Belgium will face Italy in the upcoming UEFA A League Round 3 match on October 11, Beijing time. Prior to the match, Belgium's Thielemans was interviewed, sharing his thoughts on being captain, his teammates' remarks, future opponents and the busy schedule.
Talking about Tedesco making him captain, Tilemans smiled and said, "The head coach told the whole team on Monday that I would be captain. I feel proud every time I get to be captain. Since I've been here the longest, it probably made sense for the coach to choose me. As captain, I can at least communicate with the referees, which is also positive. I try to be a second coach on the field, lead by example and protect the team as much as possible when needed."
In response to De Bruyne's comments after the last game against France, Thielemans said, "Kevin was just saying that we don't all have the same talent in these players and haven't shown the kind of strength at international level that we had in 2018. I think everyone agrees with that. It's not necessarily a negative. He's said all of that within the team and we have a young team and maybe they'd prefer those things to stay in-house."
When asked if he would have handled the situation differently, Tilemans said, "I wouldn't say that in the media. To the outside world, I probably wouldn't have been as open. But Kevin has said this within the team and he doesn't care if it gets out."
Speaking about his performance against France when he was substituted, Thielemans clarified, "Nobody likes to be substituted. It's an emotional side of me. Moreover, I was not happy with my performance or the team's performance. I want to clarify that I am not mad at anyone or anyone in particular."
Regarding the next match against Italy, Thielemans said, "The last time Belgium beat Italy was in 1972. Of course, we will try to break this losing streak. Despite not having De Bruyne and Lukaku, this is soccer, right? I am now the most experienced player in the team, but I don't feel old. I feel good in the team. I'm still only 27."
Commenting on the busy fixtures ahead, Tilemans said, "The PFA pointed out at the start of the season that if any games could not be played on time for any reason, there would be very little room in the fixture list for rescheduling. We need to make good use of the recovery time, but there is a limit. I think we are very close to that limit. Look at the number of injuries at the beginning of the season and usually those injuries are not caused by kicking the ball, they tend to be muscle injuries."
Finally, talking about International Match Day, Tilemans said, "I'm still happy to be here. Especially now that I have the opportunity to be captain. Maybe there will be a day in the future when I will ask the manager not to call me up for a few games. But at the moment that's not a problem. I still feel good."
