Have Belgium’s golden generation failed to live up to expectations?

After suffering a 2-1 defeat in the quarter-finals against Italy at Euro 2020, have Belgium’s golden generation ran out of time to win a major trophy?

When the final whistle went in Munich on Friday night, a somewhat familiar sight occurred as a sea of Belgium red slumped to the turf, after being knocked out of another major tournament.

Following two attempts at both the World Cup and European Championships, the likelihood is that Belgium’s golden generation will come to an end having failed to yield any silverware, leading many to ponder on the idea whether they have massively underachieved.

However, for some the fact that this group of players may end up without a trophy is no revelation, as it could be argued that their chance had already been and gone.

Ever since Vincent Kompany’s retirement on the international scene, they have struggled to fill that void, as he brought so much more to the side than just his footballing capabilities.

The industrious duo of Mousa Dembele and Marouane Fellaini have also been out of the picture for a while, with them now playing their trade in China at Guangzhou City and Shandong Luneng respectively. Radja Nainggolan was another significant loss in the heart of the midfield, which made the rebuild after the last European Championships much more extensive than expected.

Preparations this time around weren’t helped by the uncertainty surrounding Roberto Martinez’s future in the build-up to the tournament, with many reporting that this would be his last summer in charge, before endeavouring on a new challenge within club football.

Speaking after the game, Martinez refused to comment on his future:

“This is a moment when it is very difficult to speak about anything else than the defeat and we are out of the Euros,” a crestfallen Martínez said after Belgium’s high-calibre but painful quarter-final loss to Italy. “It is still too raw and I don’t want to say anything that could be emotional. Now is time to analyse and assess but at the moment the feelings are of disappointment and sadness. That is what is in my head now.”

Much like their defeat at the same stage to Wales at Euro 2016, they can have no complaints with the outcome, as they were simply beaten by the better team on the night.

For start to finish the Azzurri made them look second best, as they struggled to gain any foothold in the game, especially in the midfield where Italy’s technicians dictated proceedings.

The warning signs were there from early on, when Jorginho broke forward into the final third, and was brought down by Thorgan Hazard. From the resulting free-kick Lorenzo Insigne’s teasing cross was put into the back of the net by Leonardo Bonucci.

After a quick VAR check the goal was disallowed for offside, but the distinct lack of communication and cohesion within the Belgium backline was evident.

Midway through the half, Martinez’s men started to grow into the game, as the Spaniards persistence to utilise a 3-4-3 formation allowed Belgium to sit deep to soak up pressure while also providing the platform to counter-attack quickly.

As a result, they were able to draw Italy onto them to exploit the spaces in the final third, with Kevin De Bruyne having the first chance of the match when he forced a fine stop from Gianluigi Donnarumma.

One chance quickly became two when Belgium expertly beat the high press of the Italian forwards to release De Bruyne again through the centre of the pitch. The 30-year-old found teammate Romelu Lukaku whose willingness to drive into the box created the opening for a snapshot which was smartly saved by Donnarumma.

Although they were finding joy on the break, the limitations in the system massively outweighed the positives, as Youri Tielemans and Axel Witsel were manned with the task of screening the defence while also having to find progressive passes into their attacking flair.

This allowed Italy to squeeze high up the pitch to constrict the spaces Belgium’s backline had to operate in when playing it out from the back. Roberto Mancini’s side looked well drilled in the press and this was where the breakthrough in the game came from.

Marco Verratti latched onto Thomas Vermaelen’s loose pass and threaded Nico Barella into the area, whose first touch dragged the ball away from three defenders, creating the space to fire his effort into the bottom corner to give Italy the advantage.

Going behind was certainly a test of character for the number one ranked side in the world, as they don’t often find themselves in that situation, however the reaction was disappointing to say the least.

The Azzurri had their tails up and felt they could kill this game off before the half-time whistle. Moments before the break, Insigne picked the ball up in his own half, skipped around Tielemans and curled his shot into the top corner to double their lead.

Youngster Jeremy Doku did provide his team a lifeline before the first 45 minutes was up, when he skipped around Giovanni Di Lorenzo in the box to win a penalty. Lukaku stepped up and made no mistake to half the deficit.

Belgium knew the onus would be on them to take the game to the Italians, but the signs weren’t looking promising as Mancini’s side hadn’t conceded two goals in one game since beating North Macedonia 3-2 in 2016.

Despite that, Doku continued to drive at their defence and slipped De Bruyne through with an excellent pass to the left of the area. The Manchester City man looked up and found Lukaku at the back post, only for his effort to be expertly blocked on the line by Leonardo Spinazzola.

From that point on, the belief was sucked out of Martinez and his players, as they were aware that chances would not always be easy to come by against such organised opposition. Italy managed to see the result out to claim a 2-1 victory on the night and extended their unbeaten record to 32 games, which is the longest in international history.

So where do Belgium go from here? The first step for them will be resolving the future of their manager, as if there is to be change in this area, they will need to act quickly and decisively in order for the new coach to implement his style before the World Cup in 17 months time.

Although losing Martinez may seem like a blow for Belgium, a fresh perspective and set of tactics for the team may be a blessing in the long run. Ever since his arrival in 2016, Martinez has persisted with playing a 3-4-3 formation to accommodate the sides obvious weakness at full-back, however as we’ve seen this clearly hasn’t worked for them.

With the vast amount of attacking talent which they possess, perhaps he should have opted for a slightly more aggressive style, as it seems that no matter what formation they played goals would have always been leaked and on their day they can outscore any opposition in world football.

The changes definitely won’t be ending on just the management side either. Vermaelen gave one last stand at the age of 35, therefore he is expected to come out of the fold by the time the World Cup comes around. Dries Mertens and Jan Vertonghen are both 34 and still playing consistently for their clubs, so they may take the decision to step away from international football in order to focus on their last few years at the top level.

Toby Alderweireld is 32 and although he’s still coping with the intensity of the Premier League he will be approaching 34 by the next major tournament. Borussia Dortmund’s Witsel is the same age and he nearly missed out this summer after suffering an achilles tendon rupture in January, hence he may be having his own deliberations about retuning.

Perhaps the biggest concern is the future of Eden Hazard, whose endured an incredibly tough spell at Real Madrid since his move in 2019. If he continues to suffer injuries at the same rate, he may have to consider prioritising his club football over the national team, in order to get his career back on track.

Even though there are major changes for Belgium on the horizon, it’s not all doom and gloom. They have a number of talent youngsters making their way through the ranks, with the standout one being Doku. His performance against Italy was one of the main positives to take out of the game, as his combination of raw pace  and willingness to beat a man definitely stood out.

He isn’t alone as Albert Sambi Lokonga looks to be a promising central midfielder, who could compliment Tielemans nicely in the years to come. Of course the likes of De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois and Lukaku will be there for the next major tournament at the very least, therefore Belgium will still have a side capable of competing on the world’s biggest stage.

So was Euro 2020 Belgium’s golden generations last chance at silverware or will they complete their rebuild in time to come out on top at the World Cup in 2022?

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