the right information to select the right players. He makes match-oriented choices.”
“The starting places for Carrasco and Mertens seem logical to me. Martinez has preferred players with more experience. Doku can still become important in the tournament because he has a very specific and therefore unique playing style.”
Dedryck Boyata.
About Vertonghen and Castagne’s injuries
“Jan has a history of sensitive ankles. When he gets a hit, he knows when it is better to go to the side as a precaution because there are still games to follow. Had this been a final, he would have continued.”
“The injury of Castagne is a pity, but with Thomas Meunier you actually had no loss of quality. If you lead 2-0 and you can bring in him and Eden Hazard and Thomas Vermaelen, then you realize that Belgium has a broad core.”
“By the way, this was the ideal moment for Eden to gain rhythm with a view to the further course of the tournament. The pressure was off, the Devils had the game completely under control and nobody expected anything.”
“So Eden was able to fully indulge and test how his body reacted. You saw him flash every now and then with his typical short twists and that pleases me, because you can only do that with a healthy ankle. He didn’t hold back. It saw Looks like he made a pain-free raid.”
You can only do those flashy short rotations of Eden with a ‘healthy’ ankle.
A top-fit Defour in this European Championship squad?
Steven Defour hung his football boots on the hook in April. But would he – if he had been in top shape – dare to dream of this European Championship?
“I would not have been in the starting eleven against Russia, those players are too good. But I do think that – only if I was top fit as before – I would still be at 26.”
There is still nostalgia for pain-free football.
“There is still nostalgia for pain-free football. But pain-free football had not been there for years, so the European Championship would not have been an option anyway. As a supporter I now also enjoy football. In a different way, but it is also fine.”
And Defour also briefly mentioned his future: “I am now with the technical staff of the A-team of KV Mechelen. I will analyze it and ensure a smoother flow from youth to the A-core by using a more structured approach. to go to work.”
