According to Goal.com, Belgian fans already have some initial opinions about new head coach Mark van Bommel. Although the Dutchman has not yet really started working at the Belgian Football Federation, supporters are already worried that he may have a big problem.
The Walloon Evening News conducted a survey in the French-speaking region of Belgium to see if locals considered Van Bommel the ideal successor to Rudi Garcia. The results showed that 90% of people completely disagreed.
The reason is that Van Bommel doesn't speak French. Especially in Wallonia, Belgium's largest French-speaking region, it's believed that mastering French is crucial to becoming a successful manager.
However, Van Bommel is determined to do things well and makes no secret of his desire to improve his French immediately. During his playing career, he quickly learned Spanish, German, and Italian after joining Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and AC Milan.
This gave the Belgians some hope, as it was widely believed that Van Bommel would perform better than Garcia, who made some surprising decisions in the last World Cup. The Last Hour even wrote, "But it's not too difficult."
To better communicate with the French-speaking players, the team currently relies primarily on assistant coach Martens Martens. This former international, fluent in French, can serve as a crucial bridge between Van Bommel and the French-speaking players.
Regardless, Van Bommel himself is eager to start his new job. He said, "Success is never guaranteed, but hard work, honesty, and dedication are essential. We will do our best to help this team improve every day and make the Belgian people proud. I look forward to meeting the players, coaching staff, and fans, and starting this new chapter together."
