Belgium has matured into an absolute footballing superpower. Wherever the team competes, it usually convinces. The Red Devils have numerous superstars in their ranks that probably every other country in the world would like. However, the great success in the form of the world champion title has not yet been achieved. In Russia they were very close in the 2018 World Cup, but in the end they had to settle for third place.
The Belgian team should perform well in Qatar as part of the 2022 World Cup. We take a look at the Belgium squad poised to achieve that big goal. Separately, we'll also take a look at the talents we think can play a special role when everything is on the line for Kevin De Bruyne and company.
Possible profile of the Belgium squad for the 2022 World Cup.
The Belgians are led by the Spanish Roberto Martínez. He has earned an excellent reputation and is considered one of the best national team coaches of all time. Here we take a look at the likely players for your Belgian squad, sorted by team parts. This should help us get an analysis of how good the Belgians' chances are in Qatar.
The 2018 World Cup bronze medalist team usually plays in a 3-4-3 or 3-4-2-1. Belgium's squad for the 2022 World Cup is likely to include 23 players, but FIFA may allow an increase to 26 professionals, like at Euro 2021.
Martinez: "We have to savor this generation of Belgium players."
Archers.
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is number 1 in goal. He was named Best Goalkeeper of the 2018 Russia Final and is also one of the favorites for Best Goalkeeper of the 2022 World Cup .
VfL Wolfsburg professional Koen Casteels sits on the bench as substitute goalkeeper. Matz Sels (Racing Straßburg) should be the third goalkeeper in the Belgium squad this 2022, who also traveled to Euro 2021 as number 3.
Defenses.
In central defense, the experienced Jan Vertonghen (Benfica Lisboa) is the head of the defence. The Qatar final will likely be his farewell performance in terms of tournaments like the World Cup, as he will be 35 years old by the time the event comes.
In addition to Vertonghen, Jason Denayer (Olympique Lyon), Toby Alderweireld (Al Duhail SC) or Hertha BSC legionnaire Dedryck Boyata should appear in the bottom three. Young Arthur Theate (KV Oostende) should probably also be in Belgium's World Cup squad, but he will most likely get little to no action in the final in Qatar.
Midfielders.
Axel Witsel (Borussia Dortmund) and Youri Tielemans (Leicester City) are in defensive midfield . Leander Dendoncker (Wolverhampton) and Dennis Praet (Leicester City) are available as substitutes.
In the 3-4-2-1 system, which is often used by Belgian team boss Roberto Martinez, Timothy Castagne (Leicester City) should play in midfield on the right and the experienced Yannick Carrasco (Atlético de Madrid) at the left. The alternatives in these positions are Jeremy Doku ( Stade Rennes, right) and Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Dortmund, left).
Offensively, superstar Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) is the Belgian team's most important player. The first alternative to the gifted and speedy coach must be Dries Mertens (Napoli).
In addition to De Bruyne, Eden Hazard (Real Madrid) is another of the best players. The Belgium captain can always make the difference with his dribbling skills and his vision, but he too has had many bad games in a Belgium shirt.
Also Mertens should be the first choice if Hazard is not fit enough or Martinez is not satisfied with his captain. Hans Vanaken (Club Brugge) would be another option in attacking midfield.
Romelu Lukaku of Belgium celebrates after scoring their side's third goal during the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship Group B match between Belgium and Russia.
Attackers.
At center forward there is almost only one option for team boss Roberto Martinez and that is Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea FC). The burly, but technically strong and quick attacker should shoot the Red Devils to the title with goals from him and is once again one of the hottest contenders for the 2022 World Cup top scorer.
Regular striker Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea) and rising star Charles De Ketelaere (Brugge) could also feature in Belgium's World Cup squad, but nothing else will almost certainly be used as substitutes.The most important information.
The youth of Belgium at the 2022 World Cup.
Especially in midfield, Belgium has great talents in its ranks, as we mentioned earlier. For example, Charles De Ketelaere (Brugge FC) is still theoretically eligible to play for his country's Under-21s at Qatar 2022. Given enough playing time, he would be a candidate for Best Young Player at the 2022 World Cup . The same goes for Jeremy Doku (Stade Rennes), who will only be 20 years old at the event.
Players who have what it takes to become top quality players also grow in other parts of the team. The only exception is the position of the goalkeeper, a player who has the class of the current ones is missing. However, it is good for the Belgians that Courtois and Casteels still have some good years ahead of them.
Will Belgium finally get their first World Cup title?
How realistic the Belgians' chances of winning the world title are is hard to say for three reasons. There are other nations like France, Germany or Italy, which are nominally better positioned, especially defensively, and are also among the favorite teams for the 2022 World Cup.
Also, the form curve of some Belgian players was not always right in the years leading up to the World Cup and some of them had big problems at their clubs. These difficulties must not continue in 2022. In addition, they must count on key players not getting injured. Despite the brutally high quality of the Belgian team as a whole, the team cannot replace them.
That is why we came to a conclusion: if everything goes well, Belgium can definitely become world champions.
On a good day, the "red devils" defeat all opponents. However, they could also miss out on the 2022 World Cup final if one factor doesn't fit and the wrong opponent arrives at the wrong time.
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