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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.<\/p>\n
Belgium knew the onus would be on them to take the game to the Italians, but the signs weren\u2019t looking promising as Mancini\u2019s side hadn\u2019t conceded two goals in one game since beating North Macedonia 3-2 in 2016.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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 \u00a0and willingness to beat a man definitely stood out.<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0Of 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.<\/p>\n
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?<\/p>\n
Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n[columns]
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