A new defeat (2-1), this time against Italy, deprives Belgium of a place on the podium of the League of Nations. The Complément Foot team returned to the meeting and the Red Devils tournament.
Belgium had the opportunity to grab the smallest place on the podium of this second edition of the League of Nations. Despite an interesting performance from the Red Devils, Italy will have been more realistic. An equally unlucky match, where the men of Roberto Martinez hit the uprights three times. Our consultant Nordin Jbari returned to the match, but also to the whole of the final phase: “I would describe the tournament in one word: sad. We never won anything, it was important to win this tournament even if it was not a Euro or a World Cup. It would have taken away this complex that we have against big teams. It could also have given us additional confidence to go to Qatar.“.
Pascal Scimè pointed out the lack of influence of Belgian players: “In terms of the game, we never felt Belgium patronize this meeting. We were certainly deprived ofHazard, De Bruyne and Lukaku at kick-off, but the Italians had changed six base holders. And the mastery was Italian, regardless of the Belgian occasions. For the rest, we still cannot control our weak moments. And that’s where the difference lies with a good and beautiful team at times, and a very great team. This is where we still have to progress. But there is a better in the game of course, we still had a reaction of pride on the part of the players. So everything is not to be thrown away, but we will still have to draw conclusions about this Italian week. “
“We are only Belgium”
“We are only Belgium“. These words, we owe them to Kevin De Bruyne, in interview after this defeat against Italy. His outspokenness during his speeches is no longer to be demonstrated. Our midfielder did not hesitate to put his feet on the ground, recalling the aging generation in which he is included, and the youth who knock on the door of the Red Devils. For Nordin Jbari, Belgium “was not just Belgium in 2018, we were a great team. De Bruyne says this because he feels that Belgium may no longer have the qualities it had before “. For our consultant, it’s time to draw conclusions: “I would even say that it is time in this country that journalists, professionals began to allow themselves to analyze the work of Martinez. I have been talking about it for 3 years. the right to question, analyze, find weaknesses, or give explanations about a coach? In France, Didier Deschamps was World Champion, he missed the Euro and was massacred. We here have the impression that there are a lot of people who don’t dare talk about Martinez. He had a World Cup, a Euro, here the Nations League, and it didn’t work out. J ‘ve always said that Martinez was not a winning coach. I would like today, after these three tournaments, to analyze Martinez’s work. “
Pascal Scimè also returns to the statements of Kevin De Bruyne:“I think he’s right, and there is an example that allows us to take a step back. Take Portugal. In Belgium, we’ve been talking about this golden generation for years. But Portugal, there is How many golden generations did it take to win a title? Between the Euro 2000 semi-final and victory in 2016, it took sixteen years to win a title. ”
The Martinez case
What should the Federation do with Roberto Martinez? The question crystallizes the debates among the supporters. If there is only a little more than a year left before the 2022 World Cup, Nordin Jbari answers these questions and persists in the idea of a change of coach: “We missed the moment. It was after the Euro that we had to stop. He had two options, and it didn’t work. But the World Cup in Qatar is starting to approach, so it’s getting difficult to change. And anyway, the Federation has confirmed it. These poor results will not change anything in his future, although I would like it to change. Because Martinez is very strong politically. He will say that he is in the process of making a transition, that he has put in young people and that this tournament has taught us some positive things that will be interesting for Qatar. “
