Walesthe real golden generation
The Welsh had answers to everything Belgium threw at them, reports Oliver Kay. In Belgium, though, they will reflect on a night when the frailties of this star-studded squad were laid bare in front of their supporters’ eyes.
Golden generation? On the evidence of a thrilling, astonishing evening in Lille, that would be Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and the group of players who have taught Wales to dream. Just do not call them that. As Belgium became the latest team to demonstrate yesterday, that label is a burden that no team can live with.
Yugoslavia had a ‘‘golden generation’’ in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the emergence of Robert Prosinecki, Davor Suker and Zvonimir Boban unfortunately coinciding with the chaos that pulled the country apart. Other ‘‘golden generations’’ – the Portugal of Paulo Sousa, Luis Figo and Rui Costa in the 1990s, the England of John Terry, David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney in the 2000s – have failed to live with the expectation. Belgium, with all that talent, have gone the same way.
This seemed likely to be the night when gravity caught up with Chris Coleman’s Wales team as Belgium cruised into the Euro 2016 semifinal, roared on by supporters who had made the short journey over the border to Lille.
That was certainly the expectation when Radja Nainggolan gave them the lead with a stunning strike in the 13th minute, but, from there, Belgium were outdone, outfought and outmanoeuvred by a Wales team who were made of far stronger stuff.
It is a result that will be treasured in Wales, their first leading tournament in 58 years shaping into the most incredible success story, with only Portugal standing between them and a place in the final. In Belgium, though, they will reflect on a night when the frailties of this starstudded squad were laid bare in front of their supporters’ eyes.
Fingers will be pointed at Marc Wilmots, the coach, whom Craig Bellamy identified as their weak link. They seemed to lack more than that against Wales. In defence, in particular, they lacked leadership and composure in the absence of Vincent Kompany, who has missed the tournament through injury, and Jan Vertonghen and Thomas Vermaelen, who missed out on this game through injury and suspension respectively.
Toby Alderweireld’s centraldefensive partner against Wales was Jason Denayer, who is held in high regard at Manchester City but, as was clear, lacks big-match experience. To lose Kompany and then to lose two other first-choice defenders – Vertonghen usually plays at left-back for his country – is unfortunate in the extreme; to put it in context, Roy Hodgson was confident he only needed three central defenders in his squad.
In Belgium they will lament those injury blows, even though, deep down, they will suspect their frailties went rather deeper.
Over the course of this tournament, Belgium showed that there is perhaps no better team in Europe when it comes to moving the ball quickly in attacking areas when they have the space to do so. Wales did not give them that space. Neither did Italy when beating them 2-0 in their opening fixture. Italy and Wales both lined up with three central defenders and a system that they struggled to break down.
Bellamy’s view was that Wilmots is a coach who lacked a coherent Plan B. That view was reinforced yesterday. He sent on Marouane Fellaini in place of the lively Yannick Carrasco at halftime, pushing Nainggolan further forward and switching Kevin de Bruyne to the right, but it was still 4-2-3-1. Michy Batshuayi replaced Romelu Lukaku, but it was like for like. If there was a chink in Wales’s armour, Wilmots seemed to have no idea where it was or how to expose it.
Even then, though, it has to come down to more than tactics. Much like Iceland’s victory over England, this was a triumph of spirit and sheer will.
Belgium, like England against Iceland, made the perfect start. Like England, they would have viewed that early goal as a nervesettler, a platform on which build. Like England, they looked shaken when they realised that their more spirited opponents had very different ideas. Even before Williams equalised, left unmarked between two defensive zones at a corner, Wales looked like they were about to score. From the moment it was 1-1, Wales showed far more conviction.
Wilmots spoke earlier this week of how Hazard had proved himself an inspirational captain in Kompany’s absence. The problem is that Hazard, over the past 12 months at least, has been a player who has shrunk when faced with adversity.
So too, ultimately, did Belgium – beaten by a team whose mentality and spirit continue to astound. There is no shame in losing to Wales, as has become increasingly clear.
The shame for Belgium was that, like so many other ‘‘golden generation’’ teams, they fell short when it mattered. TIMES