Who's been the best Belgium player in recent years? I'm curious how many say DeBruyne or Hazard or Lukaku or Courtois.
De bruyne by miles. No one even near him at this moment and that will be a big problem against Portugal.
KDB, Lukaku and Courtois have been great for you guys in the last couple years and been sensational at their clubs as well. Hazard is still my favourity Belgian player ever BUT he has had a wretched run of injuries/poor form since he left Chelsea.
Courtois has won silverware at any club he has been. Impressive silverware cabinet so far. But Kdb has been the most impressive for me. Hazard was very important for Chelsea, but I don't think it will work out at Madrid. Another problem for him is his style of play invites getting kicked and fouled a lot, which adds to the injury woes with ageing. Lukaku is still improving, which is very impressive. A couple of years ago I never thought he would get to this level. It's interesting to see if he can add another step to the heights he reached this year.
I do think they are. Lukaku and KDB will be around for the next two tournaments (possibly three) at an elite level. Courtois as a GK his timeline is even longer. Hazard with the injuries not sure. Back line needs a full regeneration. Tielemans, Doku, Dendoncker, Carrasco, T. Hazard and possibly De Ketalare are good pieces moving forward. I just don't think Kompany was adequately replaced, now I think Witsel, Vertonghen, Alderweireld and Vermaelen cannot be relied upon for anything beyond (and even this is a maybe) WC2022. Belgium will still be strong, but I felt 2016 and 2018 is when this incarnation was primed to win something. No shame in losing to France to be fair in 2018 but that defeat to Wales in 2016 was terrible. Want to say I called it and have my receipt below. https://footballfutbolcalciosoccer.blogspot.com/2021/06/euro-2020-preview-group-b-belgium.html
Of the three most recent tournaments (2016/2018/2020), this was by far the one we had the least chance to win. Our defense was old. Our key player came into the tournament injured and then got another injury. Too many of our other key players (Hazard/Meunier) were out of form. Really this generation's best chance of winning something - considering their ages - was either Euro 2016 or WC 2018. They ********ed it up themselves in 2016 with that quarter-final loss to Wales. They did alright in 2018 and deservedly got third place. But to win in 2020 they would have needed an almost impossible amount of luck.
BTW, 2016 is very much Wilmots' fault. Not for being a tactical dimwit like Courtois said after the tournament. Though that did not help. But mostly for not taking Lombaerts as CB depth, supposedly due to a minor injury (from which he recovered so quickly that he would have been ready for the first group game). But with Vermaelen out with a suspension for the Wales game and Jan Vertonghen getting an injury in the final training session the day before the game, he definitely could have used Lombaerts' experience to partner Alderweireld in the quarter-final. Instead he was forced to play the untested Denayer there. With the well-known results.