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Morocco stunned Belgium 2-0 in their group match forcing the Red Devils to fight for the last 16 spots in the last game of the first stage, against Croatia.
Morocco and Croatia top the group with four points each, with Belgium trailing by a single point. The Belgians need to beat Croatia on Thursday to secure their place in the top 16 of the World Cup. Any other result will check them out of the tournament.
It has been a troubling tournament for Belgium which is a second-ranked team in the newest FIFA rankings but is playing nowhere near what is expected of them. There have been constant rumors that something is wrong within the Belgium dressing room, and now even the national media are questioning their stars.
Kevin De Bruyne has been the one to be mentioned to most. Especially after what he was saying about this Belgium team.
“I think we are too old, we were left exposed from the Moroccan team set-pieces, and it is something that has become a common occurrence. Our squad is aging, some new players are coming in, good players, but they are not at the level of the team from four years ago.”
“I don’t think we can win the World Cup, we are just too old to do anything about it,” De Bruyne concluded.
He is not wrong, though. Eden Hazard (31), De Bruyne (31), Vertonghen (35), Toby Alderweireld (33), and Dries Mertens (35) are all over 30 years old, and most of them won’t play in another World Cup. Some young players are coming through the ranks like young Lens forward Lois Openda, or AC Milan midfielder Charles De Ketelaere, but they will have to wait for their chance to shine.
Those words were heard loud and clear by the current Belgium national team players, and not many people were pleased. But, with the way Belgium has been playing, even in a win against Canada, not many people can argue with what De Bruyne has said.
What is De Bruyne’s responsibility?
The Manchester City midfielder was awarded the Player of the Match trophy after Belgium beat Canada 1-0 in their first game, but even De Bruyne was surprised that he got the award.
“I don’t think I played all that well to deserve this award. We won the game which is the most important thing, but it wasn’t my best game.”
De Bruyne is Belgium’s best player, so when the team plays badly, or losses the match like they did against Morocco, he will get the brunt of the criticism.
“He lost the ball 27 times!” exclaimed the HLN, the Belgian website. It was probably not that many times De Bruyne lost the ball, but that kind of sentiment clearly shows how the media are turning against the team’s best player.
But, he is not the only one. Thibaut Courtois was the hero against Canada saving a penalty, but the two blunders he made when Morocco scored will follow him for a very long time.
Belgium’s final opponent in the group will be Croatia who rediscovered their best form by trashing Canada 4-1, and the Belgians will have to win if they want to continue playing in the Qatar tournament.
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