Belgium boss Van Bommel relishing 'special' clash with Zidane's France

[p]Van Bommel got off ‌to a dream start in his first game in charge of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/belgium/GbB957na/"]Belgium[/a] with a ‌2-0 away win over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/italy/hlKvieGH/"]Italy[/a] in their Group A1 game on ‌Friday and said he wants his side to keep up the attacking ‌approach they showed in Rome.[/p][p][b]"I started (my coaching tenure) last Monday by ‌emphasising intensity and willingness to work,"[/b] he told a press conference on Sunday.[/p][p][b]"The idea has to remain the same. Of course, you have to take the quality ‌of the opponent into account, but that does ⁠not change our style of ‌play.[/b][/p][p][b]"If you are beaten in a situation, that's not a problem. As long ​as everyone knows what they have to do."[/b][/p][p]It will also be a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/belgium-GbB957na/france-QkGeVG1n/?mid=40zZ9MQ7"]second game in charge for Zidane[/a], whose [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/france/QkGeVG1n/"]France[/a] debut ​on Friday was a 1-0 win in Turkey where goalscorer [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mbappe-kylian/Wn6E2SED/"]Mbappe[/a] was injured.[/p][p][b]"It is special to coach against someone like that,"[/b] Van Bommel said.[/p][embed guid="c752369f-7934-44dc-bf16-32a04d4f7a73" url="https://x.com/BelRedDevils/status/2103892752530346215" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]"He ⁠was an exceptional footballer ​and I played against him once, with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/barcelona/SKbpVP5K/"]Barca[/a] (Barcelona) against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/real-madrid/W8mj7MDD/"]Real Madrid[/a]. If a dribbling move is named after you, then you must have done pretty well. As a coach too, of course. He is a good coach, ‌that's clear.[/b][/p][p][b]"I think it's a shame that Mbappe isn't there, because you always want to have the best footballers playing against you. I don't know exactly what injury he has, but I would have liked him to be there,"[/b] the Belgium coach added.[/p][p]The France captain has since returned to Real Madrid, who said he had suffered a hyperextension of the left knee.[/p][p]On the eve of his debut as Belgium coach, former Dutch international Van Bommel watched his son Ruben debut for ‌the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/netherlands/WYintcWb/"]Netherlands[/a] and set up a dramatic last-gasp equaliser against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/germany/ptQide1O/"]Germany[/a] ​in Amsterdam on Thursday.[/p][p][b]"As a father, you see your son make his ‌debut for the Netherlands, that is already something special,"[/b] Van Bommel told reporters.[/p][p][b]"We happened to be watching on the phone with a large part of the coaching staff, and then he provides an assist like that. It's fantastic. I would have liked to ⁠have been in the stadium. ⁠We then also beat Italy. ‌It was two wonderful days."[/b][/p][infobox id="5a8fbd57-e97c-4bdc-9f6b-fb0fb254e893" /]