Belgium keep injuries under wraps ahead of Slovakia clash at Euro 2024
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(From left) Belgium's Yannick Carrasco, Amadou Onana and Axel Witsel in Tubize, Belgium, on June 7.
PHOTO: AFP
FRANKFURT – Belgium remained tight-lipped over their injury woes in defence but let slip the fact that Axel Witsel had returned to individual training ahead of their Euro 2024 Group E opener against Slovakia in Frankfurt on June 17.
Belgium held a closed training session on June 15 and journalists were asked not to pose questions about the players’ fitness at a media conference later in the day, though right-back Timothy Castagne confirmed that Witsel, who had pulled out of training on June 14, had done an individual session.
Witsel, 35, was called out of retirement for the tournament as a centre-back, having been converted from a midfielder at Atletico Madrid in the 2023-24 season.
There was no response to questions about the fitness of Jan Vertonghen and Arthur Theate.
Their absence, along with Witsel’s, poses a potential crisis at the back for coach Domenico Tedesco.
“I’m not worried about the fact that there are some absentees. Everyone who will play is ready, there is enough quality,” said the 28-year-old Castagne.
Wout Faes and 20-year-old Zeno Debast are the other specialist centre-backs in the squad and Castagne, with 43 caps since 2018, is ready to take a leadership role in defence.
“I’m the most experienced player at the back. I always talk, but now I must do so even more.”
Castagne said there was no instruction from Tedesco to take things easy in training but admitted that the last thing the team needed were more injury problems.
“We give it our all, we were not extra careful because there are a lot of injured players. But of course, we won’t do stupid things. There’s no point in making unnecessary tackles.”
Despite the Red Devils’ injury issues in defence, Slovakia coach Francesco Calzona remains wary.
“Belgium are definitely the strongest team in our group. They are in a moment of change with their players because of their ages, but they have really strong young players. I believe we’ll be seeing them at the top again, like in recent years,” the Italian told Uefa.com.
Belgium have kept clean sheets in 10 of their 14 games under Tedesco and have scored 33 goals themselves, with Romelu Lukaku, Kevin de Bruyne and Vertonghen the old heads among exciting young talents Jeremy Doku, Johan Bakayoko and Amadou Onana.
Said Castagne: “The group is a good mix of experience and youth.
“I’m not here to prove to you that we have a chance, it has to happen on the pitch.
“We don’t care if the outside world see us as a favourite (or not).
“The most important thing is that we believe that we can achieve something beautiful.”
Winger Yannick Carrasco added: “As a favourite, there is much more pressure. Being an outsider is beautiful but everyone knows we want to go as far as possible.”
The other Group E match on June 17 sees Ukraine take on Romania at the Allianz Arena in Munich.
REUTERS
