Extra Time extensively discussed the national and international football weekend. The topper in England, with a starring role for Kevin De Bruyne, was reviewed, Union-Beerschot and the consequences of that match were also discussed. An overview.
Questions for Kevin De Bruyne
- Did you play your best game of the season against Liverpool? “one of the, yeah”
- Do you like playing against Liverpool? “Yes, those are always fun matches”
- Did you have more assists this season if City played with a real number 9? “Yes”
- Is winning the Champions League a healthy obsession? “Almost”
- Do you see a national coach in Pep Guardiola? “No”
- Is your ankle all right? “Yes, everything is fine”
- Does a World Cup in November appeal to you as much as a World Cup in the summer? “Yes, in itself”
- Is a national team with the best goalkeeper and midfielder in the world a World Cup favorite anyway? “No”
- Are you going to try to talk Romelu Lukaku if he wants to quit as Red Devil after the World Cup? “No”
- Can Racing Genk hope to get you back one day? “I would say no”
Joos: “De Bruyne is the best in the world”
Kevin De Bruyne was unparalleled against Liverpool on Sunday. Did we see the best De Bruyne in a long time? “Yes, he was great”, says Franky Van der Elst. “It took him some time to get through, but against Liverpool he was absolutely world class. The way he plays football, he is in the best position in the world.”
“Those passes just keep coming, no matter how difficult they are. They always come in the right place, with the right speed.”
Wesley Sonck: “It’s actually a punishment if a pass doesn’t arrive. It’s also a punishment how fast he is with the ball at his foot.”
“It was also thanks to Liverpool”, Filip Joos adds. “You have to say that. There was space. Sometimes he is the victim of the fact that he plays in too good a team, I keep thinking that. If he has space, then I just think he is the best midfielder in the world. “
Gert Verheyen: “The great thing about De Bruyne is that as a spectator you are also surprised by a pass. Especially if you have played football yourself. He sees things that we do not even see from the stands.”
Will City become champion? “Yes, I think so”, Verheyen thinks. “They have just a little bit more than Liverpool. They sometimes remind of the best Barcelona and sometimes it gets boring. They are just too good.”
The great thing about De Bruyne is that as a spectator you are also surprised by a pass. Especially if you have played soccer yourself. He sees things that we don’t even see from the stands.
Verheyen: “Club can make a strong statement”
The Extra Time panel also came back to the Beerschot supporters, who provided an embarrassing display in the Duden Park. What now?
Filip Joos: “This is really painful, the umpteenth time already. You could punish Beerschot with points deduction, but for now that has no impact anymore.”
Wesley Sonck: “It’s a shame it just happened at Union, where supporters just cheer when an opponent’s player does something right, for example that ball on Shankland’s crossbar.” (see: video below)
Does the game still have to be played? “No, that’s not possible,” says Wesley Sonck. “The players then start the game fresh and that is not the same.”
Three more points for Union then? “Whatever is decided, it’s not good for someone anyway.”
Gert Verheyen: “The clubs must be disadvantaged to take stricter action against their own supporters, this is the only way you can solve this. I recognized one of those Beerschot fans from the VTM program Blind Married. He then had to sit on the bench sleep and in the stadium he takes care of “ambras”.”
“The strongest statement could now come from Club Brugge saying: “Give Union the three points.” But is that realistic?
Van der Elst: “I just hope that all clubs will accept whatever is decided.”
Joos: “The strongest thing would be not to react after the decision. Because I don’t think they can do anything proactive at Club.”
Whatever is decided is not good for someone anyway.
Sonck: “Shankland came close to Goal of the Year”
New Section? “Check of the Week”
A Keek op de Week is no longer in Extra Time, so Wesley Sonck made a new proposal: the Control of the Week.
That matchday came in the name of Hara from STVV. “No surprise that the Japanese are doing so well in Belgium. Communication is a bit difficult in the beginning, but they always go for it and are very conscientious.”
“I also knew a few and they all had a top mentality.”
