Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku are the leaders of a star-studded Belgium World Cup squad that’s expected to go as far as it has ever gone in a World Cup.
Belgium World Cup squad:
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool), Koen Casteels (VfL Wolfsburg).
Defenders: Toby Alderweireld Tottenham), Dedryck Boyata (Celtic), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona), Thomas Meunier (PSG).
Midfielders: Youri Tielemans (AS Monaco), Axel Witsel (Tianjin Quanjian), Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City), Mousa Dembele (Tottenham), Leander Dendoncker (Anderlecht), Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Monchengladbach), Dries Mertens (Napoli), Nacer Chadli (West Brom).
Forwards: Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea), Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad), Yannick Carrasco (Atletico Madrid).
“We all play in great clubs, we all had good seasons. So if we want to do something great, it is now.”
“The time isn’t in one, two or four years. I think now is the moment to be together and do something great.”
Time to shine:
Flashing lights! 🇧🇪 pic.twitter.com/FGvErAaqhf
— Kevin De Bruyne (@DeBruyneKev) June 3, 2018
That’s what Eden Hazard had to say about this Belgium World Cup squad. And he’s right. This team is ripe for greatness. It has fantastic footballers at almost every position and should be able to not only compete with, but be better than most World Cup opponents (group or onwards).
The Red Devils won three out of three games during the 2014 World Cup group stage. After struggling past the United States (2-1 in extra time), they lost to Messi’s Argentina in the quarter-finals. The main problem was creating chances and scoring goals, as astonishing as that might sound. You see, at a national level, it’s all about the coach. Marc Wilmots was good, but the same problem persisted over the years and became the primary reason why he was replaced by someone else.
You can’t have a team full of superstars who shine for their clubs, yet can’t contribute to the national team. It’s baffling how that can happen. Blame the system. Freedom is everything to world-class players. Give it to them and they’ll thrive. Look at Brazil. Tite is not doing anything special. He simply realizes what type of players he has in his squad and puts them in a position to exploit their best qualities. Belgium managers have failed to do that.
Wilmots’ team improved during the 2016 European Championship, but was taken aback by Gareth Bale’s Wales in the quarter-finals. Former Everton manager and the coach who led Wigan back to the Premier League is now on Belgium’s guide. Roberto Martinez is not an attacking-minded coach, but he gives his players more space to choose, to make their own decisions. His team was one of the first ones to qualify for the 2018 World Cup and finished the qualification process undefeated, with 28 points, 9 wins, 1 draw and 43 goals scored in 10 matches. That’s mighty impressive.
Hazard has a reason for saying what he said. Having been drawn in a group with England, Panama and Tunisia, Belgium shouldn’t have a problem progressing through the group stage. It is there where the fun begins and where this squad will be tested to the limits. If Martinez is able to bring out the best of his players, watch out, because Belgium could go all the way.
