Por: Inside The World Cup
With Christian Benteke missing through injury, manager Marc Wilmots faces a tough decision over who to replace him with up front, and Romelu Lukaku faces competition from Kevin Mirallas
This article is part of the Guardian’s World Cup 2014 Experts’ Network, a co-operation between 32 of the best media organisations from the countries who have qualified for the finals in Brazil. theguardian.com is running previews from four countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 12 June.
Christian Benteke’s injury is a huge blow for the manager, Marc Wilmots. The Aston Villa striker was his first choice, because he’s better in the link-up play with Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne. Romelu Lukaku can’t play a similar role in Wilmot’s eyes. He isn’t convinced the Chelsea striker can hold up the ball, in the same way Benteke can, to allow midfielders to break through. In a revealing interview in Het Laatste Nieuws on 30 April, the manager said that Lukaku isn’t even the automatic choice to step up to fill the void left by Benteke’s absence. “It will depend on the opponent”, said Wilmots. Lukaku did have an excellent qualification game against Croatia, in which he scored twice, but Belgium played on the counterattack in Zagreb. Lukaku, who himself doesn’t like to play as a target man, is at his best when he can run at his opponent, making the most of his speed and power. He’s the most clinical striker in the box, though. Kevin Mirallas, who played as a false nine in Wales, is also an option as a striker. Hazard and even Adnan Januzaj could be used in that same role. The 19-year-old Divock Origi, the Lille attacker being tracked by Liverpool, was the big surprise in the squad. He’s young, raw and his profile’s the closest to Benteke, but he’ll be in Brazil to gain experience.
Wilmots has five indispensable players in the squad. Thibaut Courtois, a world class goalkeeper, centre-back Vincent Kompany, his trusted lieutenant on the pitch, Axel Witsel, and wingers Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne. When they’re fit, they will always play. Wilmots has also assured Thomas Vermaelen of his place, alongside Kompany in the centre of defence. He has had a difficult season at Arsenal, stuck on the bench for the most part despite being the club captain, but he has never disappointed for the national team. The fitness coach has been working on a specific routine to get him match fit and sharp for the World Cup.
With Daniel Van Buyten, back-up at Bayern Munich, and Nicolas Lombaerts, a rock at Zenit, Wilmots has two more than decent back-ups for his central partnership. He won’t consider Tottenham’s Jan Vertonghen or Toby Alderweireld of Atlético Madrid for the central slots, as they are needed at full-back, despite their preference to the play in the middle. This is one of the weak points in this squad. Against the world’s best teams the full-backs could struggle as they lack pace and agility.
For the two empty midfield spots, Wilmots has plenty of choice. Mousa Dembélé and Marouane Fellaini are the main candidates as box-to-box midfielder, with the United powerhouse as his first choice. Also, Steven Defour, a pitbull with a good eye for a pass, is highly rated. As a No10 the national manager is a huge fan of Nacer Chadli, who had a difficult first season at Spurs, but he’s a disciplined player and tactically smart. De Bruyne will be a starter on the right wing, where he excelled during qualification – he was the most influential player, with four goals and four assists. Hazard will be the main man on the left. Mirallas and Dries Mertens, who had an excellent first season at Napoli, are their back-ups. Wilmots also rates Januzaj very highly, and the United star will give him plenty of options in the forward positions.
Belgium have not won a game since October. Lack of concentration has cost them late in the friendly games. The expectations are high, the hype around the Belgian team is big. But while plenty of the players had a good season in 2012-13, they were less convincing this year. It may be a strong squad, but only Daniel Van Buyten, not even a regular starter, has played at World Cup before. This young squad lacks experience competing on the big stage.
Who is the player who is going to surprise everyone at the World Cup?
Axel Witsel doesn’t play in an attractive league, at Zenit, but he’s one of the lesser known players in this team, as most play in the Premier League or Spain. He’s a key man for the national manager. Positionally he can still grow as a No6, but he has so many qualities: good vision, excellent passing, skills and flair. Everything looks so easy for him. He rarely makes a mistake. He is more than a defensive midfielder, as he can also make his mark offensively with good runs and his ability to play box-to-box. At the age of 25 he’s ready to show the world why Zenit paid €40m for him.
Who is the player who is going to disappoint the most?
No one, but if things go wrong everyone will look at Eden Hazard. He shone this season at Chelsea and should he replicate his club form in the national squad, he’ll be a key player. Until now he has rarely performed at that level for Belgium. During the qualifications Kevin De Bruyne was the main man and Hazard knows he has to up his game and be more decisive for the national team. He has scored only five times in 42 international games. Three of them were penalties.
What is the realistic aim for your team and why?
Quarter-finals. In an easy group Belgium will be the big favourites, but they are likely to run into Portugal or Germany in the second round. That will be the real test for this squad, as they haven’t faced teams of that level for a while. There they will have to show if they can live up to the hype.