What next for World Cup flops Belgium and Germany?

GERMANY and Belgium are two of the disaster stories from the 2022 World Cup. Both teams’ performances prove also that Europe is losing its domination in world football.

Drawn in Group E, Germany lost their opener 2-1 against Asian giants Japan, who would go on to win the group. The Belgians were drawn in Group F, which was eventually won by African giants Morocco.

An interesting future lies ahead for Belgium. This tournament was the last in which their golden generation – which emerged in 2014 – would have all played together.

They will also soon have a new tactician, after Roberto Martinez confirmed his departure from the team following the World Cup disaster.

While golden generation players Kevin de Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois are expected to stay and be part of the Red Devils’ next World Cup cycle, the same cannot be said for the likes of Jan Vertonghen, Axel Witsel, Eden Hazard and potentially even Romelu Lukaku. The future will be interesting for Belgium and a rebuilding process will now have to take place.

Bar Charles de Ketelaere, who is shining at AC Milan, they simply do not seem to possess a naturally-gifted generation like the one they have had over the past 10 years.

De Ketelaere will likely become a focal point of the team moving forward and will be aiming to now learn a lot from the likes of De Bruyne and Courtois. Pressure has mounted for Germany coach Hansi Flick to step down after his team failed to advance beyond the group stage of the World Cup for the second time.

Flick cannot totally be held responsible for what unfolded to the four-time World Champions. He had just over a year to prepare his side after Joachim Low stepped down as coach after the European Championships.

In truth, it was downhill for Low after the 2014 World Cup and he should have stepped down after Germany’s success, or at the latest after their 2018 World Cup disaster. Germany are also set to embark on a new era now, and it remains to be seen whether Thomas Muller and Manuel Neuer will opt to continue their international careers.

Both are well over 30 and have been at the core of the German team since 2010.

Following Germany’s elimination from the World Cup, Muller confirmed that he may have indeed played his final game for his country. “It’s an absolute disaster,” Muller told reporters. “I don’t know how to move forward. If that was my last game, then I would like to say a few words to the German football fans. It was an enormous pleasure. Thank you very much.

“I tried to show heart on the pitch. Sometimes they were tears of joy, sometimes pain. I did it with love. I need to think about everything now.”

Germany lost one, won one and drew one at the World Cup. The shock loss to Japan and a draw against Spain were results that cost them. They have plenty of soul-searching to do.