Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku believes that Thierry Henry is the ideal candidate for the Belgian national team job after a horrible end to their World Cup in Qatar as former manager Roberto Martinez walked away leaving the spot empty for a successor. Lukaku feels that Henry is the ideal candidate to replace Martinez and take up the big role.
Belgium had a very talented squad for the Qatar World Cup but once again they flattered to deceive as they got knocked out of the quadrennial tournament from the group stage. The Red Devils started off with a 1-0 win against Canada but they could not carry that momentum in the next couple of matches. They were dealt with a shocking 2-0 defeat against Morocco. They did not turn up against Croatia aswell as they failed to find the target in a 0-0 draw which sent them out of the World Cup with plenty of disappointment.
Henry has been in Martinez’s back room setup since 2016 and in between he tried his hand at managerial roles at AS Monaco Montreal Impact but returned to Belgium national team ahead of the World Cup. Lukaku believes that Henry is someone who understands the players and has been with the team for sometime now.
“I say it openly: he will be the next coach. He has the respect of all the players, he has won everything. He knows how to coach, he knows what we have to do to get there,” Lukaku stated.
“He knows the team, the league, the staff. For me he is the ideal coach for our national team. [If it isn’t Henry] then I don’t know who they will hire. But I don’t think Belgium should start from scratch,” he added.
Their golden generation has been nothing but a massive disappointment at the World Cup. So whoever will come onboard as the Belgium manager will have a very challenging task ahead especially in terms of rebuilding and giving this team an identity which they have lacked over the last few years.
The Belgium national team has had players who are at the top of their game for their respective clubs. But have not replicated that form for the Red Devils. On paper they were mostly the best teams through tournaments but they never really replicated that success at the international level. Players like Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld, Vincent Kompany, Eden Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois are some of the top names of this generation. But still they have nothing to show for it till now.
Lukaku accepts that the players haven’t taken the right step as they only have managed a third place finish at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. However the Chelsea loanee believes that Belgians should not lose their hopes on this team just yet as they have nothing to show for their efforts. Hence he feels that Henry will be ideal to steer them to accolades as he understands the players, the management and the overall dynamics of football in Belgium.
“So far this generation hasn’t won but we have to keep trying to win. He wants to win, and I don’t think the federation is going to get a coach who wants to change everything and start from scratch. It’s not worth it to me,” Lukaku concluded.
