Belgium have been among the best teams in the world for most of the last decade. However, their Golden Generation has been unable to get over the hump in major competitions. They seemed to be on the brink of glory in the last World Cup, but they fell in the semi-finals to eventual champions France.
The Red Devils will now head into World Cup 2022 knowing that this might be their last best chance to win their first major international title.
But with their Golden Generation getting up there in age, is Belgium’s best still good enough for them to be crowned world champions?
Read on below as SBOTOP breaks down Belgium’s overall prospects for the upcoming World Cup 2022.
Golden Generation on their last legs
Belgium’s Golden Generation has gotten old. Defenders Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen are both in their mid-30s and have since returned to Belgium to wind down their club careers.
Midfielders Axel Witsel and Kevin De Bruyne are also in their 30s, as are forwards Dries Mertens and captain Eden Hazard. Despite being only 31, Hazard has been a shell of his old world-beating self for the last few seasons due to several injuries.
Yannick Carrasco and Romelu Lukaku are the young bucks of the group at 29. But Carrasco has been underwhelming for Atletico this season, while Lukaku will head into Qatar with serious question marks over his health and fitness amid a hamstring injury he’s been dealing with this season.
Lukaku’s injury has the potential to derail Belgium’s entire campaign. After all, he is the country’s all-time leading scorer (68 goals in 102 caps) and the options behind him to lead the attack – 35-year-old Mertens, Michy Batshuayi, Leandro Trossard – are not particularly inspiring.
And while 30-year-old Thibaut Courtois remains one of the best goalkeepers in the world, there are significant question marks in defence. The old legs of Alderweireld and Vertonghen no longer capable of covering much ground, and defensive midfielder Axel Witsel, who has shielded them for many years, is also a much-diminished version of himself.
Belgium do still have some capable younger players, to be sure. At 25 years of age, Youri Tielemans is already an established veteran of the international game. Leandro Trossard is having a breakout season with Brighton, while Wout Faes and Amadou Onana have enjoyed solid debut seasons in the Premier League. Although, golden boy Charles De Ketelaere has been a bit of a disappointment with Italian champions Milan.
It remains to be seen whether any of them can take the big step up and give the Golden Generation the help they need in their bid to make another deep World Cup run.
De Bruyne still de best
Belgium as a team may no longer be at their absolute peak, but Kevin De Bruyne is still at – or at the very least, very near – his best. The Manchester City maestro remains one of the top midfielders in the world. He currently leads the Premier League with nine assists and has also contributed three goals.
And he has also been tremendously productive for his national team as he’s contributed seven goals and five assists in his last 16 caps.
With doubts about Lukaku’s health looming over the squad, there will be even more responsibility placed on De Bruyne’s shoulders to carry the offensive load for the Red Devils and provide some World Cup 2022 highlights.
But for all of De Bruyne’s undoubted greatness, the big knock on him has been his ability to drag his teams to victory in the biggest cup competitions. His Man City sides have famously failed to win the big one – the Champions League – while Belgium lost their semi-final match in 2018 and have gone out in the quarter-finals in three of the last four major tournaments.
Of course, it is unfair to put the team’s failures all on De Bruyne, who has done more than his fair share. But with Belgium’s squad perhaps the weakest its been in almost a decade, the Red Devils’ fate in World Cup 2022 rests squarely on De Bruyne’s shoulders.
Red Devils have a favourable draw
While there are reasons to be doubtful about Belgium’s chances of winning it all in Qatar, the Red Devils do have one thing going for them, which is the draw. Belgium were handed quite a decent group as they were drawn together with Canada, Morocco, and Croatia. Even though the Belgians are not as dominant as they once were, their World Cup 2022 odds of winning that group are low.
And should they advance to the knockout stage, they will most likely face either Spain or Germany from Group E in the round of 16. Both of those traditional powerhouses are also not quite as strong as they’ve been in the past, so Belgium will still fancy their chances against either.
Of course, getting past the quarter-finals has been a challenge for the Belgians, but this is tournament football, and a few lucky bounces is all it takes for a team to make it through.
As Belgium have found out for the last few years, the best and most talented team doesn’t always win the title. So while this Golden Generation has lost much of its lustre, they still have the brilliance of De Bruyne coupled with a wealth of collective experience, which is why maybe Belgium’s best could be good enough to win it all at last.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
