Wilmots reshuffling for Kompany-less Belgium
Thursday, May 12, 2016
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Marc Wilmots has revealed his defensive plans for UEFA EURO 2016 after naming a 24-man provisional squad without the injured captain Vincent Kompany.
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Vincent Kompany's injury has left Marc Wilmots with a quandary, with the Belgium coach selecting an extra defender in his 24-man provisional squad for UEFA EURO 2016.
Wilmots has selected nine defenders, knowing that one of them will not make the final cut when the definitive list is confirmed on 31 May. At the moment, the coach is anticipating keeping Toby Alderweireld at right-back in his first XI, and selecting Jason Denayer to partner Nicolas Lombaerts (currently recovering from injury) in the centre.
"Denayer is the replacement for Kompany to me," he explained. "And Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld will start in the full-back positions. Nicolas Lombaerts told me today he that he has a small muscle tear and will be out for up to two weeks."
Atlético Madrid forward Yannick Carrasco also makes the cut, Wilmots explaining: "Carrasco has had a super season. He and [Divock] Origi have pace and depth in their game and that's what I like."
Provisional Belgium squad for UEFA EURO 2016
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), Jean-François Gillet (Mechelen), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool).
Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham), Dedryck Boyata (Celtic), Jason Denayer (Galatasaray), Bjorn Engels (Club Brugge), Nicolas Lombaerts (Zenit), Jordan Lukaku (Oostende), Thomas Meunier (Club Brugge), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham).
Midfielders: Marouane Fellaini (Man Utd), Radja Nainggolan (Roma), Axel Witsel (Zenit), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Eden Hazard (Chelsea).
Forwards: Moussa Dembélé (Tottenham), Michy Batshuayi (Marseille), Christian Benteke (Liverpool), Yannick Carrasco (Atletico), Romelu Lukaku (Everton), Dries Mertens (Napoli), Divock Origi (Liverpool).
Stand-by: Nacer Chadli (midfielder, Tottenham), Laurent Ciman (defender, Montreal), Laurens De Bock (defender, Club Brugge), Guillaume Gillet (midfielder, Nantes), Thorgan Hazard (midfielder, Mönchengladbach), Kevin Mirallas (forward, Everton), Matz Sels (goalkeeper, Gent).
Belgium's Group E fixtures
13/06: Belgium v Italy (Lyon)
18/06: Belgium v Republic of Ireland (Bordeaux)
22/06: Sweden v Belgium (Nice)
