Belgium’s Tottenham Hotspur Trio Will Have A Big Part To Play Against England

Belgium’s Tottenham Hotspur Trio Will Have A Big Part To Play Against England
09:29, 27 Jun 2018

When the draw for the group stages of the 2018 World Cup was made back in December, it must have been well-received at Hotspur Way.

Fate has pitted England’s five Spurs players against Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Mousa Dembele, as well as the nine other Premier League stars who make up the Red Devils’ squad.

Thursday’s game between the tournament’s two highest-scoring teams represents one of those strange occasions when the loser might be better off. It’s likely that Colombia will await the winners of Group G in the last-16, with either Brazil or Germany beyond that in the quarters.

After the 6-1 mauling of Panama, Gareth Southgate reiterated that his side would nonetheless be doing their best to top the group, which means overcoming one of the tournament’s dark horses, or at the very least drawing and relying on the fair play table.

The Three Lions will be wary of Belgium’s front line– Romelu Lukaku, Kevin de Bruyne, and Eden Hazard being the obvious threats in attack – yet it is their spine that England ought to focus on, with plenty of knowhow in the dressing room as to how to unlock it.

Alderweireld has already discussed how his side plan to stop Kane. Like defenders everywhere, the centre-back has come to the conclusion that you simply can’t.

“I know his strength, of course,” he said, per the London Evening Standard.

“But his strength is that he’s good at everything. He’s quick, he’s strong, left foot, right foot, headers.

“He just breathes football. He wants to improve, improve, improve. He’s not only a goal-scorer. He works so hard for the team. He’s available to help the plays. He’s the all-round striker.”

Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty miss in Portugal’s 1-1 draw with Iran means Kane is still in pole position to become just the second Englishman to win a World Cup Golden Boot, Gary Lineker being the first in 1986.

Romelu Lukaku is also in the chasing pack with four goals, but Kane will fancy his chances of adding to his tally against some familiar faces.

How do England overcome them?

It can’t be ruled out that if Dembele features, it will be off the bench. The midfielder was an unused substitute against Tunisia, but Roberto Martinez is planning to change things up with one eye on the last-16.  

Problems with Dembele’s hip have made the 30-year-old more fragile than he used to be and he is no longer as impossible to get the ball off as he once was. His dribbling through the middle will still pose a threat, but against the toughest opposition in the group, Southgate may throw Eric Dier into the mix alongside Jordan Henderson to combat Belgium’s central midfield.

While Martinez has promised to rest players, there can be little respite for Vertonghen or Alderweireld. Standby Laurent Ciman was sent home because he wasn’t required.

Meanwhile, Vincent Kompany and Thomas Vermaelen facing a race against time to prove their fitness. Even if they were at full strength for the England game, the pair would almost certainly not be risked.

That leaves the two Spurs defenders on either side of Dedryck Boyata as part of a back three. For all their composure, the one attribute England can look to beat them on is pace, which will require Raheem Sterling to be at his energetic best, even if he has not been particularly clinical so far. Alderweireld could be found wanting when it comes to speed, especially since his injury problems over the course of the 2017/18 season.

England must also play to their own strengths, six of their eight goals having come from set pieces. John Stones’ aerial threat will no longer be a surprise, though, and Martinez will surely have been drilling his players in corners and free-kicks all week.  

Belgium like to knock the ball about, but they can also rely on Alderweireld’s long balls which can change defence to attack in an instant. Just like Spurs, Southgate’s England like to overload and hunt in packs, so they must not allow the Manchester United target too much time on the ball and will look to recover it as soon as possible when Belgium are in possession.  

The major concern for England will be that they might run out of ideas if Belgium manage their set pieces well. Vertonghen and Alderweireld have been among the most effective centre-back partnerships in Europe since coming together in north London in 2015 – finding a way past them will be England’s toughest ask yet.

x
Suggested Searches:
The Sportsman
Manchester United
Liverpool
Manchester City
Premier League
Sportsman HQ
72-76 Cross St
Manchester M2 4JG
We will not ask you to provide any personal information when using The Sportsman website. You may see advertisement banners on the site, and if you choose to visit those websites, you will accept the terms and conditions and privacy policy applicable to those websites. The link below directs you to our Group Privacy Policy, and our Data Protection Officer can be contacted by email at: [email protected]

All original material is Copyright © 2019 by The Sportsman Communications Ltd.
Other material is copyright their respective owners.