Casteels made Courtois forget
It was the soap opera before Euro. How to replace Thibaut Courtois, one of the best goalkeepers in the world who had excluded himself from the selection for not having tolerated not being named captain of the team? Koen Casteels responded perfectly. The Wolfsburg goalkeeper, bound for Saudi Arabia, successfully completed the challenge in the first three matches, even proving to be one of the best Belgian players.
Lukaku the cursed
Romelu Lukaku is fit but he is cursed. Against Slovakia (0-1) and Romania (2-0), the AS Roma striker, on loan from Chelsea, was deprived of a goal three times by the VAR, due to questions of millimeters. Since VAR was introduced at the Euro, never has a player seen three of his goals refused in the same edition.
And while his counter is still stuck at zero goals, Romelu Lukaku would currently be the top scorer in the competition without video refereeing. Against France, he will try to score an 86th goal for the selection after a difficult match on Wednesday against Ukraine.
Defense at the helm
It is the eternal debate in the flat country. Does the defense have the level to resist the best attackers on the continent? The central axis composed of Wout Faes and veteran Jan Vertonghen is accused of slowness. And the first round against rather modest teams (Slovakia, Romania, Ukraine) did not allow to dispel doubts. Belgium arrived in Germany with only four valid defenders while Thomas Meunier and Axel Witsel are still unavailable.
Doku, the dribbler
Jeremy Doku is undoubtedly one of the most prominent Red Devils in this first round. The Manchester City winger is one of the best dribblers in the competition and the players who have touched the ball the most in the opposing camp. The young Mancunian has indeed taken over from Eden Hazard. He is not only one of the best dribblers at this Euro, he is also one of the fastest players in the tournament. “It’s not enough to be a sprinter, you also have to use your body. I have realized since I was 13 that my speed is my asset,” he said on Tuesday.
Tedesco to the developer
Roberto Martinez’s successor, now at the helm of Portugal, the Italian-German Domenico Tedesco had no experience of the very highest level before the start of this Euro. The former coach of Spartak Moscow and Leipzig had long been known as a “laptop trainer” before winning over Belgium’s followers with his direct and daring style of play. And an immense confidence in youth at a time when the team had to reinvent itself. A thousand miles from Martinez’s conservatism.
