Belgium found themselves in must-not-lose territory with alarming speed and accuracy. Defeat against Slovakia giving rise to the fear a woeful World Cup might bleed into Euro 2024, and eyes turning to Kevin De Bruyne to solve the problem.
Super Kev will ride to the rescue they hope, but things are seldom straightforward these days for one of the finest players of this century.
He is in good spirits, according to those close to the Belgian camp. This is certainly not Sulky Kev, who grumbled through the tournament in Qatar, where it all fell apart for Roberto Martinez with the ill-fated last stand of a Golden Generation.
Nor is this a squad divided. They seem together, on board with new boss Domenico Tedesco. Captain Kev is in a good place as their silent leader, they say. He is a leader by deed and stature rather than word. Romelu Lukaku is the vocal leader in the dressing room.
And to paraphrase Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, a Happy Kev makes life a little happier for everybody else.
There are hopes that Kevin De Bruyne will ride to Belgium’s rescue but that may not be a straightforward task
There are reasons though to suspect that this challenge is beyond the Man City’s star’s powers
Nobody questioned his intensity or effort against Slovakia when defeat came down to landing the wrong side of marginal decisions.
There is a serious scar down the back of one leg but no lingering issues from his operation, and he has stayed behind after sessions to practise shooting, long passing and was even seen freely punting balls around like a goalkeeper, something he would not be doing with a dodgy hamstring.
City’s head of recovery, Tom O’Malley, is part of Belgium’s backroom staff in Germany. Officially there for all players in Tedesco’s squad, nobody doubts O’Malley responds primarily to the needs of one man.
He leads him through bespoke warm-up and cool-down routines as the physio who understands King Kev’s body best, having orchestrated the reset and rehabilitation ahead of his sparkling return to the City team in January.
His football is still a joy to behold, his hairdo a point of interest. There are reasons, however, to suspect this challenge is beyond his powers. For one thing, those around him are not the same. Indeed, nothing like as good. This team is not the one that peaked in 2018, eclipsing Brazil in Russia.
While De Bruyne is still as excellent as he was in 2018, his team-mates around him are not quite the same as the ones in that Belgium side that eclipsed Brazil and Russia
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois (pictured) has fallen out with Domenico Tedesco
Eden Hazard, one of Belgium’s most exciting talents, has retired from football
It has been downhill since that World Cup quarter-final. Eden Hazard and Vincent Kompany, genuine world-class players, are gone. So too elite quality in the form of Dries Mertens, Mousa Dembele, Marouane Fellaini and Toby Alderweireld.
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has fallen out with Tedesco and is not in the squad. Jan Vertonghen is there but at 37, and Axel Witsel at 35. Vertonghen is set for a recall against Romania in Cologne today.
While tapping into battled-scarred veterans, Tedesco is forging a new group around fresh talents such as Jeremy Doku, Amadou Onana and Johan Bakayoko, although Absent Kev managed to add only two caps to his collection between the World Cup in Qatar and the warm-up friendlies for these Euros.
He will be in the early stages of plotting the matrix in his mind where he sees the patterns team-mates weave and establishing on-field connections.
Against Slovakia, completely out of character, he made a couple of wrong decisions in possession.
Then there is the unspoken fear. Is he past his prime? At 32 and turning 33 next week, will we ever see Peak Kev running a big game again? He was influential against Newcastle, Luton and Brighton but not in the biggest games.
He was left out of the first leg as City lost against Real Madrid in the Champions League and withdrawn 57 minutes into the FA Cup final against Manchester United. Maybe more patience is required, it was a serious operation. Maybe he will never get there. The rigours of nine Premier League campaigns are in those legs, and in Guardiola’s midfield that adds up to high demand in elite fixtures.
But while tapping into battled-scarred veterans, Tedesco is forging a new group around fresh talents
De Bruyne’s team-mate Jeremy Doku is one of the most exciting young stars coming through the Belgium ranks
De Bruyne was influential for Man City this season, but the rigours of nine Premier League campaigns may be catching up
But there is the unspoken fear. Is he past his prime? At 32 and turning 33 next week, will we ever see Peak Kev running a big game again?
‘At my age, you have to be open to everything,’ he said at the start of this tournament in answer to a question about interest from Saudi Arabia. ‘I still have one year of my contract so I have to think about what can happen.’
He has not been shy to speak out on burnout and football’s relentless schedule. Critical Kev could be forgiven if he chose to protect his body, extending his career and his earning power by moving on from City and/or Belgium in the next 12 months.
Until then, don’t write him off. He remains a footballing genius, and if this is to be his final major tournament, he will be determined to leave his mark.
Even more so if there are those who think that Super Kev is gone for ever.
