DOHA, Qatar — First, it must be said that it’s not over yet as Belgium can still make it to the World Cup round of 16 with a win against Croatia on Thursday, but it still feels like something has come to an end. Regardless of what happens for Belgium, it feels like the end of a cycle and with that, the end of their famous “Golden Generation.”
Following their 2-0 defeat against Morocco, the atmosphere inside and outside the team’s dressing room at the Al Thumama stadium on Sunday was heavy — almost too heavy after a shock result that came four days after a lucky 1-0 win against Canada in which their CONCACAF opponents dominated. Defender Jan Vertonghen had just spoken on TV, only to reveal that he would rather not say what was on his mind. The 35-year-old centre-back did express one thought, though. He hit back at Kevin De Bruyne, who told the world’s media that the squad was “too old,” and captain Eden Hazard, who claimed that “our defenders are not the fastest and they know it,” ahead of the match.
Vertonghen was quick to respond: “I guess we attack badly because we are also too old up front. We didn’t create enough chances.” The dig was so obvious that you could imagine the mood, and the impact of those words, within that dressing room.
To explain the decline of the No. 2 men’s team in the world (according to FIFA’s latest world rankings), it starts with what Vertonghen was willing to say. While the players denied any reports of a rift within the team, there are clearly some problems on the pitch that have their origins off it.
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To name just a few things: there’s tension between some players in the squad, questions over why some were brought to Qatar (namely forwards Michy Batshuayi and Dries Mertens) or are in the starting XI (Hazard, Axel Witsel), interrogations over Roberto Martinez’s tactical choices, fitness issues for key players (like striker Romelu Lukaku) and clear frustration from others like goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois (who smashed the side of the bench with his fist on his way back towards the tunnel) or De Bruyne.
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It has suggested that the loyalty shown by Martinez towards certain players is costing him and the team dearly. This Belgium squad is one of the oldest in the tournament — the average age of their starting XI against Morocco was over 30 — so where is the young talent? Cracks appeared during the training camp in Kuwait before the team arrived in Doha, but the issues have been there going back to Euro 2020, when they won their three group games and defeated Portugal in the round of 16, only to lose to eventual champions Italy in the quarterfinals.
