This year has been tough for the Luxembourgish national team, but the chances to bounce back will still present themselves in the months ahead, perhaps with some new faces in the setup…

After a high-flying team turned heads early on in the European Championship qualifiers in the second half of 2023, the national selection started this calendar year in a state of euphoria. Having achieved their best qualifying record since 1968, there was every reason to believe the Grand Duchy’s squad could go even further and book a place in the tournament proper for the very first time.

What happened in the ensuing 9–12 months can safely be labelled as an under-performance, and a disappointing decline that surprised many. An early exit at the hands of Georgia in the Euro 2024 play-off round was followed by Luxembourg’s only win in 2024, at an international friendly against Kazakhstan. Further losses to Belgium and France were always on the cards, but the winless streak continued throughout the autumn as well, where a winnable Nations League group unravelled miserably.

The team’s attacking deficiencies were painfully visible across the six games, in the absence of Yvandro and Vincent Thill. Other suspensions and injuries affected the team at different points during this troubling campaign, but the ones who were available also failed to perform at the required standards. Experienced stalwart Maxime Chanot is staying away from the national team for the foreseeable future after arguments with Luc Holtz. Long-term second-choice goalkeeper Ralph Schon has retired for good. Gerson Rodrigues is on the verge of being omitted from future selections, due off-field allegations and struggles to hold down a club.

It is easy to pinpoint the biggest issues at manager Holtz’s disposal, but despite his current contract keeping him in his seat until December 2025 at the very least, rumours have suggested that much of the faith towards him from board level has diminished. The same can certainly be seen among supporters too, many of whom have voiced their displeasure over Holtz’s man-management methods and tactical decisions of late.

Luckily for the head coach, there is little at stake next year. The next World Cup qualifiers only start in September, giving Holtz and his staff nine months to go back to the drawing board, figure out a new way to rebuild this team (one of the strongest squads in the nation’s history) and maybe even reconcile with some of the players who have fallen out with him in recent years.

Even in a largely dismal year, there have been some glimmers of hope. Individual performances from some of the previously unfancied players have seen them become indispensable for the future. Seid Korać started this season in the Swedish second tier and finished December as his country’s most consistent defender with European experience under his belt. Tiago Pereira is being likened to none other than Marc-André ter Stegen by his academy coaches, and looks reliable enough to take over from Anthony Moris anytime in the event of an injury. Benfica talent Tomás Moreira has become one of the mainstays in midfield over the autumn.

In other areas, the player pool is woefully small. Young talents Aiman Dardari and James Alves find themselves without a club despite having been called up to the senior national team not long ago. Yvandro’s injuries are slowly stifling all his potential. Danel Sinani and Gerson Rodrigues are lacking regular playing time and therefore cannot suitably prepare for the international windows.

As for Holtz’s own future, replacing him is an arduous task given his 14 years in charge, more than any other European national team head coach. His experience and knowledge are unparalleled within the country, and the most likely replacement would be a young, upcoming candidate from a neighbouring country. It would obviously be a risky appointment, which might be the biggest reason Holtz is still at the helm. There are no clear objectives or expectations for the World Cup qualifiers either, meaning it would take worrying levels of dysfunction to set in for Holtz to lose his job before his contract’s expiry date.

The circumstances look set for the long-serving manager to embark upon the latest rebuilding project – a project bigger than ever since he got the job back in 2010. There are a number of players to build around, but for other positions, the perfect cogs are difficult to find. Whether he gets those calls right and manages to deal with the miscellaneous unknowns thrown in his way can ultimately decide not only his fate but that of the entire nation.