All good things come to an end. Even this text. That’s how life works.
The generation of the Belgian team, which was considered “golden”, leaves the stage. Eden Hazard retired from his career, relaxes with his children and now, rightly, does not limit himself to food. Vincent Kompany was relegated from the Premier League with Burnley and then took charge of Bayern. Everything is very logical.
Toby Alderweireld finishes his match in Belgium. This is one of the few places in the world where commentators don’t flinch when they see his name. Dries Mertens is earning a comfortable retirement at Galatasaray. Moussa Dembélé and Marouane Fellaini, who has one of the most famous afros in football history, have already retired.
Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Jan Vertonghen and Axel Witsel are still in action. But the youngest of them, Lukaku, is already 31 years old. These players can still do a lot. Especially De Bruyne, who, when he is healthy, can give concerts as if he were told to. But the years still take their toll. Kevin himself, for all his phenomenal talents, no longer takes orders as frequently as he once did.
Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku
Photo: Peter De Voecht/Getty Images
Belgium has changed a lot before this Euro Cup. It is time to forget about the generation that could become “golden.” And here the wording is important: this is not a “golden” generation, but a generation that could become “golden.” That gang didn’t win a single title. At the 2018 World Championships they took bronze. There were no prizes at Euro 2020. And even the Nations League, raised in a test tube, did not submit to that beautiful Belgium.
The 2022 World Cup was the final point for that team. Its elements are also present in the current composition. But in general the equipment is new now. It has fewer bright stars. The best player in the Belgian national team for Euro 2024 is De Bruyne, a representative of the outgoing generation. In other respects, the newcomers are comparable to or inferior to the old.
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It is not necessary to place the same expectations on the new Belgium as the previous generation of footballers. The current team is not as talented as, for example, the 2018 team or even the 2021 team. But there is no need to underestimate the new Belgium. If only because the Belgians themselves seem to evaluate themselves adequately.
The appointment of Domenico Tedesco is proof of this adequate evaluation. Tedesco is not a great coach. Sorry, dear Spartak fans, but that’s how it is. Domenico is not and has never been one of the best European coaches. Does this mean that Belgium is no longer recognized as a top team? So it seems. And it is correct. Look at the composition, look at the age of some of the leaders. Compare now, for example, France, England, Germany or Portugal.
Roberto Martínez – former coach of the Belgium national team
Photo: Dmitry Golubovich, “Championship”
Quite the contrary, in previous years, when the best Belgian generation was at its best, they could not find a suitable coach for him. They did not find a person who matched the scale of that wonderful deck of footballers. Roberto Martínez is a respected specialist, the Belgians played quite well with him. But Belgium did not have a brilliant enough game. Titles were needed. But Martínez couldn’t give them to them.
It was as if the Spanish coach had never been able to reach the same level as that team. Hazard, De Bruyne, Lukaku and other Belgian stars surpassed him in status. Maybe they needed someone who could control them. What was needed was an important figure, whose achievements would not raise doubts. And there was Martínez. And Belgium gained nothing from him.
The main thing is that the suit fits well:
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All the kits of the national teams for Euro 2024. English style, Belgian experiment and others.
If we take the status into account, Martínez would seem more natural in the current Belgian team. Just like Tedesco is organic now. At 38 years old, Domenico has impressive coaching experience. There are successes: victory in the German Cup and the semi-finals of the Europa League with Leipzig, second place in the Bundesliga and playoffs of the Champions League with Schalke, second place in the Russian Championship with Spartak. Tedesco can direct the game. He also knows how to develop soccer players.
The last point is especially important for the modern Belgian team. Among the players of the new generation there are no already formed stars. There are those who are heading towards this status: Jeremy Doku, Charles De Ketelare, Lua Openda. They are very talented footballers, they have already achieved a lot. But they still cannot be called stars of the first magnitude. And for Tedesco this is the right material.
Domenico Tedesco
Photo: Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images
Domenico has never worked for the best clubs. Dear Spartak fans, sorry again. We are talking about the best clubs not in Russia, but on a European scale. Therefore, Tedesco did not find truly top-level footballers. Except with rare, rare exceptions. In this sense, the experience of working with De Bruyne or Lukaku is unique for Domenico, because he had not had that experience before.
But the fact is that the majority of the new Belgian team are not already trained football players, but growing players. There are also ready-made ones and they are important. These are the very representatives of the outgoing generation. However, since they are not young and grow older every day, their importance decreases. This applies even to the brilliant Kevin De Bruyne.
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Tedesco grows with the team. There is no status imbalance between the team and the coach. One that Martínez and the team could have had in previous years. In today’s Belgium there is a process of mutual enrichment. The coach has something to give to the team and the team has something to give to the coach.
Under Tedesco’s leadership, Belgium played 14 matches and never lost (10 wins, four draws). And there were matches, even with Germany and England. There was also Austria, which also qualified for the Euro Cup and against whom the Belgians scored three goals away from home. By the way, Germany also scored three goals away from home. Belgium won both matches 3:2.
Belgium beat Germany – 3:2
Photo: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
The Belgians have a very complicated group for the Euro Cup: Ukraine, Slovakia and Romania. Complex because it is soft. Any team can take first or fourth place. If Belgium 2016 or Belgium 2021 had been in such a group, they would have been clear favorites and, most likely, would have come in first place. Even Marc Wilmots’ Belgium between 2014 and 2016 would be a clear favorite. And most likely he would have made the playoffs.
Today’s Belgium, if it is a favorite, is literally half a centimeter away. But there is the feeling that she understands it herself. Unlike the 2022 team, which has slowly become moldy, today’s team is hungry. Both the new players striving to get to the top and the coach striving to get there have it.
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Without a doubt, Thibaut Courtois would help in this effort. But it wasn’t to the euro. The official version is injury. Although, seeing how Courtois spent the end of the season and especially the Champions League final, everyone would have suffered an injury like that! The media writes about the conflict between him and Tedesco. And of course, if Belgium performs poorly, if the goalkeepers make mistakes (Coen Castells, Matz Sels and Thomas Kaminski at the Euro), Tedesco will be questioned.
They have been waiting for a trophy from Belgium for almost 10 years. She didn’t win anything. Now expectations are much more modest. At least almost no one expects her to win the Euro Cup. And for the team this is an advantage: the pressure load is not so heavy. When a team is growing, it is important not to crush it with diverse desires. It is not necessary to demand everything at once.
They had expected the same from the old Belgium for almost ten years. And the new Belgium is intriguing. It is unknown what will happen to her. But she’s new. And she is already achieving some success. So this is at least one reason to get to know her better.
Survey for real fans:
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Who will you support at Euro 2024?
