Wullaert also had some news to report. Her departure from Fortuna Sittard has been confirmed. The budget for the Dutch first division will drop drastically next season. “So it is a financial issue,” the attacker said. “I don’t want to say much more about it. My real estate agent is working on it. I focus on goals.” A return to Belgium is certainly not on the table.
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Wullaert wanted to focus on Friday’s match against Spain. “I like their style,” she said. “They really try to bring good football. Almost all of the players play for Real Madrid or Barcelona. They know each other well and you can see that. Their game is focused on short combinations, a different approach than most top countries. We have a lot of respect for them, but not too much.”
“I don’t think much will change for us. Just like in the Nations League matches against England and the Netherlands, we will have to defend a lot,” she analyzed. “And hopefully we can hurt Spain with our speed. We have to focus on that. Perhaps a good result will follow again. Those victories in the Nations League have ensured that the bar is raised. Friday’s match is a great challenge and a good learning experience. We have to believe in it. I’m already feeling good. I want to keep scoring goals and providing assists. That’s my job.”
Marie Detruyer: “Should be 100%”
Marie Detruyer was enthusiastic on Tuesday during the Red Flames’ press moment in Tubize for the first two European Championship qualifiers against Spain (Friday in Leuven) and Denmark (Tuesday in Viborg). The match against the world champion in particular made the midfielder’s mouth water. “A team like Spain makes you dream,” she said.
The twenty-year-old Detruyer quickly emerged as a strong player in the midfield of OH Leuven and the Red Flames. In January, she was only defeated by Tessa Wullaert in the election for the Golden Shoe. A fifteenth cap will probably await against Spain on Friday.
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“We have to believe in ourselves on Friday,” she looked ahead. “And then a lot is possible. But we have to be 100 percent. A team like Spain makes you dream. I think they are even better than England and the Netherlands. It is a great team, with a lot of individual quality. Players like Aitana Bonmati (who will not be there on Friday due to injury, ed.) and Alexia Putellas are absolute world class players.”
But the Flames themselves also had an excellent year. “We have taken a nice step forward,” Detruyer nodded. “We still have to improve for the top, but we can show ourselves against Spain. I’m convinced of that. Spain is a very attacking team. Then space can be created in the back of the defense. It is up to us to make use of that. And we can also do something at standstill phases.”
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National coach Ives Serneels misses the diptych due to long covid. “But that should not be an excuse,” Detruyer said firmly. “It takes a bit of adjustment, but we have known Kris (Van Der Haegen, the interim national coach, ed.) for a long time. We just have to go for it. We want to reach the top two in this group and thus qualify directly for the European Championship. That is the objective.”
