It’s a difficult week for Mousa Dembele.
The Tottenham player was widely picked out as one of Belgium’s worst performers as the country lost to France in their World Cup semi-final.
With Thomas Meunier picking up a yellow card suspension, Roberto Martinez replaced him with Dembele, and it was always going to be a difficult role for the Spurs star.
Belgian newspaper Het Belang van Limburg have been very thankful towards the national team for the World Cup adventure, but today they have an article explaining how Dembele and Belgium just hasn’t clicked.
Calling it the ‘sad end of a difficult marriage’, the suggestion is he could call an end to his international career.
Dembele had been expected to star at Euro 2016 but only played a cameo role, it’s stated that rather than the ‘Grand Cru’ expected, the Tottenham player instead got a ‘Château Migraine’, and that’s presented as the theme of his international career.
Eddy Snelders, a former footballer and current pundit, is quoted as saying: “It’s not because Dembele is not a good football player, hey. Only some players get so many superlatives, while things are overlooked. Dembele is wonderful as a footballer, but he does not master the essence of football at his position.
“Martinez had speculated that the right back Pavard would not come forward, because Hazard was against him. When that happened, Dembele got into trouble. That was not foreseen, and he is not a flank player. But actually he just had a bad day. I have never seen him play that weak. And because what he can do best – holding a ball – didn’t work, his flaws fell all the harder. Such a day can happen to anyone. That is why it is not fair that he is now overloaded with all sins.”
With his Tottenham future also under question, amid non stop rumours about a transfer, Dembele is at a career crossroads.
