Belgium are in danger of self-destructing, with RTL reporting a dressing room row between Jan Vertonghen, Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne.
Red Devils won World Cup opener vs CanadaThen suffered shock defeat to MoroccoTension mounting within star-studded squad
WHAT’S HAPPENING? Roberto Martinez’s side remain in the hunt for a last-16 spot at the 2022 World Cup, but suffered a shock 2-0 defeat to Morocco in their last Group F fixture. They were fortunate in many ways to open their campaign with a 1-0 victory over Canada, having seen Alphonso Davies miss a penalty as their North American opponents squandered a number of golden opportunities, and rifts are now said to have formed in the Belgian camp.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: De Bruyne has conceded that a so-called ‘Golden Generation’ are “too old” and the whole squad is “ageing”, while Hazard said ahead of the meeting with Morocco: “Our defenders are not the fastest and they know that.”
AND WHAT’S MORE: Vertonghen bit back after the lacklustre showing against Morocco by saying: “I guess we attack badly because we are also too old up front,” and RTL claims that senior members of the Red Devils’ ranks had to be separated by Romelu Lukaku after a heated dressing room exchange.
STORY IN THREE PHOTOS:
WHAT NEXT? Belgium have one more shot at reaching the knockout rounds in what could be the last World Cup finals graced by several members of their so-called ‘Golden Generation’, with victory imperative when facing Croatia on Thursday.