‘Too old’ – Vertonghen bites back at De Bruyne & Hazard after Belgium’s shock defeat to Morocco

Jan Vertonghen has bitten back at Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard following accusations of Belgium’s team being too old and lacking pace in defence. 

​Golden Generation hasn’t deliveredMore struggles at Qatar 2022Still have a chance to reach last-16

WHAT HAPPENED? Roberto Martinez’s side are sweating on a place in the last 16 of the 2022 World Cup following a shock 2-0 defeat to Morocco, with the nation’s so-called ‘Golden Generation’ once again struggling to deliver on expectations. De Bruyne has said that is because Belgium’s best players are “too old” and the whole squad is “ageing”, while national team captain Hazard said before a meeting with Morocco: “Our defenders are not the fastest and they know that.”

WHAT THEY SAID: Vertonghen, who forms part of that defence, has told reporters after seeing the Red Devils draw a blank and fail to keep a clean sheet in their latest outing at 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.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Belgium boss Martinez has also been quizzed on pre-match comments that ultimately did his side few favours as they came unstuck against impressive 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.”

IN THREE PHOTOS:

WHAT NEXT? Belgium now need a positive result in their final Group F fixture against Croatia in order to make the knockout stages, with that crucial clash set to take place on Thursday.

 

 

Related Post
Share
Published by
Superadmin2015

Recent Posts

India’s Junior Men Clinch Bronze with Gritty 2-1 Win Over Australia in Four Nations Tournament

The Indian junior men’s hockey team wrapped up their campaign at the Four Nations Tournament… Read More

June 26, 2025

Suryakumar Yadav Undergoes Successful Sports Hernia Surgery, Eyes Return for Bangladesh Tour

India's T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has successfully undergone surgery for a sports hernia in his… Read More

June 26, 2025

Golden Glove Winner Jaspreet Singh Joins Bengaluru FC in Key Summer Move

Bengaluru FC have taken a decisive step toward rebuilding their squad by signing goalkeeper Jaspreet… Read More

June 26, 2025

Ravi Shastri says opening Test loss against England is a tough pill to swallow for India

Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri believes the opening Test loss against England is a… Read More

June 26, 2025

Varun Aaron says England batters’ approach made Jasprit Bumrah desperate for wickets in 2nd innings of 1st Test

Former Indian fast bowler Varun Aaron believes England batters were able to find a way… Read More

June 26, 2025

Varun Aaron says Karun Nair will be disappointed with his opening Test performance against England

Former Indian fast bowler Varun Aaron believes Karun Nair will be disappointed after he failed… Read More

June 26, 2025