Belgium will present its credentials in the Euro Cup with an affordable debut against Slovakia in which one of the protagonists will not be on the field of play: Thibaut Courtois
Belgiumthe eternal favorite of the last decade, orphan of titles in all these years and now with much less pressure, will present its credentials at the German Euro Cup with an affordable debut against Slovakia in which one of the protagonists will not be on the pitch: Thibaut Courtois.
The absence of the Real Madrid goalkeeper has marked part of the concentration of the team led by Domenico Tedesco in the German concentration. The tensions between the white goalkeeper and his coach, his subsequent serious knee injury and the announcement in December of Courtois giving up playing in the European Championship to fully recover, did not put out that fire. And the successful appearance of Courtois in the last days of the League and in the final of the Champions League reopened the debate.
How is it possible that the best goalkeeper in the world does not play in the Euro Cup? That is the question many Belgian fans ask themselves. And that question has also fallen like a stone on his replacement, Koen Casteels, who will have all the spotlights pointing to his figure to see how he performs throughout the tournament. The Belgian goalkeeper, recently signed by Al Qadsdiah of Saudi Arabiais calm and sure of himself: “I have nothing to prove,” he said this week.
But beyond those messes related to players who will not influence anything at the moment of truth, when the ball starts rolling, there is Belgium’s desire to scare away its status as eternal favorite that has not won anything. The golden generation of Belgian football that leads Kevin De Bruyne, you have less pressure on you after years aspiring for everything and staying in nothing. Since the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, with Marc Wilmots on the bench (Roberto Martínez would later appear), there has been disappointment after disappointment.
His ceiling, in all the tournaments he has played since then, has been third place in the 2018 World Cup in Russia. In Brazil 2014 he got stuck in the quarterfinals, just like in the 2016 and 2020 Euro Cups. The World Cup in Qatar , in which they failed to advance from the group stage, closed Roberto Martínez’s stage to begin Domenico Tedesco’s.
From that World Cup Brazil 2014a decade later, only the team survives DeBruyne (32 years), Jan Vertonghen (37 years), Axel Witsel (35 years) and Romelu Lukaku (31 years). They are the greatest exponents of the generation that touched success and now wants to turn the tables. And De Bruyne, without a doubt, will be the leader of the Belgian team, which has several players in trouble.
First, Youri Tielemans, with muscle discomfort. He is key in the midfield and, if he does not arrive on time, he will be replaced by Mangala. Witsel is suffering from groin discomfort: Zeno Debast and Wout Faes will start if he does not recover. Jan Vertonghen and Arthur Theate have just recovered from physical problems and are doubtful. And Thomas Munier does not train with the group.
But, important men like Jérémy Doku, a devilish winger, Leandro Trossardeager to emerge as a starter after his continuous substitutions at Arsenal or Amadou Onana, a key player as a pivot, will be there to try to defeat Slovakia, a team whose objective is third place and surprise in a group in which it is the weakest rival along with Romania.
The team led by Francesco Calzona will compete in its third consecutive European Championship and its most ambitious goal is to pass the group stage. However, their best players are in questionable form. Above all Milan Skriniar, practically unheard of at Paris Saint-Germain due to an ankle injury that reduced his chances of finding a place in the eleven. The reliability of goalkeeper Martin Dúbravka is indisputable, Stanislav Lobotka is the axis on which Slovakia’s game revolves and Lukas Haraslin brings quality to the team.
At least, Slovakia He has no casualties among his players. The only ones who had any physical problems have already recovered. Juraj Kucka and Zsolt Fegyveres are ready to face their first challenge of the Euro Cup: give the surprise against Belgium, who wants to start the tournament with good feelings that confirm them as, once again, the eternal favorite.
