World Cup Now: What’s going on with Belgium?

On the heels of an uninspiring performance against Canada, Belgium once again looked lifeless against Morocco, only this time it came with a price, as the Red Devils fell to the Moroccans 2-0 at Al Thumama Stadium on Sunday. 

FOX Sports soccer analysts Warren Barton, DaMarcus Beasley, Jimmy Conrad and Sacha Kljestan try to figure out what’s wrong with Belgium’s Golden Generation on “World Cup Now”:

What is behind Belgium’s World Cup struggles?

Conrad: It feels like this is the second consecutive game where Belgium just underappreciated their opponent. They don’t seem like they’re gelling in some capacity. They’re lacking a little something; I can’t put my finger on what it is.  Maybe it’s just the presence of a healthy Romelu Lukaku — he’d probably solve a lot problems — but it seems like they’d have two consecutive games where they have been underwhelming.

Beasley: Regardless of when that comment from [Kevin] de Bruyne came out, Belgium’s age is showing in their performances. You could see it in their first game against Morocco: it was uninspiring, they seemed like they didn’t want to be there and didn’t want to play.

The Belgian team we’ve grown to love to watch is fun, they’re exciting, they get after it, they fight, they’re aggressive and they have quality. I don’t think that comes down to Roberto Martinez. I think it’s the players. They’ve played the same way for four or five years. I just don’t think they have the same mentality.

Barton: You’re playing in the World Cup — you’d think you could motivate yourself. This is the Golden Generation that you think can go on and win it. There’s only so much you can do as a coach. As a player, how are you not motivated at this level against a weak opposition? There has to be some motivation and some responsibility on the coach, but also the players.

Kljestan: It looks like they’re starting to believe the hype. When I played in Belgium from 2010 to 2015, Belgium was always an underdog type of team. Then in 2018, they went on to finish third in the World Cup. They always felt like they’ve viewed themselves as a small country; when they matched up with England, they wanted to beat England. 

Now, it’s like they’re starting to believe the hype of the FIFA World Cup rankings too much. That’s the No. 2-ranked team in the world. They’re not playing like it. They’re acting like it, but they’re not stepping on the field and saying, “We have to prove ourselves” over and over again. It’s disappointing.

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