Belgium remain unbeaten for a long time ahead of the European Championship, but after their opening defeat against Slovakia, the "Red Devils" are reminiscing about the disappointment of the last World Cup.
22.06.2024, 05:30
22.06.2024, 09:21
SDA
The invitation comes on Tuesday afternoon. The Royal Belgian Football Association invites you to an audience on Wednesday morning, although this vocabulary is somewhat in contrast to what it actually is.
During the European Championship, the Belgian team camp is located in Freiberg am Neckar, a small town north of Stuttgart. The players are enjoying a day off from training on Wednesday and for once do not have to answer questions from the media, who travel to the Jupiler Media Village every day.
Tedesco's impressive streak
But Frank Vercauteren, the Belgians' sporting director, is there instead. A black curtain separates the press room from the entrance area. There is a great deal of interest, numerous media representatives have put down their recording devices so as not to miss a single word the 67-year-old says. As a player, the former attacking midfielder, whose real name is François, was known as the "little prince". Now, as sporting director, he is responsible for the success of the royal national team.
On Wednesday, Vercauteren would have liked to have told how successful the Red Devils have been since Domenico Tedesco took over as coach in February 2023. They had gone unbeaten in all 14 games under the 38-year-old Italian-German dual national up until the European Championship, only failing to win four times.
But then came Monday's game against Slovakia, and the unreserved confidence was again mixed with a pinch of fear among Belgian observers. The fear of failing again at a major tournament.
The inglorious label
After the 0:1 against the Slovaks, a meeting like the one with Vercauteren can be read as the first crisis summit. Even if the association is trying to put the exchange in a different light, emphasizing that it did not take place in the usual setting of a press conference with a podium and seating, but in an "informal setting." In other words: The protagonist is not sitting on a podium opposite the media representatives, but at eye level at a table.
But despite all the internal architectural tricks - the critical questions to the sports director cannot be moderated away. For example, the question of what influence the outcome of the tournament could have on Tedesco's future. Primarily in a negative sense, of course. It is a question that shows how high the expectations are in Belgium. The former world number 1 wants to finally get rid of the inglorious label of being the only nation that once topped the world rankings never to have won a title. And the question also shows how quickly the mood can change, even after an impressive unbeaten streak.
Vercauteren reacts calmly. He says: "I support what Domenico is doing 200 percent." The boss knows that the coach has achieved and initiated a lot since he took over in Belgium. In contrast to his predecessors Marc Wilmots, currently head of sport at Schalke, and Roberto Martinez, the current national team coach of Portugal, Tedesco is tactically flexible and is not afraid of not appointing stars of the so-called golden generation and relying on younger players instead.
The many debutants
Thibaut Courtois, for example, the goalkeeper from Champions League winners Real Madrid, who no longer wanted to play for the national team after Tedesco gave the captaincy to Romelu Lukaku instead of him. Compared to the last European Championship, only ten players from back then are in the squad. Tedesco has retired all former team mainstays such as Dries Mertens, Michy Batshuayi, Christian Benteke and Thorgan Hazard. In 2023 alone, nine players made their debut for the national team - the highest number in four years.
Vercauteren is keen not to let the discussions become a matter of principle. "If we had taken our chances against Slovakia, things could have been very different." It is an oft-repeated truism that is repeatedly projected onto one player in particular in connection with the Belgian national team: Romelu Lukaku.
Lukaku as a symbol
The 31-year-old is Belgium's record goalscorer. In his 116 appearances, he has scored 85 goals. But what sticks in the collective mind much more than the goals, especially in periods of failure, are the moments when the ball just didn't end up in the net. Against the Slovaks, Lukaku scored twice in the second half. The first goal was disallowed due to offsides, the second shortly before the end because Lois Openda had previously committed a handball. The striker, who was recently loaned out to AS Roma, also had numerous other opportunities that he failed to take advantage of.
These incidents are reminiscent of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Back then, Lukaku also missed some excellent chances in the final group game against Croatia. In the end, the score was 0-0 and Belgium were eliminated after the preliminary round.
The "Red Devils" should not suffer the same fate this time. Belgium must score against leaders Romania in Cologne on Saturday to avoid getting into real trouble. No cause for concern for Frank Vercauteren. The sporting director says: "No, we're not worrying about what would happen if we lose the second game. That would just be negative thinking."
