Hans Vanaken started in the consolation final of the Nations League against Italy in the starting eleven of Roberto Martinez.
It was not an easy match for Hans Vanaken and the foreign press more than noticed that. The criticism was harsh.
The famous French sports newspaper L’Equipe gave Hans Vanaken 3 out of 10 for his match. “He didn’t bring enough. Vanaken defended and ran a lot without the ball, yes, but we expected him mainly offensively. There he showed too little, unlike his counterpart on the other side Yannick Carrasco.”
The Italian newspaper La Gazetta dello Sport was also critical, although he got 5 out of 10 there. “What a waste. Martinez had the idea to make him and Saelemaekers move a lot and for a while Italy did not understand their movements. But that didn’t last long at Vanaken, so the Belgians became predictable.”
