Red devils with no room for error.
The semi-finalists of the 2018 World Cup in Russia are in bad shape in a group F which nevertheless seemed within their reach.
Only three points in two games, miraculously acquired when they entered the fray against Canada (1-0).
"Our worst performance in a major tournament,"
conceded coach Roberto Martinez.
The failures were paid in cash against Morocco, with an indisputable defeat (0-2) which gave the Flat Country the specter of an early elimination.
Certainly, the Belgians still have their destiny in hand: a victory in the third match this Thursday (4 p.m.) would ensure their qualification in the round of 16.
But it will be far from simple against Croatia, finalist of the last World Cup and the toughest opponent in the group.
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The level of play displayed in the first two games is worrying.
The golden generation that carried the nation to the top of the Fifa rankings is aging, with a lagging defense, a less incisive attack and young people struggling to rise to the level.
On the field, we are looking for the leader.
Flamboyant with Manchester City in the Premier League, Kevin De Bruyne is only a shadow of himself.
Witness his twenty-seven balloons lost against Morocco.
Eden Hazard, who has played very few games since joining Real Madrid in the summer of 2019, is a captain lacking in rhythm.
As for Romelu Lukaku, top scorer in the history of the selection, he is struggling to recover from the thigh injury which forced him to start the first two games on the bench.
Only Thibaut Courtois, the Real Madrid goalkeeper,
evolves at its best.
It is he who calls
“leave negativity aside”
before challenging the Croats.
“We are too old”
The
“negativity”
is this climate of tension that reigns within the Belgian locker room.
According to Courtois, these are just fabrications by the media, the purpose of which is to
“create a bad atmosphere within the group”.
Exaggeration, or not, that De Bruyne, Vertonghen and Hazard came to blows after the defeat against Morocco?
Anyway, the divisions between the players are palpable, each other returning the ball by interposed microphones.
“We are also too old in attack,”
retorted Jan Vertonghen (35) to Kevin De Bruyne (31), who, the day before the defeat against Morocco, seemed to be targeting his defenders when he said that the he team was
'aging'.
What transpires above all is the defeatism of a group convinced of having let its time pass.
“Our luck was in 2018,”
says “KDB”.
Animosities, reproaches, disproportionate reactions... Clearly, the Belgians will not go on vacation together.
This does not prevent them from remaining professional.
We had a good meeting yesterday
(Monday)
between the players.
We said a lot of things,
assured Hazard in a press conference.
I think we're going to have eleven warriors
."
It would be time.
