Former Belgium coach Marc Wilmots says Thibaut Courtois could have been the mole who leaked team tactics
Former Belgium coach Marc Wilmots recently appeared as a guest on L'Equipe TV, where he made quite a few controversial remarks on Thibaut Courtois and his own time at the helm of the Red Devils. Wilmots, who was hired as an assistant manager for Belgium way back in 2009 under the famous Dick Advocaat himself, was promoted as a manager in 2012.
He was fired in 2016 after the country's dismal performances in international competitions and was replaced by former Everton manager Roberto Martinez.
The reporters from L’Equipe questioned Wilmots if he knew that the Flemish press got their hand on tactics leaked from information given to them by Courtois’s dad.
“I honestly do not care anymore. At one point I would have stopped to think about it, because where does it end? Several ‘moles’ have been mentioned.” said Wilmots. “Was it Courtois through his father? Possibly, and if so I find that unfortunate.”
Wilmots also revealed how the Chelsea goalkeeper mocked Antonio Conte’s tactics for Italy during the Euro’s when they faced them. Italy went on to comfortably beat Belgium by 2 goals to nothing, against all predictions.
The 6'6'' goalkeeper was frustrated by Belgium's poor showing and lack of creativity in their tactics. He reportedly slammed the Belgian coach’s decisions while also repeatedly claiming, “Do you also want us to play with nine at the back like Italy?”.
These words come as a huge surprise, as it is not expected from the goalkeeper to make such statements. The player himself was part of the team that was touted to achieve quite a lot on the international scene. From being the ‘Dark Horses’ to becoming actual contenders, there were high hopes placed on the immensely talented Belgian team.
However, they have so far failed to make any sort of significant mark, as repeated failures forced the Belgian Football Association’s hands in replacing Marc Wilmots with Roberto Martinez.
The statements will also be causing the goalkeeper problems with his current club side Chelsea. Thibaut Courtois has seen his team perform extremely well in the English Premier League so far, and many are tipping them as favourites to clinch the trophy. Little can be said about how Antonio Cone will now react to the comments made by his own player during his recent spell with the Italian team.