The 2022 World Cup is already over for Belgium, precipitating the end of the Martinez era. In the aftermath of a painful elimination, the media in the north of the country lived up to their reputation. If the French-speaking newspapers linger with emotion on the tears of Romelu Lukaku and the announcement of the departure of the coach, the cold analysis and the Flemish pragmatism have spoken, already turning to the future and the successor of the Spaniard.
In the NewspaperRené Vandereycken (ex-coach and consultant for the daily newspaper) calls for the end of the time when the technical director and the coach are the same person: “An absurd situation”, he judges. “Michel Preud’homme could claim these two positions but if the Federation works with him, it must do so only for one of these two functions.
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The Latest news is lobbying more intensely: “If I can give advice to the Federation: call Michel Preud’homme”, risks Marc Degryse, a highly respected consultant in Flanders. “MPH opened the door in an interview with Humo, in which he said Union Belge could always call him. You have to ask him if he wants to become a national coach or a technical director. You won’t find a more suitable person.”
And Degryse lists the qualities of Preud’homme: “He knows how it works with the Red Devils, is accepted by both Flemings and Walloons and has a huge track record. With all due respect to Martínez and Thierry Henry, a Belgian national coach with more ties to the Red Devils seems important to me. Someone with a different style and a more direct character. A coach who dares to call things what they are, because Martinez’s always positive communication bothered me. It was no longer believable.” Vercauteren, Clement and Vanhaezebrouck are cited as potential Plan Bs.
Devils pushed out
Always in the Latest newsfootball manager Niels Poissonnier does not name any potential successors to Roberto Martinez but he says: “The next coach must dare to say: ‘Jan, Dries, Axel, Toby… it was great. Thank you for all these wonderful years. For your dedication. But now it’s up to the next generation to play.’”
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Our colleague regrets that Roberto Martinez had become too “true to the past, retaining those who brought him third place in Russia.” And he specifies however that seeing Toby Alderweireld stay to supervise the succession in defense is a possibility.
Several qualities required
In the Newspaperthe head of the football section Ludo Vandewalle lists the qualities required to become Belgium coach: “You have to have experience and results”, decide first our colleagues. Which already seems to cool the tracks leading to Thierry Henry and Thomas Vermaelen. “He must also have proven that he can manage the best players and that he can work with the wide variety of experts in today’s football.
Other qualities seem essential: “The new coach must have proven that he maintains a high-level sporting culture, be a strong and open communicator and be a unifier between generations. He will also have to demonstrate his ability to work within the structure set up by the Belgian Federation.