Belgium coach Shaun Maloney has heaped praise on Celtic star James Forrest ahead of Scotland’s meeting with his side tonight.
Maloney has been working under Roberto Martinez in Brussels for the past year. He’s helped play a key part in helping the Belgians maintain their status as the number one ranked team in world football.
His relationship with Martinez stretches back to their Wigan Athletic days, when Maloney played under the former Everton and Wigan boss too.
And, ahead of a crunch European qualifier against Scotland tonight, Maloney has been full of praise for Celtic’s Forrest. Speaking in Football Scotland, the coach had this to say on the winger:
“I’m not too sure that I can predict exactly how Scotland will approach it. Every manager has his own way of working and I don’t know how Steve will want to go about it.
“But it has been nice to see James (Forrest) get some recognition for what he has achieved. He has been excellent for both club and country and has been exceptionally consistent, too.
“But it’s not all about James [Forrest]. Ryan Christie has gone on to another level over the last six months. A few weeks back I took in an Aston Villa game and thought that John McGinn really shone.”
Shaun Maloney praise a fitting boost ahead of tonight
It’s extremely fitting that Maloney has pinpointed Forrest for praise ahead of tonight’s game. Why? Because he’ll be the man Scotland needs to perform if they’re to get anything tonight.
When it comes to world-class opposition, Forrest is the man to rely on. He’s the only player capable in that Scotland attack of getting at top-class full-backs. He’s proved that in the past against the likes of Bayern Munich and Manchester City to name a couple.
Forrest has recently become something of a talisman for his country too. The Celtic hero has scored five goals for his country over the last year, including a hat-trick against Israel. He’s the man Scotland must have on form tonight if they’re to get any joy whatsoever.
Of course, he also comes into tonight on the back of a poor performance against Russia. Forrest was just as anonymous as anyone on the pitch at Hampden on Friday night. There is still a small chance for Jimmy to save Scotland’s European qualification hopes tonight, however, and he’s the only real talent capable of doing it too.
Belgium will know all about Forrest’s threat. It’s highly likely that he comes up against Jan Vertonghen should Belgium play with another back three tonight. That would certainly prove to be a stern challenge for our star-man.
Hopefully, he rises to the occasion at Hampden. He looks like he’s set to have yet another starring season at Parkhead, but hopefully he can also make it one to remember at international level.
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