Although Belgian manager Marc Wilmots wasn't able to get far in any competition his side played in the past 5 years, there are many Belgium players who believe he deserves recognition for his work there. During all that time, Wilmots was the one who debuted many incredibly talented players and the main responsible for this golden generation of players who can be considered title contenders of any tournament in the upcoming years. To defender Jan Vertonghen, Wilmots is to be thanked for all his work.
He told the press that: "This team has a lot to thank Marc Wilmots. He has set up a good structure and given us confidence. He also managed to debut many players. Some have developed very well under him. There is so much said and written after the European Championship, things that are true, things that are not true. I think the coach certainly could have stayed, but the pressure was so high towards the next World Cup. With each goal or every bad pass, they would sit ready to finish him off. That's not a good situation."
About the possibility of a new manager, Jan described his predilection: "In any case I hope for a coach because he believes in the national team and our young guys, someone who really wants to achieve something and not someone who simply wants to develop his own career. I still believe there is a lot to achieve with this team. That belief comes from all over the country and my team-mates, too. I hope the new coach believes too. Hopefully we can get something fantastic at the World Cup and make more of an impact than the quarter-finals."
Photo credit: Belgian Red Devils