European Red Devils Belgium are in the spotlight in this World Cup, not only are they ranked No. 2 in strength, but they also have a large number of members of the Golden Generation, and this World Cup may be the last battle for these veterans.
In the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the Belgian team defeated Japan, Nick Brazil, and "double" England, providing fans with one wonderful game after another. Especially in the game against Japan, when he was 2:0 down, he scored 2 goals in a row, and finally completed the lore, which made countless Belgian fans unforgettable for life.
In the 2018 World Cup, Belgium set the best result in team history, although they only finished third, it was the best result in the history of Belgian football. The Belgian "golden generation", led by Eden Hazard, De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Courtois, is slowly aging under the ravages of time, perhaps this is their last World Cup.
The Belgian team's mature tactics, stable lineup and tacit cooperation are one of the advantages of the Belgian team. Midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, who has been working with Real Madrid striker Eden Hazard and Inter striker Romelu Lukaku for nearly a decade, has been a regular at their respective clubs, having won titles with their clubs, but they have not brought any trophies to Belgium after playing together for nearly a decade. This World Cup may be their last chance to win a trophy for Belgium.
Although Romelu Lukaku was taken to Qatar by his coach, it is a mystery when he will be able to play due to injuries and what kind of form he will have when he plays. Eden Hazard has not been in the same form as Chelsea since moving to Real Madrid, with only Kevin De Bruyne still in hot form. How far Belgium can go depends entirely on the performance of these trio, and De Bruyne may have a higher performance in this World Cup.
In the UEFA Nations League, Belgium coach Martinez inspected a number of newcomers such as Eden Hazard Jr. and Trosad, with the main goal of injecting new blood into the team. Because he also knows that two of the core trio of the golden generation have seriously declined in form, and must find new replacements to ensure that the team can go further. However, judging from the results, Belgium's UEFA Nations League results were not ideal. The 21-year-old young midfielder Amadou Onana has seen a strong rise at Everton in the Premier League this season, but Martinez is afraid to continue to boldly use new players in the World Cup, and it remains to be seen whether Belgium can successfully complete the replacement of old and new.
Another hidden problem for the Belgian team is the defensive problem, the two main central defenders in the team are over 30 years old, and the defensive speed is obviously not keeping up, but Martinez still has not found a suitable replacement. In this World Cup, I can only rely on the super long play of the two veterans. The attacking ability of the frontcourt players is super-strong, the defensive ability of the defenders is insufficient, and Belgium is in danger if it encounters a team with the same super attacking power.
Courtois has been in Real Madrid's form this year, which is something to be happy for Belgium. The goalkeeper will be the last line of defense, and the goalkeeper can make up for the lack of defense of the defender. Not long ago, he won the "Yashin Award", which symbolizes the best goalkeeper in the world in the selection of "French Football" magazine, and the goal he guards will be a reliable barrier for the team.
In the World Cup group stage, Belgium is in Group F with Canada, Morocco and Croatia. In terms of the strength of the opponent, the last runner-up Croatia will obviously be Belgium's biggest rival in the group stage, although the players of Canada and Morocco are mostly players in the European national leagues, but the gap with Belgium, the second in the world, is still obvious. Expect Belgium to bring more surprises to the fans.