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Hazard’s Generation: How Belgium Became a Team to Be Reckoned With
Published: May 1, 2014
They didn’t usually play exciting football, they didn’t field the world’s best players and you surely didn’t expect them to go far in a tournament. The World Cup in 1986 was merely an exception to the rule. As a fan, you were hoping for a few draws and maybe a victory in the group stage.
But much has changed since then. These days, Belgium have a team full of highly rated talent. Think of players such as Vincent Kompany, Axel Witsel, Kevin de Bruyne and Eden Hazard. The Rode Duivels have truly developed into a team to be reckoned with.
How did this come about? What are some of the underlying reasons for Belgium's rise in eminence?
The Premier League Lads
Constitutive to today’s Rode Duivels team is the contingent of players currently playing the Premier League, including Eden Hazard, Jan Vertonghen, Vincent Kompany and Romelu Lukaku. Together with an older guard consisting of players such as Daniel van Buyten and Nicolas Lombaerts, these players form the spine of a squad overflowing with talent. The experience of playing in a top league like the Premier League has surely helped shape these players into what they are today.
And because they all play in the Premier League, week in, week out, these players are used to similar kind of pace, and in general terms, a similar type of football. They’re also used to the pressure and the media scrutiny that comes with being a Premier League footballer.
In 2013, Eden Hazard told Tim Adams of Esquire:
“When we do get together, it is important we have all been immersed in the same football culture. In England, it is one country and pretty much one style of football, very intense, generally high-tempo, so we do share that. There are others who come in from [Spain’s] ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football
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