Belgium’s golden generation

Belgium head to the World Cup third in the latest FIFA rankings. They have a solid squad which includes world class players like Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Vincent Kompany, Jan Vertonghen. Most of players in Belgium squad play important role for their clubs. Few days ago Eden Hazard said in an interview  “we are good players, we all play in the big games in England, Italy and in Spain”, he further added “Ten years or fifteen years ago, you had this ‘Golden Generation’ in England but they won nothing. Now I think the fans, journalists, all of belgium just wants to win something.” He also agreed that current generation of belgium players is ‘Golden Generation’.

      Belgium did not performed particularly well in WC 2014 and in EURO 2016, so they will be desperate to go far in this World cup. They have quality to cause major upset in tournament. They play free flowing attacking football. Manager Roberto Martinez has done good job so far, as he has one of the most talented bunch of players at his disposal, but there are lot of Belgium fans who are still not sure about him as a manager, but Belgium’s record under Martinez looks impressive. They have played 18 matches losing only once, and they were first European country to qualify for the World Cup.

     Roberto Martinez understands importance of mental toughness in such big tournament, as he said recently  “failure is not trying to win, we are going to be adventurous. We are going to try and win every game, but feelings you develop in the three group games are essential. We have got talent but clearly country like Germany already has the belief. When you speak with ex-players from Germany they tell you when they pulled on the shirt they had no doubt they would win. That psychology is powerful in knock out tournaments. We need to show that mentality.”  Martinez will be under immense pressure. Can he lead this team to glory? Can these hugely talented players live up to their expectations? Only time will tell.

  Most Valuable Player –  Eden Hazard

       Belgium squad includes lot of talented players, but Eden Hazard is one of their biggest star. His ability to easily dribble past opponents makes him extremely dangerous. His accurate passing especially in final third helps his team create lot of goal scoring opportunities. He also scores goals, but he is often criticised for not scoring enough considering his ability. Belgium fans will be hoping that he arrives at the World Cup in top gear.

 Mayur P