Golden generation
October 10, 2011
With Germany already through to the UEFA European Championship finals in Poland and Ukraine next summer after blowing the opposition away in Group A, the only real question that remains is which team will qualify as group runners-up. At the moment Belgium, Germany’s opponents Tuesday, have a one-point edge over Turkey.
If they can get a win in Düsseldorf, they’ll have a chance to qualify for their first European Championships since 2000 - when they didn’t qualify, but participated as joint hosts with the Netherlands. (A draw or even a loss might be enough for the Red Devils - but only if Turkey blow it at home to Azerbaijan.)
It’s a tall order, of course, but their current 'Golden Generation' is the best Belgium has had in years. In the last year or so, Belgium has seemingly produced from nowhere a generation of powerful, skilful and intelligent young players which have caught the eye - which seems at odds with the perception of the Belgian league as a cradle for developing talents from the big European teams, loaned out to the likes of Anderlecht, Standard Liege and Racing Genk to learn their craft.
In theory, a formidable force
Written on a team sheet, these Belgian youngsters form a formidable-looking bunch. The forward line at Coach Georges Leekens' disposal alone is enough to give even the most experienced defenders nightmares.
First there's teenage striking sensation Romelu Lukaku, a tank of a forward who was the Jupiler League's top scorer at 17 with Anderlecht before Chelsea swooped in and paid 14 million euros ($18.7m) for his barnstorming services. Unsurprisingly Chelsea see Lukaku as the natural heir to his hero, Didier Drogba; the two of them share power, speed, control and predatory instincts in front of goal and both have intimidating physical attributes. Lukaku stands at a muscular 1.94 meters-tall.
Then there's 20-year-old wing wizard Eden Hazard, a Ligue 1 winner in France with Lille, who with his devastating pace and a sure touch sent many of Europe's top clubs into raptures in the summer when rumors circulated that he was looking for a new challenge. He opted to stay with the French champions for at least another season but is surely destined for greater things. A two-footed winger or attacking midfielder, Hazard's flair and trickery has earned him the nickname "Little Messi," due to his ability to run at speed with the ball at his feet in the manner of the Barcelona star.
Another teenage prodigy in the offensive line is Kevin De Bruyne, the 19-year-old Racing Genk striker who's currently getting invaluable Champions League experience with the Belgian champions. De Bruyne only made his international debut in August but is being spoken of as a potential stalwart of the future in a 4-3-3 formation alongside Lukaku and Hazard. Again Chelsea have already made tentative moves to sign him up.
Belgium's midfield is also bulging with playmakers, schemers and string-pullers such as Standard Liege's captain Steven Defour, his prodigious team mate Axel Witsel and Everton's Marouane Fellaini, while the defense boasts Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany, Arsenal's Thomas Vermaelen, Ajax centre-back Jan Vertonghen and Guillaume Gillet of Anderlecht who recently made his senior international debut at the age of just 16.
Attitude problems
With such a talented bunch of youngsters on hand, some of whom have come through Belgium's recently revamped youth system while others have been reared in the Dutch and French leagues, it difficult to see why this current Belgian team hasn't gelled and hit the heights on the pitch.
That is until one listens to the lament of the team's coaching staff which bemoans "the sick attitude of childish snobs" who prefer to break off training to party and regularly fall out with each other along club lines during international get-togethers.
Belgian commentators have drawn comparison to the talented but undisciplined Dutch teams of the past who had all the skills but none of the attitude to succeed, blowing their chances by fighting with each other and sticking to cliques.
It appears that this crop of young Red Devils runs the risk of blowing their opportunity unless Leekens can whip them into shape. And despite continued lapses in discipline, the coach's approach appears to be slowly turning the tide with both the players and the team's critics.
Coach looks to more stable future
After a succession of short-lived coaching tenures, including those of Franky Vercauteren and Dick Advocaat, which failed to control Belgium's wayward sons through strict regiment alone, Leekens has made progress with his squad by adopting a fatherly mixture of fun and discipline since taking over in May.
Leekens, who coached Belgium to the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, would certainly benefit from taking his current charges to Poland and Ukraine next summer even if they didn't make it to the knock-out rounds. The experience alone may help this talented bunch grow up and grow together - although it rarely worked that way for the Dutch teams they're compared to.
Leekens' target, it has been reported, is to hone these youngsters into a team capable of challenging on the current level of 2010 World Cup finalists Holland by the time the 2014 World Cup comes around.
But to be certain of that, the young Belgians will first have to get a result against the Germans in Germany - a feat they haven't managed since a 2-1 win against East Germany in a UEFA European Championship qualifier in 1983.
Author: Nick Amies
Editor: Matt Hermann