Van Bommel sees Belgium closing gap on Europe’s leading nations

Belgium coach Van Bommel believes his team are moving closer to recording a significant win over one of Europe’s leading nations. Belgium have recently beaten Italy and Turkey, but he does not yet regard either result as the statement victory he is seeking.

“It is a matter of time before we beat a top nation,” Van Bommel told VTM, as reported by VI. With the European Championship two years away, he said Belgium must learn to win tight contests against the strongest opposition because the margins are already small.

Van Bommel also highlighted Roméo Lavia’s display in Paris. The midfielder earned praise in the Belgian media, and his coach described him as far more advanced than he had been at the same age. Van Bommel views Lavia as a potential top player, adding that the midfielder can succeed elsewhere even if his time at Chelsea does not work out.

Assessing Belgium’s latest performance, Van Bommel acknowledged a poor opening ten minutes but felt his players subsequently dealt well with the pressure and produced an excellent goal. He was disappointed by the final quarter of an hour, although he stressed that the scoreboard alone did not reflect the full performance. Belgium, he argued, have shown an upward trend across two competitive displays against France as well as matches with Italy and Turkey. They will face Turkey and Italy again in the Nations League in November, before European Championship qualifying begins next year.