Belgian international Timothy Castagne said on Wednesday he was not in “crisis mode” ahead of the crucial World Cup match against Croatia in Group F.
After losing 2-0 to Morocco, the world’s No. 2 team will need to advance to the last 16 with a win at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium on Thursday.
Belgium have reached at least the quarter-finals in each of their last four major tournaments, but struggled in Qatar after beating Canada 1-0 in their opening match.
But Leicester defender Castagne said the spirit of the camp was high.
“Our confidence isn’t as low as people think. We know that we have our destiny in our own hands. It’s true we didn’t play so well in the first two matches but we’re not in crisis mode like some people are saying in the press,” He said.
In case of a draw, Belgium will have to look to win as Morocco lose heavily to Canada and Belgium need to move forward.
Kevin De Bruyne said Belgium were “too old” to win the tournament ahead of their match against Morocco.
Seven of Belgium’s starters against Morocco are in their 30s, and 10 of the 14 players who lost to eventual winners France in the 2018 semi-final are still in the squad.
The players had a candid discussion for over an hour after their loss to the North African team.
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois had already complained about a “hoax” about the Belgian player on Wednesday, while coach Roberto Martinez criticized “fake news”.
Martinez said, “Some people are quite happy to jump on fake news, which is quite astonishing,” said the Spaniard. “This generation is the golden generation of Belgian football, there is no doubt.”
“They got a bronze medal at the 2018 World Cup and kept the national team at the top of the world rankings for four years…. Leaving a legacy goes a lot further than winning a tournament.”
Meanwhile, Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic said his team “will not be fooled” by reports of infighting in the Belgian camp ahead of the teams’ World Cup clash.
Dalic told a pre-match press conference, “We must not relax, me also. He (Martinez) is a great coach and will know how to hurt Croatia. We will not be fooled by media stories and rumours. We are expecting the best from Belgium, a great team with excellent players.”
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