The illusion of glory of the Belgian team

Roberto Martinez took office in August 2016. And very quickly he realized there was a big problem in the Belgian dressing room: language.

For a long time, Belgium internally was divided into two groups, consisting of Flemish-speaking players (Belgian Dutch) from the North such as Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Kevin De Bruyne, with a French-speaking group such as Axel Witsel and Eden Hazard. Multilingual players such as Thibaut Courtois, Vincent Kompany, Romelu Lukaku have to use both languages ​​and sometimes speak English in front of the team.

Faced with this situation, Martinez decided to choose English as the common language for the players when recruiting.

This is the first option that benefits the coach, because the Spaniard is only fluent in English. It also contributes to a sense of equality for a team that for decades has often been thought of as a divided team. And in fact, for a long time under Martinez, the Belgian players experienced a sense of solidarity, creating momentum for the semi-finals and then winning the bronze medal at the 2018 World Cup - an achievement they had only done once before. .

But over time, the players returned to speaking their mother tongue and right from the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, English was gradually less spoken in the dressing room.

By the 2022 World Cup, the "golden generation" of Belgian football experienced stormy days. They were fortunate to beat Canada 1-0 in the opening match, before losing 0-2 to Morocco and then drawing 0-0 with Croatia. That circuit caused Belgium to carry a suitcase to leave Qatar from the afternoon of December 2. Some players have even flown directly to England.

Martinez had already decided before the tournament that he would retire from the team, and being eliminated became a dark ending that he certainly did not want for the end of his term. Several players expressed sadness, as Martinez announced in the dressing room after the Croatia match that this was his last game in charge of the team. Others may have secretly wished that Martinez should have been replaced long ago, and that he should be responsible for the failure to rebuild as many elements of the golden generation gradually lost influence.

Many fans will also question the future of Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Witsel and Eden Hazard, to see if they still deserve to wear the national team shirt.

But what is above is only one part of a series of incidents that led to the total collapse of Belgium. Right from the selection of headquarters, the Belgian Football Federation (RBFA) had a paradoxical decision. While most of the 32 names in the selection were stationed within a 25 km radius around Doha, the Belgian team was on the Salwa coast 150 km from the center.

It has all the amenities, including a luxury hotel right on the beach, but many key players are unhappy because they are separated from their families, who have traveled long distances to cheer. Before the tournament, a "family day" was set for November 28 - after Belgium meets Morocco. Players' family members will be allowed to travel from Doha to Salwa for a barbecue with the team. This is a tradition that was welcomed by the players at the previous World Cup in Russia.

But upon reaching the hotel, the family members immediately felt the heavy atmosphere.

That discomfort actually existed since the team first set foot in Qatar. Many players believe that with the capacity of the hotel in Salwa, their families should be housed in the same area of ​​the hotel, although there will still be rules about limiting meetings. But Martinez wanted complete separation, and even interaction between players and RBFA staff was discouraged. Martinez used to have a more open-minded approach than his predecessor Marc Wilmots, but over time he has also become more demanding.

This uncomfortable mentality is reminiscent of England and the 2010 World Cup campaign, although at that time the "Three Lions" also had a generation of players known as the golden generation.

So six years under Martinez really was a disaster? Initially not.

After the defeat to Spain in the friendly debut of Martinez in September 2016, Belgium won 46, drew nine and lost only three of the next 58 matches. From September 2018 to March 2022, Belgium was the number one team in the world on the FIFA rankings. At the 2018 World Cup, they were the best team to watch when they won all three group matches, defeated Japan 3-2 in the round of 16, defeated the Brazilian champion candidate in the quarterfinals and only lost to the home teams. French champion in the semi-finals. At Euro 2021, Belgium also won all the way until the quarter-final defeat to Italy - the team then also won.

But that was the beginning of a string of declines. From a team that lost only three of the last 58 matches, Belgium lost to seven of the last 19 games Martinez took charge. During that time, they failed comprehensively from Euro, Nations League to World Cup.

Belgium lost the ability to overwhelm the opponent that helped them overtake England three times in the past few years. From a strong team in possession and high pressure, Belgium turned to counter-attack defense as Martinez's way of making up for the weaknesses of his students, although he understood that was not Belgium's forte.

Another reason why Belgium can no longer play high pressing is the decline of the pillars. In the trio of De Bruyne - Hazard - Lukaku, only the first has enough pressure to put pressure on the opponent's half. When two of the three key players in the attack cannot pressurize, the opponent will easily put the ball up.

It's Martinez who believes it's possible to use Hazard. The Belgian captain was blurred in the first two battles, and he was sitting in a death row with Croatia'cause Martinez wanted to protect his student from injury. Hazard is just his own shadow in the past. I didn't write a table or an idea at Qatar, even though I scored three tables and two broken ways four years ago in Russia. Within a minute of the courtyard in Qatar, Hazard's only five more basketball times, there are five volleys that create an opportunity (3,6,6-per-minute road). These readings are five 2018 is 517 a minute at the yard, 40 phase and 35 for a shot. Hazard's private meeting at the mid-2018, Hazard has arrived at the 11 phase of success, than all Hazard did at the World Cup 2022.

Hazard's steady decline at Real since 2019 is obvious to everyone, but it's hard to understand why Martinez still believes in him. In the last 21 matches when he was promoted to the national team, Hazard only had one goal! But until the match against Croatia, his starting position and the Belgian captain's armband were still as solid as a rock.

Previously, Hazard had a lower frequency of chasing the ball than his teammates, but was still tolerated thanks to his genius and ability to decide the match. But now, he no longer has both. The only thing left in Hazard is fame, while younger team-mates like Leandro Trossard or Jeremy Doku deserve more to play against Morocco in terms of pure form.

As for Lukaku, he was seen as a scapegoat when he entered the field against Croatia and kicked Belgium's chance to continue. The striker may be more sympathetic because he spent the first two months of the season recovering from injury and almost missed the World Cup due to a recurrence of an early November injury. He was only brought on to the field against Morocco due to lack of options and insufficient fitness. strength and form to kick from the beginning against Croatia. But Lukaku's four hundred missed opportunities are the clearest testament to the player's form and lack of confidence.

In addition to Lukaku, the rest of Belgium's attack is not better. Michy Batshuayi started the first two games and scored against Canada, but linked sporadically with De Bruyne and Hazard. Reserve striker Lois Openda scored twice in five appearances for the national team, but was not used by Martinez with just 13 minutes of playing in Qatar.

And it is impossible not to mention De Bruyne - the most expected star of the Belgian team but has an underpowered tournament. Things were even worse when before the match against Morocco, The Guardian published an interview with De Bruyne conducted before he left England to join the Belgian team. In this interview, De Bruyne bluntly said that Belgium "didn't have a chance to win" and that the opportunity was missed four years ago.

The midfielder said: "We have a talented but aging team. We have lost important players and despite the talented new players coming to the national team, they are still not on the same level as the generation. 2018".

In just the first two sentences, De Bruyne both insults veterans (Vertonghen, Alderweireld, Witsel) and implies that young players like Amadou Onana, Youri Tielemans, Charles De Ketelaere, Openda, Doku and Trossard are not good enough ability to fill in the gaps of the senior generation. Many people will agree with this view, but a player who is considered a leader should not make such a statement before a big tournament. De Bruyne expressed frustration that his comments were "out of context", but the interview still seemed to pour fuel on the fire.

After the loss to Morocco, Vertonghen seemed to mock his teammate when he thought that Belgium was empty because "the attack is too old". French newspaper L'Équipe reported that De Bruyne and Vertonghen had a fierce argument. Some other sources said that the disagreement was not as sharp as the media reported, but the fact that the two sides exchanged words that made Lukaku have to intervene is real. In addition to De Bruyne, Vertonghen also had a tense response to Hazard.

Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois then confirmed that the internal team was still normal, but he was upset when an individual in the team leaked the news to the media and emphasized that it would make "the person out of the way".

But Courtois himself is also a member of the regular scandal in Belgium. He was accused by coach Wilmots of revealing his squad before the Euro 2016 match, leading to the goalkeeper's denial and even threatening to sue the coach. That's not to mention his past feuds with De Bruyne, although the images at the Golden Ball awards show that the two stars are still talking to each other, not completely face-to-face.

In the face of internal tensions, Martinez had to speak out against "fake news", saying that L'Équipe was trying to confuse the home team and unwittingly make Belgium more united. But the truth is that Belgium lacks a true leader capable of "quenching chaos" and helping all to look in the same direction. In the past, that role was played by Vincent Kompany, but now, they no longer have a worthy leader after Kompany's retirement.

Midfielder who was eliminated by Martinez from the 2018 World Cup Radja Nainggolan affirmed that the problem of the Belgian team is having too much ego. He told The Times in 2018: "The problem is if you have too many egos and everyone only knows their part, it's very difficult. Everyone wants to be the nucleus, from Hazard, De Bruyne to Lukaku, so It's hard to put it all together. One wants to play one way, the other wants to play another. That's the hardest thing."

While Hazard's forgettable World Cup was predictable, the fact that De Bruyne also played badly surprised many people because he was still playing well at Man City. Some teammates even said that after the scandalous interview, De Bruyne was also responsible for no less than anyone. Sources close to the team say De Bruyne has had problems with all sorts of things at the World Cup: the pressure to play well, the frustration with the coach's choices and the instability behind the scenes. When De Bruyne held the ball, the satellites around him lacked the flexible movement often seen at Man City, leading to De Bruyne being forced to choose his own solution and disappointing.

De Bruyne is not the first and not the last star to leave a World Cup in disappointment. But it was the public interview - although the content was accurate to the fact - that brought the midfielder more pressure, instead of reducing expectations as he would have liked. Pressures like De Bruyne's are the reason why Martinez thinks the home team played in fear instead of joy against Morocco. According to him, the students need to relieve themselves of the burden and find the joy of playing football again, welcoming the challenge called Croatia instead of letting fear engulf them.

It's a very different mindset than when the World Cup group stage draws were announced. At that time, very few people on the Belgian side were interested in the competition from Morocco but were only upset that Group F would have to face Group E, meaning Belgium could face Germany or Spain in the Champions League. round 1/8. And the irony is that both they and Germany had to bring their suitcases home much earlier than originally calculated.

Against Croatia, Belgium played much better. A clear example is the fact that the team has moved 120 km the whole match compared to only 107 km before Morocco. The more they play, the more opportunities they create, especially with Martinez's changes. But Lukaku disappointed when the team needed him most after being forced to return earlier than expected despite not fully recovered.

Overall, Martinez may have made the right moves against Croatia, but it was too late to save the situation. During the first three years in power, he was seen as an upgraded version of Wilmots, but lost the faith of many students after Euro 2021. After being eliminated by the Netherlands from the Nations League, many Belgian players were interested. insider about the desire to have a coach like Louis Van Gaal.

It is hard to blame them when Martinez himself is not fully committed to the job. He used to want to do two jobs at the same time as the coach of Belgium and Everton when the Merseyside team needed people in January, and of course was rejected by the RBFA. In addition to Everton, Martinez has also received offers from Aston Villa, Newcastle and even Barca.

The end of Martinez's reign was also a decline in the form of Alderweireld, Vertonghen and Hazard, after this team said goodbye to Kompany and Marouane Fellaini. At 27.8 years old, Belgium have the fifth-oldest squad at the World Cup and often depend on the form of the pillars over 30 years old. Young stars seem to only be on the team for enough numbers, no matter how well they perform on the training ground and in friendly matches.

At Euro 2024, veterans Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Witsel and Mertens will hardly continue to represent Belgium. Hazard is considering his future, while Courtois and Lukaku will almost certainly continue to play. Even when the "golden generation" gradually retreats behind the velvet curtain, the "Red Devils" attack still has bright names like De Ketelaere, Openda or Doku. But in defense, names like Arthur Theate or Wout Faes have not yet shown themselves at the highest level, forcing Martinez to continue to trust the old generals Alderweireld and Vertonghen.

The biggest star De Bruyne is likely to continue his journey with Belgium, but he will turn 35 at the next World Cup. If De Bruyne sees 2018 as his best opportunity to lift the cup with Belgium, his chances after the eight-year tournament in Russia seem ten thousand miles away. After the defeat in Qatar, De Bruyne also seemed resigned to fate. He returned to England, comfortably watching his son play the U7 tournament without any worries.

The nightmare in Qatar seems far away, but surely for those who have lived through those stressful and failed days, its bitter aftertaste is still lingering on the lips.