Football League World
·13 June 2024
Football League World
·13 June 2024
The arrival of new manager Dominic Tedesco brought closure to Belgium’s golden generation. By clearing out the deadwood, moving on from the old guard and placing his trust in a very different crop of national talent, he will hope to find success where his predecessors failed.
In search of the country’s first piece of major silverware, Tedesco has overhauled the Belgian squad; some familiar faces will feature for the Red Devils in Germany, but Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne and Jan Vertonghen are veterans in an inexperienced side.
Now the ‘golden generation’ tag has been stripped away, Belgium will approach the upcoming Euros without the debilitating weight of expectation. Free of the pressure, Tedesco’s new wave can make amends for the years of disappointment and missed opportunity by delivering an unlikely challenge for international glory.
Under the 38-year-old coach, the talent-packed side are yet to lose a game and defied Austria and Sweden to breeze through a tough qualifying group in pole position. Tedesco’s ruthless squad surgery has paid off; Belgium should progress from a weak group E with minimal fuss.
While the young coach has shown the courage to make decisions, giving his Belgium side a much-needed facelift, the call to leave Champions League-winning goalkeeper Thibault Courtois out of his 25-player squad will be the subject of significant debate this summer.
Tedesco and Courtois previously clashed over a dispute about the national team’s captaincy. He has failed to reconcile with Real Madrid’s star shot-stopper in time for the European Championships.
With Courtois absent, the door has opened for Wolfsburg goalkeeper Koen Casteels to start in goal, but Luton Town's Thomas Kaminski could be an unlikely beneficiary now he is second in command.
Despite his team's relegation, Kaminski's stock is at an all-time high. He performed exceptionally in the Premier League last season, and if Casteels is to pick up an unfortunate injury, he could feature for one of the tournament's most exciting sides.
If he backs up a strong top-flight campaign, Luton could find themselves subject to a barrage of offers, pushing them towards a tough transfer decision.
Kaminski started all 38 of Luton Town’s matches in the Premier League last season. He will arrive in Frankfurt on a high following his impressive personal campaign, hoping to mount a challenge for the number one spot.
Tedesco’s new-look Belgium side are far from rank outsiders for the competition. The Red Devils possess far too much quality to deserve the underdog label. They will be a potential banana skin opponent for all top teams.
Set to face Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine in the group stage, Belgium could navigate their way to the business end of the tournament relatively unscathed. Todesco has a plethora of high-quality midfield options at his disposal. If De Bruyne, Orel Mangala and Amadou Onana work in tandem, they can suffocate their opponents in possession.
Kaminski’s mouth must be watering at the prospect of playing in the tournament’s wildcard team. He has timed his break back into the national fold perfectly and will hope to play a central role as the side bids for Euros success.
If Belgium can settle and gel throughout the tournament, the tide may finally turn for a nation that has suffered so much recent heartbreak. Kaminski can have realistic hopes of returning to Kenilworth Road as a European Championship winner.
Luton Town manager Rob Edwards will struggle to stand in the way of Kaminski if he attracts a substantial offer this summer.
At 31, the goalkeeper is entering the twilight stage of his career and may relish the chance to move to a big club.
If an opportunity to play for a Premier League club arose following an impressive tournament performance, he could push for a transfer and force Luton to act in his best interest.
Equally, the Hatters signed Kaminski for £3 million last summer and would be able to use funds brought in by a sizeable sale to aid their 2024-25 Championship promotion bid.
Although it would be difficult for Luton to replace such a mainstay, it would be a relatively nice problem for the club to have.
Rob Edwards will not begrudge Kaminski's success this summer. He must hope to see Luton represented in Germany and should look to capitalise on his player’s brilliant form in the transfer market.
Live