Jan Vertonghen has hit back at Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard after they were accused of being too old and slow in defense.
Following a 2-0 setback to Morocco, Roberto Martinez’s team are sweating on a place in the last 16 of the 2022 World Cup, with the nation’s so-called ‘Golden Generation’ once again failing to live up to expectations.
De Bruyne has stated that this is due to the fact that Belgium’s finest players are “too old” and the entire group is “aging,” while national team captain Hazard stated before a match against Morocco: “Our defenders are not the fastest and they know that.”
Jan Vertonghen’s comment
Vertonghen, who is part of their defense, told reporters after the Red Devils failed to maintain a clean sheet in their most recent trip in Qatar 2022: “I guess we attack badly because we are also too old up front. We didn’t create enough chances. We conceded the same goal twice at the near post.”
Martinez comment
Belgium manager Martinez has also been questioned of pre-match comments that ultimately hurt his team as they fell short against strong African opponents: “This is the first time I’ve heard those comments from Kevin. At a World Cup, the players have to speak to the media every day, 90% of it will be positive but there are always one or two lines that don’t fit into the context. A player is allowed to air their view. We’ve been together for six years now and comments won’t help us to win. Maybe it was a double-bluff. It’s what happens behind the scenes that matters.”
Belgium’s next fixture
Belgium must now win their final Group F match against Croatia in order to advance to the knockout stages, which is expected to take place on Thursday.
