Belgium’s defence in crisis: Will Tedesco go for a ‘School of Fans’ approach with his selection against Slovakia?

Alert on the defence! With only four fit defenders available, questions are mounting.

Former defenders Jelle Van Damme and Jonas De Roeck offer their answers.

Pech. The word is the same in Dutch and German. It means “bad luck” in French. And it has been plaguing the Belgian defence for weeks now, with no end in sight. After Meunier was ruled out of the opening game against Slovakia, Witsel joined Theate and Vertonghen in the ‘doubtful’ category. We could even say ‘very doubtful’ given the trend of the last few hours.

If the quartet of defenders were to be absent from the team sheet on Monday, Domenico Tedesco would have the easiest job of his life as national team coach: select four players from the four defenders still available. Everyone’s a winner, like on ‘School of Fans’. While up front, it’s more like ‘Everyone wants to take their place’ given the fierce competition in attack. That’s enough to raise a few questions.

Should Witsel be thrown in if he’s not 100%?

“No,” says Jelle Van Damme, a former defender for the Devils (31 caps between 2003 and 2013). “Even though Axel is super strong and has adapted to the position of defender in a way I didn’t imagine when I played with him, we need to allow him to be 100% ready when he plays. In a major tournament, you shouldn’t take the risk of lining up a guy on one leg.”

Van Damme also believes that the criticism, which has already surfaced during the warm-up games, could find resonance. “He missed one action against Montenegro and everyone is pulling faces and being pessimistic. We need to see what he did at Atletico this season and trust him. Axel knows how to manage a high-level game. We just need to allow him to be ready. Let’s hope that’s already the case against Slovakia.”

Can Debast be a good Plan B?

“Yes, for sure,” says Jonas De Roeck, a former defender and T2 to Vincent Kompany when Debast was launched into the pros at RSCA in 2021. “If Tedesco has to line up Faes and Debast in the centre, everyone will talk about the lack of experience, but Zeno has progressed a lot this season. He has dealt with good attackers and is much better at handling duels. He still has his superb passing but he has the aura of a real defender now.”

If the Debast-Faes duo is fielded by default (they have already played 77 minutes together in the national team without conceding a goal), the whole of Belgium will be trembling on Monday. “I understand a certain fear,” continues the new Antwerp coach. “But we mustn’t forget the great season they’ve both had at club level. Without being the fastest, they also have a good pace that can compensate for a certain lack of experience. I think they would also play with a certain rage, a desire to answer those who don’t believe in them.”

“And don’t forget that it’s Slovakia in front of us,” interjects Van Damme. “There’s not an Mbappé or a Musiala in that team. Faes and Debast know how to manage and are starting to know the codes of the top level. What we have to hope for is that the injured players come back quickly after.”

What would be the best Belgian defence?

Our two interlocutors disagree. Van Damme believes that no one will do better than the Vertonghen-Witsel duo, despite an average age of 36. “I know we’re going to be told they lack pace, but experience is the most important quality in defence. Positioning changes a lot of things. We’ve already done great things in tournaments with both Alderweireld and Vertonghen behind.”

De Roeck prefers the Anderlecht automatisms of Vertonghen and Debast. “In a major tournament, you’re looking for stability above all, and that’s what this duo offers. Witsel had a great season at Atletico, but he’s not a defender by trade. He can bring a lot from the bench depending on the scenario of the match.”