There won’t be a better finale to the 2018 World Cup than Belgium’s late win over Japan to secure a quarter-final spot. With a little over 20 minutes to go, the Red Devils were staring elimination in the face. Jan Vertonghen’s looping 70th minute header kickstarted the comeback as Belgium fought from 2-0 down to win 3-2.
The end was a joy to watch and a lesson in how to properly instigate a counter-attack. Thibaut Courtois easily claimed a Keisuke Honda corner before releasing Kevin De Bruyne to charge forward with the ball. Romelu Lukaku’s intelligent movement in the final third dragged Yuto Yagatomo out of position, which granted Thomas Meunier the chance to maintain his surging run into space. De Bruyne picked out his compatriot with a perfectly weighted pass as Meunier continued forward.
Lukaku cleverly dummied Meunier’s first time low cross, with substitute Nacer Chadli the happy recipient. The West Brom man calmly finished past Eiji Kawashima as Belgium rallied impressively to rescue their quarter-final berth from the jaws of defeat in a fluid 12 seconds from the ball leaving Courtois’ hands to hitting the back of the net.
However, it was a win only earned after Roberto Martinez had made two key changes that positively affected the outcome of the match. Midway through the second half, the Spaniard threw Marouane Fellaini and Chadli into the mix in place of Dries Mertens and Yannick Carrasco. The latter duo had disappointed prior to their second half withdrawal, with Carrasco in particular underwhelming as Belgium struggled to break Japan down.
Indeed, it could prove to be that both Mertens and Carrasco lose their starting spot for the meeting with Brazil and it wouldn’t be undeserving. The duo have faltered in Belgium’s bid to land international glory. Mertens, his stunning strike against Panama aside, has struggled in the final third, with Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard the stand out performers. The Napoli man looks to be doing little more than clogging up space in attack and it’s proving a hindrance rather than a help for Belgium.
Carrasco, too, appears lost in the system and has the look of a player whose been plying his trade in China for the last three or so months. When on top of his game with Monaco and Atletico Madrid, the winger was nigh on impossible to stop, yet he was well short of his best against Japan. The game swung back in Belgium’s favour once Chadli came in on the left, with the West Brom man completing more dribbles (4) than Carrasco (2), and making more key passes (1) than his compatriot (0), as per WhoScored.com.
Chadli’s inclusion in the 23-man Belgium squad may have come under scrutiny, but he made the desired impact from the bench against Japan. Like him, Fellaini may not be the most glamorous of footballers in the game, but he netted the key equaliser in the victory as he nodded Eden Hazard’s cross past Kawashima. He’s doesn’t boast the technical qualities of Hazard or De Bruyne, yet Fellaini is a hugely effective weapon at Martinez’s disposal.
Brazil will look to maximise their vast array of attacking talent and bolstering the midfield could prove crucial for Martinez and Belgium. Chadli may not be the most defensively disciplined winger, yet he at least offers more out of possession than Carrasco. His impact against Japan has all but seen him play his way into a starting spot, while it’s similar for Fellaini.
He could well be the man tasked with disrupting Brazil’s rhythm and make a general nuisance of himself as he aims to gain control of the midfield to Belgium’s benefit. At the other end of the pitch, two of the goals Belgium have scored have come from set-piece situations, but against a Brazil side that has landed three successive 2-0 wins at the World Cup, Fellaini will be aiming to utilise his strength in the air to end the Selecao’s clean sheet run.
Fellaini’s inclusion would also see De Bruyne pushed closer to the strikers and a player who has, at the time of writing, created more clear-cut goalscoring opportunities (4) than any other player at the World Cup, as per WhoScored.com, operating in the final third rather than in a deeper midfield role will serve as a boost for Belgium. With Fellaini alongside Axel Witsel, this would lessen the defensive responsibilities on the expected starting quintet of Chadli, Meunier, De Bruyne, Hazard and Lukaku and allow them to flex their creative muscles safe in the knowledge that Fellaini and Witsel are essentially holding down the fort.
The absence of Casemiro profits Belgium further as they seek a semi-final spot where one of France or Uruguay would meet them next week. After their performances off the bench in midweek, though, Chadli and Fellaini certainly deserve a spot in the starting XI, which would see Carrasco and Mertens drop out of the side. It wouldn’t be the worst move in the world for Martinez as he aims to keep Brazil’s fluid attack at bay and allow his own offensive players to fire Belgium past the pre-tournament favourites.
