Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Running Wolf's Rant
    Latest News
    • Imagine Dragons Announce 2023 SA Tour Dates
    • Dan Mace discovers incredible musical duo
    • Phil Gregory Releases New EP: “22” – Not Out
    • Daniel Baron Releases Powerful Emotional Ballad: “Roses”
    • OneRepublic Announces 2022 South African Tour Dates
    • Van Der Aven Reik Eerste Afrikaanse snit “Heimwee” Uit
    • SAMA28 Nominees Announced
    • The Incidentals release debut single: “Trippin’ on Tar”
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube RSS TikTok
    Home
    • Categories
      • Entertainment
      • Facts
      • General News
      • Hacks
      • Opinion
      • Photography
      • Quotes
      • Technology
    • Pages
      • Interesting Music Facts
      • Music Events
      • South African Artists & Bands
      • South African Live Music Events, Venues & Festivals
      • Submit Music Facts
      • Submit Music Festival Stories
    • Featured
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    Subscribe
    Running Wolf's Rant
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube RSS
    Home»Opinion»No more a Golden Generation: Belgium needs a re-think

    No more a Golden Generation: Belgium needs a re-think

    Staff WriterBy Staff WriterJul 6, 2021 Opinion 3 Mins Read
    Share
    Facebook Twitter Email Telegram WhatsApp

    Another major tournament has ended in failure for Belgium. They could only get to the quarter finals at Euro 2020 and the faces of dejection at the end of their defeat at the hands of a classy Italy said it all. So, what happens to this so called Golden Generation?

    For many years now, Belgium have been the best ranked side in the world. This they have failed to translate top titles and as it stands, the nation hasn’t won any major title. Winning Euro 2020 was marked as the target for this collection of players and even manager Roberto Martinez alluded to the same, saying time might be running out.

    Belgium Football

    While they made it out of the group stages, their only comfortable game at the competition, would be the 3-0 win over Russia. Their deficiency is well captured by the fact despite having some of the best attacking talent, they spent the majority of their game against Italy in their defensive half.

    The loss thereafter was well deserved and no one in the Red Devils’ team had complaints as the best team at the tournament, Italy progressed. With Italy ranked favorites to with the competition, Belgium’s loss, like many more nations before, wasn’t entirely unexpected, and as the competition continues you can see the football betting tips of Wincomparator.

    Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois, Thorgan Hazard, Youri Tielemans, Leandro Trossard, Thomas Meunier and Yannick Carasco are players that can walk into any serious team and command regular football. Yet the team still struggled, and future looks bleak as the restructuring starts.

    What does Belgium need to do?

    The first area that will need addressing, is defence. Most of their first choice defenders may not be available for the 2022 World Cup. Japan based Thomas Vermaelen is 35, Tottenham Hotspur’s Toby Alderweireld is 32 and Jan Vertonghen is 34. Perhaps they may be availablke for Qatar 2022 but the big question is if they’ll survive the purge badly needed at the team.

    Going to the 2014 World Cup, Belgium were ranked the dark horses but a few serious voices would still bet on them to do well. At Euro 2016, they had matured well and at the 2018 World Cup they were among favorites. They disappointed in each of these tournaments.

    Whereas Roberto Martinez has done well to keep Belgium top of the world, they haven’t really peaked at tournaments and his time with the team, though still under contract, may be subject to serious scrutiny as the Golden Generation heads out. Why he has failed to achieve anything with a team of players that have been superb at club level is a top concern and the Belgian FA may see this as a valid question to warrant his removal.

    While it looks like the whole team is a failure, a little tweaking is all that’s needed, and that would be in defence. Jeremy Doku represents the future of the team and Courtois has a few more years to play but Axel Witsel, Vermaelen, Vertonghen and Alderweireld’s time is up.

    A complete restructure isn’t necessary, with the team still good to play along the Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard strings but Leander Dendoncker, Jason Denayer and Pascal Struijk are among players who should be considered as potential injections to the team.

    A rethink will also be needed in attack, to assess the need for Cristian Benteke and Michy Batshuayi, who haven’t been very instrumental at the national team level as Lukaku has been.

    Get updates via email
    Belgium Euro 2020 Football
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Telegram WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleDatabase Caching: Everything You Should Know
    Next Article The Witcher: Blood Origin Cast Announced
    Staff Writer

    Running Wolf's Rant's correspondent who chooses to remain anonymous...

    Related Posts

    Is Minecraft A Totally Safe Game For Kids?

    Oct 12, 20215 Mins Read

    2 Reasons Why The EPL Is An Entertaining Sports League

    May 17, 20214 Mins Read

    Why Is Solitaire Called Solitaire?

    Oct 4, 20205 Mins Read11 Views

    Rugby Challenge 3 Confirmed

    Jul 28, 20152 Mins Read6 Views

    The Generation of “Now”

    Apr 16, 20152 Mins Read20 Views

    20 Facts: The 2010 FIFA World Cup

    Jul 13, 20105 Mins Read361 Views

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    You Might Like

    My 2 cents on the 2nd Nokia Rise & Shine Festival for 2014

    Aug 26, 2014

    My 2 Cents on the 9th edition of Park Acoustics for 2013

    Oct 1, 201319 Views

    Introducing Miagii

    Nov 22, 201618 Views

    An Interview with The River Band

    Jun 19, 201910 Views

    A quick pre GRIETfest chat with Bombardier

    Aug 11, 20165 Views
    Subscribe
    Get updates via email
    You Might Also Like

    Tips And Tricks For Purchasing A Good Guitar Online

    Sep 17, 2021

    6 Top Financial Products you can’t do without in SA

    Jul 1, 202029 Views

    3 Benefits of Using A Cool Mist Humidifier

    Dec 23, 20219 Views

    Mirror Mirror, is Instagram lying to us?

    Jan 19, 201547 Views

    Tips on how to get divorced without a lawyer

    Dec 4, 201923 Views
    Follow Us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    About Running Wolf’s Rant
    About Running Wolf's Rant

    Running Wolf's Rant has been covering the South African Music Scene and featuring interesting, funny and engaging content since 2008.

    Feel free to explore the various sections and categories. We hope that you find something howling good while you're exploring. Please share posts that you find interesting with your friends on Social Media. Share buttons are provided.

    Featured Posts

    More Answers to “What do you like about music?”

    Dec 4, 201735 Views

    Photo Album: Isochronous Shows in 2011

    Dec 19, 201134 Views

    My 2 Cents on Up The Creek 2015

    Feb 10, 201518 Views
    Recent Posts

    What are the Best Trails in Australia?

    Jun 29, 20229 Views

    Imagine Dragons Announce 2023 SA Tour Dates

    Jun 29, 20223,312 Views

    Dan Mace discovers incredible musical duo

    Jun 27, 202228 Views
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube RSS
    © 2022 Running Wolf's Rant. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.