This Friday, local time, the new head coach of the Belgian national team, Van Bommel, attended two press conferences, where he discussed his expectations for coaching and the future of Courtois.

On coaching the Belgian national team and the reasons for choosing it

"I am very happy to be here. This is very different from coaching a club, but this challenge suits me well. Over the past two years, I have received many offers, but none of them convinced me. Here, everything progressed very quickly. Coaching a country, especially the Belgian national team, is an honor. It's what every coach dreams of, and I am very grateful to Sports Director Vincent Mannaert and the FA."

"Nowadays, national team coaches are getting younger, partly because new, faster, and more efficient ways of working are emerging. I have also coached the Saudi and Australian national teams, and I have experience playing international matches as a professional player. So, from this perspective, choosing to coach a national team instead of a club is not surprising."

On the challenges of coaching a national team

"The fact that coaching a national team involves less workload than a club was not the main reason I chose this job. But when Vincent called, I said yes almost immediately without much hesitation. The training cycles here are short and intense, and the arrangements are very different from a club."

"We now need to start planning for the players. The team has players who performed well at the World Cup, as well as emerging young talents. At the same time, we also need to start analyzing the situations in Italy, France, and Turkey, as they are all beginning new chapters with new coaches."

What style of football do you want to play?

"You know my style from when I coached at Antwerp. We want to control the ball and dominate, but for me, it's equally important that the tactics are clear and explicit, and everyone knows what they need to do."

"Everyone can be nervous during a game, but there should be no uncertainty regarding tactics. It's our responsibility to clarify this to them and ensure they understand. It's equally important that you, the media, also see the patterns in it."

On the situation of your son, Ruben van Bommel

"For him, after a good start to the season last year, the ACL injury was undoubtedly a major setback. At first, I would have preferred to be by his side. Coaching a team keeps you busy 24/7, making it difficult to focus, especially with Ruben injured. I'm glad I waited and can now accept this challenge."

Will you go to Madrid to talk with Courtois?

"Flying to Madrid? That's definitely in the plan. I will talk to Courtois and hear his thoughts. I have already spoken with a few players. Courtois did say that he wanted to take a year off from the national team. Could I do the same? You can't expect me to answer that question before I talk to Courtois."

Did you consider waiting for an invitation from the Dutch national team?

"No, not at all. I didn't even think about it. As a coach, leading a national team is one of the best jobs. You get to work with the best players in the country, and there aren't many truly top nations."

Belgium also has many Dutch-speaking players

"In my opinion, the language a country speaks is not that important. In Belgium, people speak Dutch, French, and German, but the Belgian team unites them. If the Dutch team wins, the whole country turns orange. If the Belgian team wins, everyone is happy, and that's exactly what a national team coach wants to achieve."

Courtois said he wouldn't participate in the Nations League in September. Could he change his mind?

"We plan to talk to him first, without jumping to conclusions. He has expressed his opinion, and we won't make a decision based on that yet. It wouldn't be appropriate to conclude after only one conversation. Perhaps he has changed his mind. Once he resumes full training, we will go over and talk to him. If we have anything to tell him, we will certainly do so. He is an excellent goalkeeper, there is no doubt about that."

Are you looking forward to leading the team in the European Championship?

"As a player, you always want to win. Our goal for every competition is to go as far as possible. In the Netherlands, we always say we want to be world champions. Group stage, draw results, and form on the day are also factors that influence the final outcome. It would be inappropriate to claim that we will win the European Championship, but of course, we aspire to win everything."

Many people are discussing your appointment

"Of course, I know that my role will receive extensive media attention. As a national team head coach, everyone will have their own opinions, but that's precisely what makes it interesting. I don't mind criticism, as long as it's well-founded. This is both its charm and its challenge."

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