Ukraine will be arguing with Belgium for the possibility of being present in Division A of the League of Nations. The value of the current task is subject to doubt, as we discussed in one of the articles, but it is there – Serhiy Rebrov must meet for the second time with a familiar and still difficult competitor.
What are they preparing for us? We'll tell you.
Quick links
- General history
- History of meetings with Belgium
- Current state
- Summary
General history
Many associate Belgium exclusively with the so-called “golden period” that lasted from 2014 to 2018. But that is definitely not all – if only because there is a much more colorful page written in the 1970s-1980s.
The team did not always qualify for major tournaments (both in the fifties and the nineties, and this was also evident in the 2000s – for example, it was absent from the 2006 and 2010 World Cups), but it still brought great fame.
In 1972, the team became a semi-finalist at the home Euro, lost to West Germany (1:2), but got even with Hungary (2:1) and thus pleased the fans with third place (this is impressive, considering that before that they had missed all the European championships).
Eight years later, the generation that featured Jean-Marie Pfaff, René Vandereykken and Jan Keulemans set an even higher bar. Euro 1980 offered an expanded format, with two group stages, and Belgium accomplished the mission – they exchanged precise blows with England (1:1), finished off Spain (2:1) and had a comfortable “dry” draw with Italy (0:0). Since there was no playoff yet, Guy Thys’s boys, as the leaders of Group 2, automatically went to the final, where, unfortunately, they were slowed down by the familiar Germans (1:2).
At the 1986 World Cup, everything revolved around the genius of Diego Maradona, but the Belgians also presented a surprise. Which was not particularly noticeable during the World Cup – Guy Thys brought the proven Pfaff and Koelemens, but the “red devils” almost came close to collapse. A defeat to Mexico (1:2), an uncertain win against Iraq (2:1), a draw with Paraguay (2:2) – the performance hinted at a future failure.
Belgium got through to the 1/8 thanks to a relatively better game among the other third teams, and then played a match that is well remembered by experienced viewers – they beat the Soviet Union 4:3, as is believed, with controversial refereeing. In the quarterfinals they managed to leave Spain behind (1:1; 5:4), but in the 1/2-ha it completely turned into a benefit for Maradona, who scored a double for himself.
So yes, not everything is limited to the newest era. In 2014, so to speak, there was a trial run – Kompany, Vertonghen, De Bruyne, Hazard and Lukaku were stopped by the more promising Argentina (0:1); two years later, the same gang stumbled against the courageous Wales (1:3).
The 2018 World Cup brought bronze medals worthy of recognition, but since then the pressure has only increased. There was a feeling that Belgium could and should surprise again, but instead Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup showed regression and a lack of a specific coaching idea (it is surprising that Roberto Martinez not only stayed afloat, but was also “recruited” by Portugal).
History of meetings with Belgium
We were drawn against Belgium in the third round of Euro 2024. The opponent approached the face-to-face duel with three points – before that, they sensationally lost to a superbly organized Slovakia (0:1) and partially rehabilitated themselves by beating Romania (2:0).
We also scored a similar number of points, however, we had worse positions. Yes, everything was ruined by the scandalous “fly-by” at the beginning of the distance. Those 0:3, which you want to erase from your memory, made themselves known when saving on the forum (and even with a chance to get out from the third line) was decided by the difference in goals scored and conceded.
After Slovakia (1:0) we only needed a win, but the match was played in the “some don't want to, others can't” mode. Domenico Tedesco realized that there was no need to try and take risks, and the “blue-yellows” simply lacked class and luck (who knows how things would have turned out if Georgy Sudakov had converted the one-on-one opportunity).
The final whistle left an unpleasant aftertaste – Ukraine became the first in history to accumulate 4 points, but still left the competition, and the “red devils” got a scolding from their own fans. It is significant that in the 1/8th the team was eliminated by a half-dead France.
Current state
At the end of January, Belgium got a new coach. Let us emphasize that Domenico Tedesco was not fired for the failure in the League of Nations (then they would not have hesitated and would have done it immediately after Israel's defeat in November). The former Schalke and RB Leipzig coach was repeatedly mentioned in the context of the broken trust in the locker room, did not demonstrate high-quality game growth and was logically shown the door. It is obvious that all parties reached a dead end, and the local federation sacrificed the weakest figure.
Rudi Garcia has never worked with the national team institute and is exclusively a club specialist (we don't see any problem, it's not the other way around). He is very experienced – he has been in the profession since 1994, won the championship with Lille, built a nice Roma of the mid-2010s, beat Manchester City at the helm of Lyon and failed to “take out” Napoli, which burned out with the departure of Luciano Spalletti.
It should be noted that leaving Napoli did not particularly damage the image – after all, the allenatore was fourth in November 2023, and the main reason for the breakup, if we are to believe the journalists, was the separation from the players (and not without the impulsiveness of Aurelio De Laurentiis).
We can confidently say that Garcia is learning from his mistakes – he is now actively communicating. The Frenchman has not even made his debut on the bridge, but he has already done something important – he has attracted Thibaut Courtois. Yes, it didn't turn out very well with Koen Casteels, who stood on the “gate” during Euro 2024 and responded to the Real player's comeback by ending his international career, but Rudy is, first of all, interested in his own order and achieving results.
Considering that De Bruyne and Lukaku are also there (although they had previously tried to avoid Tedesco; Romelu asked him not to call him up, citing his desire to adapt to Napoli, although he had been under Antonio Conte's wing for years), this only points to a normalization of relations.
Garcia prefers a 4-3-3 formation, but it is doubtful that he will break the 4-2-3-1 formation that the Belgians are so accustomed to. It is possible that the specialist has already managed to get acquainted with the abilities of his charges, but we do not believe that he will come up with something extraordinary in strategic terms. The key threat lies in motivation – Rudy is eager to get off to a good start, the old guard seems grateful for the trust, it is always easier to start from scratch.
Garcia has collected almost all the available players. A fair move – the arriving coach is better able to respond to the demands of society. This, we repeat, is a weighty argument why the competitor has a chance to overtake us in the pursuit of Division A.
Who's been called up? In addition to the already mentioned Courtois, De Bruyne and Lukaku, the most notable names to respond include Thomas Meunier, Jeremy Doku, Youri Tielemans, Hans Vanaken, Leandro Trossard, Alexis Saelemaekers, Charles de Ketelaere, Dodi Lukebakio and Michy Batshuayi
There are debutants – 22-year-old goalkeeper Senne Lemmens (thanks to him, Standard are contenders for the Jupille Pro League championship group), 28-year-old Bryan Heynen (the centre-half is captain at Genk), 24-year-old versatile Nicolas Rasquin (breaking up with Rangers) and 17-year-old midfielder Jorty Mokio (gradually being admitted to the Ajax starting lineup).
Or is someone forgotten? Dries Mertens, Axel Witsel, Christian Benteke and Amadou Onana have been eliminated from the extended list. If you look at it, everything is predictable – Witsel and Amadou are rotated to Atletico and Aston Villa respectively and do not have many minutes.
Christian Benteke? Do we need a forward, even a prolific one, from the American D.C. United? MLS allows even mediocre players to show off, even if they are not guaranteed to help when a more important situation requires it (especially since there are Lukaku and Batshuayi from the top 5).
But we would take a closer look at Mertens, despite his 37 years in his passport: after all, the withdrawn striker is experiencing his third youth and is lighting up Galatasaray: 5 goals and 18 assists in 42 matches are truly pleasing to the eye. Be that as it may, the decision has been made and is not without meaning – in May, the representative of the Turkish grandee will turn 38.
Belgium's lineup is not without problems (the weakest link is the defense; Ilya Zabarnyi somehow looks more convincing against the competitors), but they still need to break through to this defense. Everything is acceptable with the midfield (for some reason our experts despise De Bruyne, but you will find a midfielder of the same class among the Ukrainians).
And who would criticize Lukaku? Dovbyk has scored the same amount in Serie A (10), and is similar in profile (a battering ram), but his Belgian counterpart is many times more experienced.
Summary
Only a fool would doubt Belgium's strength. The team is no longer the same as the one that topped the FIFA rankings, but it is also not a passing opponent that should be neglected.
If we talk about weaknesses, then do not forget that it is we who do not have enough trump cards. It is noteworthy that the rhetoric that was observed on the eve of Euro 2024 is not heard now – something like “we are capable of reaching the semi-finals”. Yes, this was a half-joke by Sudakov and Zinchenko, but it clearly illustrated the general mood – then it was believed that Serhiy Rebrov would perform successfully in the tournament.
All this changed dramatically, and without any further positive changes – otherwise the “blue-yellows” would not have been feverishly trying to save themselves from relegation to Division C.
That is, in order to defeat Rudi Garcia, we will have to perform a great feat, nothing less. When one of the best goalkeepers of our time returns to the Red Devils, and we lose perhaps the most creative attacking player due to doping, it becomes uneasy. With the favorite, everything is clear here.
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