The two best strikers in the tournament so far go head to head in the last 16 of Euro 2020, but Sunday's game is massive for the Red Devils as a whole
Romelu Lukaku partook in a Twitter 'Questions & Answers' session on Tuesday afternoon.
In between revealing his favourite film was Training Day and being left utterly bemused by tired, outdated and frankly offensive takes on his first touch, the Belgium striker was asked about his hopes of finishing as the top scorer at Euro 2020.
"Forget the individual sh*t," Lukaku replied. "I work to win titles."
Editors' Picks
Which is why last season's Scudetto meant so much to him. And why he is motivated solely by lifting the Henri Delaunay Trophy this summer.
Nothing else matters to Lukaku. Or his team-mates. Belgium want this title badly. They arguably need it.
The Red Devils have propelled themselves to top spot in the world rankings thanks to incredible work at grassroots level, which began more than a decade ago.
But irrespective of the quality of the youth set-up, there is never any guarantee that a nation will continue producing players of the calibre that Belgium presently possess.
It may be a cliched nickname but this really is a 'Golden Generation', and the mounting fear is that they will fail to end the nation's wait for a first major title.
Russia 2018 was meant to be their crowning moment. Eden Hazard (27), Kevin De Bruyne (26), Axel Witsel (29) were all at the peak of their powers, Dries Mertens (31) was in the form of his life and Vincent Kompany had only just turned 32.
Consequently, a semi-final loss to eventual winners France hit Belgium hard. Indeed, Lukaku's brother Jordan says the pain has not yet gone away.
"Everybody is still upset about losing to France at the World Cup," the Belgium full-back told Goal.
"I wasn’t surprised we beat Brazil [in the quarters], but I felt like France set up to stop us rather than go toe-to-toe with us. Of course, they had world-class players.
“We know we are good and can be great, but we need to go out and prove it by winning a title. If we had beaten France, I think we would have won [the World Cup], so it is a regret.
"You know that people are counting on you and it is a kind of pressure, but the term 'Golden Generation' comes more from fans and media.
"And there might be more pressure on the players now as time may be running out on this group."
It has certainly caught up with a few of them. Kompany has obviously long since retired, but even captain Hazard no longer looks like the player he was at Chelsea, having been cut down by injuries since joining Real Madrid in 2019.
Of course, De Bruyne has, unlike Hazard, managed to stay fit most of the time.
So, the sickening facial injury he suffered at the end of a stellar campaign for Manchester City came as a bitter blow for Belgium.
Thankfully, despite suffering a fractured nose and eye socket in his collision with Antonio Rudiger in last month's Champions League final loss to Chelsea in Porto, De Bruyne declared himself fit for Euro 2020, and Belgium are now reaping the benefits of the attacking midfielder's brave decision to play through the pain.
"My nerve is very badly affected, which could take six months," he revealed after making his tournament bow in the matchday-two victory over Denmark. "It's not a comfortable feeling, but the most important thing is that I can play.
"The last two months have been up and down for me with minor injuries. After that fracture in the nose and eye socket, it was a bit of a wait. But luckily I came back in the fastest way.
"There was very good intensity for half an hour [against Denmark], and then I felt it. But I'm glad I was able to play and my performance was okay."
It was more than okay. De Bruyne's introduction changed the game in Copenhagen, with the 29-year-old creating one goal and scoring another, as the visitors came from 1-0 down to win.
With both De Bruyne and Hazard having started Belgium's final group game, against Finland, there is now an undeniable feeling that everything is falling into place for manager Roberto Martinez.
Particularly as the presence of De Bruyne and Hazard on the pitch at the same time only means more ammunition for Lukaku.
The Inter striker was 25 at the 2018 World Cup and finished joint-second in the scorers' chart, with four goals.
However, he is now a completely different proposition to the player who was, at the time, halfway through a mentally trying two-year spell at Manchester United.
He has changed psychologically, physically and tactically.
This is no longer a player reluctant to play with his back to goal. Antonio Conte was key in that regard, transforming Lukaku into one of the most complete No.9s in world football during their two years together at Inter.
Lukaku's third goal of the Euros, against Finland, was a perfect case in point, with the forward cleverly backing into his marker as he took a pass into the area from Hazard, before spinning and shooting home right-footed in one smooth movement.
What has been even more impressive, though, is Lukaku's involvement in Belgium's build-up play.
His most impressive performance to date came in the one game he did not score, against Denmark, when he created both goals.
It was Lukaku's blistering break down the right flank which paved the way for De Bruyne to tee up Thorgan Hazard for a tap-in, while the way in which he held off and then beat two Danish defenders in the lead-up to De Bruyne's winner was truly breath-taking.
Of course, Lukaku's heroics will count for little if Belgium bow out in the last 16, which is now a distinct possibility.
After all, the Red Devils have hardly been rewarded for topping their group with a maximum nine-point haul, as they will face defending champions Portugal in the last 16 on Sunday.
The game is already being billed as a shootout between Lukaku and Cristiano Ronaldo, the tournament's top scorer after hitting five goals in the group stage.
Lukaku, though, will no doubt "ignore the individual sh*t" and focus solely on doing whatever it takes to help Belgium's 'Golden Generation' move one step closer to belatedly realising their destiny.
June 25, 2021 at 02:00PM
https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/lukaku-vs-ronaldo-belgium-golden-generation-cant-fall-short/1jisyiirmltvd1p6gisboy9oeo
Lukaku vs Ronaldo? 'Forget the individual sh*t' - Belgium's Golden Generation can't fall short again - Goal.com
https://news.google.com/search?q=forget&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
No comments:
Post a Comment