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Le Diable Vous Savez | Why Belgium May Need To Break From Romelu Lukaku

June 19, 2024
Opinion, Euro 2024

Golden Generation is a funny old term. 

 

By definition, it is “an exceptionally gifted group of players of similar age, whose achievements reach or are expected to reach a level of success beyond that which their team had previously achieved,” and was first coined in reference to Portugal on the back of their success at both the 1989 and 1991 FIFA Youth Championships.

 

But as always, with great expectations comes the undeniable reality that falling short of the mark is all too common, and when it comes to Europe’s footballing nations who have been dubbed in such a fashion, success at major tournaments has been hard to come by.

 

The Netherlands, Germany, England, Croatia, France, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the former Yugoslavia have all been christened by the glistening moniker, first – and retroactively – dating back to Ferenc Puskás’ Mighty Magyars, but only half of those listed made good on such promise.

 

 

Germany managed to secure their first World Cup win post-reunification in 2014, France bagged their first-ever World Cup win in 1998 while on home soil and followed it up with Euro 2000 glory, Spain followed suit with an international treble of their own between 2008-2012, and Italy brought home its fourth World Cup trophy in 2006. Unfortunately, the Dutch, English, Croatian, Hungarian, Yugoslav, and Portuguese sides all fell short of the mark across periods of anticipated hegemony in the form of international silverware. 

 

With matchday one of Euro 2024 in the books, it seems as though yet another golden generation will fail to reach heights commensurate with its collective footballing ability after Belgium suffered a shock defeat against continental minnows Slovakia at Frankfurt’s Deutsche Bank Park.

 

Ranked third in the world accordingly to the latest FIFA rankings and the second-highest among European nations behind France, Les Diables Rouges were blanked 1-0 by a Sokoli outfit under manager Francesco Calzona that entered tournament play sitting forty-five places behind their more illustrious opponent. The loss constituted the greatest upset by ranking difference in European Championship history, and yet, somehow, many were hardly surprised.

 

Despite now being under the command of German tinkerman Domenico Tedesco and coming off a qualifying campaign that saw De Rode Duivels best a resurgent Austria to the top spot in Group F, the perennial tournament heavyweight once again failed to deliver the type of dominant performance commensurate of a nation that has long been classed – with some debate – as one of the best in the world in the last decade.

 

The New Belgium: Domenico Tedesco’s Red Devils

 

This certainly takes nothing away from a Slovakian side that did so well to defy the odds when faced with an opponent in Belgium who was undefeated in its last fifteen outings coming into Euro 2024, and made good on their 15th-minute opener courtesy of Slavia Prague’s Ivan Schrank with a bit of luck on their side in equal measure.

 

However, the hard reality of tournament play where every match and point earned is a matter of life and death, is a simple one; take your chances, or suffer the consequences. In this light, it is hard to look away from the notion that Belgian star center-forward Romelu Lukaku may be at the heart of what ails the national team.

 

It might be counterintuitive to suggest that Lukaku should be jettisoned from Tedesco’s preferred XI this summer, given the goalscoring record the Antwerp-born striker brings to the table.

 

As of the loss against Slovakia, the 31-year-old all-time leading scorer for Belgium has hit 85 goals in 116 caps in what has been, on paper, a fantastic international career bested only by the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo among his contemporaries. 

 

 

Lukaku’s goal return outside of friendlies is even more impressive further still, smashing 60 goals in 72 competitive fixture across the World Cup, European Championship, their constituent qualifying campaigns, and the UEFA Nations League. And yet still, despite all that, Lukaku has been one of the key reasons why Belgium have ultimately failed to deliver.

 

On the surface, his hit rate at major tournaments is seemingly what you would ask for, with the big forward finding the back of the net on eleven occasions in twenty-three combined appearances, six of which came during the Euro. But if matchday one continued to prove anything, it’s that goal total is meaningless if you cannot find the back of the net in clinical fashion when you are needed most.

 

Digging underneath the topsoil of his history at major tournaments, Lukaku has only managed to score in four of those eleven appearances, with two occasions including braces against the Republic of Ireland (2016) and Russia (2020), while his other two goals coming against Finland and Italy. 

 

This comes in stark contrast to how he so often dominates qualifying phases when leading the line for his country, with his most recent form on that front saw him hit fourteen of Belgium’s twenty-two goals en route to topping their group. Failure to turn pre-tournament dominance into tangible results is no doubt frustrating, and the sheer reliance that Belgium places on his goal-scoring ability once again came home to roost against Slovakia given his well-known inconsistency in front of goal irrespective of his overall return.

 

Where Did It All Go Wrong for Romelu Lukaku at Chelsea?

 

On another day it could all have been so different, too, if not for two goals pulled back for offside that denied the former RSC Anderlecht academy graduate from adding to his overall tally. But the two-faced nature of the beast reared its ugly head once more, with Lukaku missing three big chances while failing to score after garnering a match-high xG of 0.82.

 

It is hard-going for any national team to secure major honors if you place such a heavy reliance on one man to deliver the goods in the final third. Just ask England. And with such a reliance placed squarely on Lukaku’s big shoulders, when ultimately faced with quality opposition that can defend, you will likely fail at the time of asking. 

 

Such has been the reason why Belgium was sent packing before ever reaching the semi-finals of the Euro. But more importantly, forcing Lukaku to be the lone focal point of your attack, seemingly on the back of his overall record and the gravitas he commands due to it, is folly.

 

Belgium may not have the venerable Eden Hazard among its ranks this time around, but Tedesco still can boast credible attacking options that are in much better form in the wake of their respective 2023-24 club campaigns.

 

 

While Lukaku struggled to remain consistent while on loan at AS Roma, the trio of Loïs Openda, the aforementioned Trossard, and Johan Bakayoko all shone this past season for RB Leipzig, Arsenal, and PSV Eindhoven respectively. This also does not include the creative and goal-scoring capabilities that remain in the locker of star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne.

 

What is perhaps so baffling is that, despite the ample evidence compiled during KDB’s time at Premier League giants Manchester City which saw him showcase just how lethal he can be when you give him runners ahead of him, Belgium insist on so often playing back to goal rather than being as incisive as their firepower can be if truly unleashed.

 

It has already been seen early on this tournament that forcing all your perceived top players into the XI hardly offers guarantees of success, with chief examples coming by way of Phil Foden, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ousmane Dembélé, and Memphis Depay. In Belgium’s case, it could very well be that Lukaku is ultimately causing harm rather than being a beacon of hope in the number nine role.

 

One of the best ways to achieve international success is to pin your faith on players that come into the summer on form, and Kai Havertz getting the call by Julian Nagelsmann to lead the line for Germany over a far more traditional center-forward in Niclas Füllkrug is a testament to that maxim.

 

 

For Tedesco, it may be worth considering that going with le diable vous savez (the devil you know) is not the better part of prudence, but rather, tapping into the aforementioned Openda who has come on leaps and bounds at club level across his last two seasons with a combined 49 goals for RBL as well as RC Lens the prior campaign.

 

After coming off the bench in the 84th minute, the Liège native immediately put Slovakia’s backline on the backfoot with pace to burn while always looking to dash into the box, showcasing why he faired so well in his inaugural season in the Bundesliga at Red Bull Arena.

 

Openda’s profile would no doubt be a dream for De Bruyne as well, with the City star not only capable at picking out runs with his otherworldly ability to play inch-perfect, line-splitting passes seemingly at will, but also happy to drive play when he finds room to gallop. 

 

This is a dynamic we see time and again at the Etihad when Erling Haaland drives forward while drawing defenders along with him, only for De Bruyne to punish the opposition on command either by picking out the Norwegian’s off-ball run, or tapping into his own goalscoring locker from outside the penalty area. The fact that KSB has only scored twice in his last ten appearances for Belgium shows that this is a side to his game that the national team is in desperate need of. 

 

Kevin De Bruyne: The Return of City’s Creative Talisman

 

Additionally, it is conceivable that Openda’s ability to stretch defenses would also clear space for Trossard to find more joy in and around the penalty area which ultimately saw him become a considerable a goal threat in is own right under Mikel Arteta in North London.

 

While it is unlikely that Lukaku will be dropped at any point this tournament when push comes to shove, the combination of his limiting others at the tactical level as well as the sheer number of chances he needs to find the back of the net could spell disaster in the wake of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar that saw Belgium crash out of the group stage.

 

Though Lukaku missed the bulk of the three matches due to injury, the fact that Belgium managed just a single goal (against Canada in the group opener) without his presence in the forward line lends credence to the notion that perhaps many feel they simply cannot live without him on the team sheet.

 

But sometimes you simply have to flip the script, even if you do not tear it up and begin a whole new screenplay. In that light, Lukaku will undoubtedly have a role to play this summer, and maybe that could come in the vein of being called upon off the bench to physically bully a defense that has been run ragged by pace. Who knows.

 

 

Ultimately, the decision falls on the manager to pick a side that presents the best possible chance of winning. And though Lukaku’s record-setting goal return has etched his name into Belgian footballing lore, we can still ask ourselves if something radical is required for the Red Devils to become more than what could have been.

 

By: Andrew Thompson / @GeecheeKid

Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Darren Walsh / Chelsea FC

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