Why start a guy who can barely jog?

Domenico Tedesco just dropped the team sheet for Belgium versus Iran and my jaw hit the floor. Romelu Lukaku is in the starting XI. This is the same guy who has been spending more time with the medical staff than the actual squad this month. It’s like watching someone try to drive a Ferrari on a flat tire because it looks cool in the driveway.

We all know the math here. Lukaku is a force when he is healthy. He scores goals at a clip that makes other strikers look like Sunday league amateurs. But starting him in a match today, June 21, while he is clearly lacking match fitness, is madness. It is the kind of high-stakes gambling that ends with a Grade 2 hamstring tear and a press conference full of apologies.

The medical gamble that could derail the summer

Tedesco is clearly banking on pure talent over physical readiness. On paper, it looks fearsome. In reality, you are asking a guy who has been training on a restricted schedule to go out and battle against a side that thrives on physical disruption. Iran isn't going to roll over because Lukaku has a famous name on his jersey.

If you look at how Sky Sports has been tracking this build-up, the concern wasn't just about his fitness levels but about the lack of rhythm. You can’t just turn the faucet on for a big international match after weeks of limited movement. This isn't FIFA 26 where you just click a button to heal a player.

The tactical gamble

By throwing him out there, Tedesco is burning a sub early. If Lukaku pulls up in the 20th minute chasing a long ball, the tactical plans go straight into the trash. It forces the rest of the team to cover more ground, and against a team like Iran, spacing is everything. You give up the middle of the pitch for ten minutes while you scramble to warm up a replacement, and suddenly you are chasing a 1-0 deficit.

This roster has plenty of options. They could have rotated, played a false nine, or used a younger striker hungry to prove a point. Instead, they went with the name brand. It feels like the coaching staff is terrified of dropping points and is willing to compromise the player's health to avoid a result that should be routine anyway.

The shadow of previous failures

Maybe I am just cynical because I have watched Belgium tease us for a decade. Every major tournament, there is some weird lineup choice or a lingering injury drama that ruins the vibe. It is always the same story: talent that refuses to gel because the logistics are a disaster.

Lukaku is a legendary striker for his country. Nobody is denying that. But he deserves better management than being shoved into a game he clearly is not prepared for. It smacks of desperation. They are pushing for consistency when the smart move was to let him get right for the knockout stages.

If this goes south—and watching him move in the warmups, I have my doubts—this is going to be the headline story of the week. You can't blame anyone but the manager for forcing the issue. If he lasts 60 minutes without an injury, consider me shocked. If he scores, I will happily delete this thought, but right now, it looks like a management mistake of the highest order.