Belgium winger Yannick Carrasco said ‘finishing third or fourth’ in the UEFA Nations League doesn’t change anything but stressed ‘we are professionals’ and vowed to ‘give my best’.
Italy and Belgium clash in the battle for third place in the Nations League on Sunday, as Belgium were eliminated by France in a 3-2 thriller at the Allianz Stadium.
“There’s not a great spirit but it’s part of our job,” Carrasco said at a press conference. “We also need to know how to lose and get up again, this is part of our job. We must try to win the next game.
“In the first half, we were in control of the game, then it changed in the second. France remained solid, they closed the gap and after the 1-2, we had some doubts.
“We lost confidence, and, in the end, we lost the match. We have to forget about this match, but at the same time learn the lesson.”
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said the match against Italy is ‘useless’ but Carrasco said he will ‘give his best’ on the pitch against the Azzurri.
“It’s part of our job, we have to do it,” he said. “We are disappointed, we all wanted to play in the Final.
“It doesn’t change anything to finish third or fourth, but you have to win all the games, even the friendlies, and therefore I will give my best on the pitch.
“We have to react, get back up and think in a positive way.”
When asked if Italy seem more motivated than Belgium, Carrasco added: “It will be a very complicated game, they are the reigning European champions, and it will be a good preparation for Qatar [the 2022 World Cup] too.”
Honestly, they can do without this match.
Just use results from the Group Matches to assign who statistically finishes 3rd.
However, might as well use this match to try new players.
The problem with this match is that it does count toward coefficient – if Italy lose that will be two losses and two draws in the last four games. The lower the ranking the tougher the next qualification group. Just win the game.