It must have been embarrassing being a Belgium fan last Friday afternoon – watching the team, one of the pre-tournament favourites, meekly surrender to an overachieving Wales.
This is a nation of course, rated somewhat controversially by FIFA as the second best in the world and the best in Euro 2016. However, as it was difficult for fans to watch, it must have been equally so for the sport’s governing body – after all, the second best team in the world should never play as pathetically and lethargic as Belgium did against the Dragons.
For all of their exceptional talent, the fact that Wales were the better team throughout the quarter-final match is really worrying. The Belgians treated us to an imperious opening, which resulted in genuine dominance and a sequence of really good opportunities. This was illustrated when the opposition began scrambling for their lives, having to make three consecutive blocks in quick succession to keep the score at 0-0. Radja Nainggolan’s screamer into the top left-hand corner was no less than they deserved.
But it was almost as if Marc Wilmots’ men stopped playing after this. Although the coach’s laissez faire attitude towards management has inevitably helped soothe a dressing room that is known to sometimes be quite combustible and is filled with egos, it was a pity that his players seemed to be mirroring this on the pitch. Although they improved after the 2-0 defeat against Italy, the feeling never went away that this is a team that simply attack randomly and hope that one of their stars creates something. In addition, there has always been the persistent feeling that the players are very much their own coaches, and create their own game plans and tactical strategies (a negative of Wilmots’ approach). Another common consensus was the idea that after taking a lead, the Red Devils become reactive rather than proactive. These opinions were done no harm here.
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Wilmots’ lack of tactical acumen and sophistication has seen him fail to turn arguably the most talented collection of footballers in the world, into something hardly admirable. As the game went on observers were seeing this team, not for the first time, playing considerably less than the sum of its parts. There is only so much world-class names can do. The men from Brussels looked excruciatingly short of ideas, just like their manager, whose nonchalance was being reflected by the bodies on the pitch.
There is a stubborn streak to Wilmots as well. It is criminal to think that Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen, the best center-back pairing in the Premier League last season, were not played in order to maximize the telepathic understanding both have developed. It is only made worse by the fact that this was foregone in order to accommodate Thomas Vermaelen, who is no slouch at left-back. Also, things such as repeated inadequacies at defending set pieces cannot be mere coincidence, and the fact that Hal Robson Kanu, a recent Reading reject was the one to lead Wales into the final four will only rub salt in the wounds. .There was no intuition from Wilmots to try and peg the Dragons back even more and look for the second goal, it was almost as if they thought they could just cruise through the rest of the proceedings. It was this indolence that would result in their undoing by a team with spirit, togetherness, hard work and verve.
Wilmots’ attempts to get Belgium back into the game in the second-half were laughable. This does not exempt the players from taking responsibility, however, as they were also shockingly abysmal. It was truly disheartening seeing such an attacking side displaying such caution, when it was clear that Wales were reeling and thus there for the taking. It was this vigilance and naivety that eventually lead to their demise. The ineffective Romelu Lukaku, who seems to think that he can play every game waiting for chances to come to him, was given 83 minutes and was absolutely anonymous. The lack of cohesion was epitomized by the amount of loose passes and wrong decisions that Belgium were making. The fact that they were playing in Lille, a stone’s throw away from the Belgium border, will make this defeat even harsher.
It is definitely time for Wilmots to go. The Red Devils had a much easier pathway to the finals than any other of the favourites and yet contrived to mess it up. Thibaut Courtois was livid and seemingly hurt by most when reflecting upon the fact his team had wasted such a golden opportunity. He was not wrong. It is very rare a side is gifted which such a favourable draw on the path to the final, and yet all Belgium did is disappoint again. They may very well not get another chance like this. Instead in the first semi-final, Wales can genuinely now dream of European glory as they take on a rather ordinary Portuguese side, one that would have surely been at the mercy of this incredibly talented Belgian team.
Frankly speaking, It is hard seeing how a new appointment could be any worse than keeping Wilmots. The years that have preceded the World Cup 2014 exit at the hands of Argentina (at the same stage) has seen nothing more than stagnation and a frustrating inability to get his players to perform to what is phenomenal potential. Names like Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne, who have been mesmerizing at times during the tournament, deserve to be playing for a manager that can extract every ounce out of their unique talents. Marc Wilmots is certainly not that figure.
Belgium’s opening game with Italy was billed ‘a team with no coach’ versus ‘a coach with no team’ due to their far superior squad, but quite limited manager. Based on Friday’s evidence, Wilmots cannot complain with that statement.
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