Football fans are unhappy with Belgium manager Roberto Martinez's starting lineup for their FIFA World Cup clash against Croatia today (December 1).
Thibaut Courtois starts in goal for the Red Devils. Meanwhile, Toby Aldeweireld, Jan Vertonghen, Leander Dendoncker, and Thomas Meunier start in defense.
Axel Witsel, Timothy Castagne, and Kevin de Bruyne start in midfield for the Belgians. Yannick Carrasco, Leandro Trossard, and Dries Mertens start in attack.
Martinez has certainly experimented with the side with some superstar names being left on the bench by the Belgian manager.
Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, Michy Batshuyai, and more have been left for the crucial clash against Luka Modric-led Croatia.
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Belgium won their first game of the tournament against Canada by a scoreline of 1-0, with Batshuayi scoring the goal. However, they suffered a shock 2-0 defeat at the hands of Morocco in their previous game.
Fans noted that the likes of Alderweireld, Mertens, Witsel, Meunier, and Vertonghen shouldn't start for the Belgian side. Others ripped Martinez apart for experimenting with his side for a crucial clash against Croatia.
Here are some of the best reactions across Twitter after the Belgian side for their 2022 FIFA World Cup clash against Croatia was announced:
Belgium coach Roberto Martinez ripped apart the media for trying to divide his side during the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Reports emerged after Belgium's loss against Morocco that several of the team's players were involved in a dressing room spat. The likes of Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois have since come out to deny those rumors.
Roberto Martinez has now also accused the media for trying to divide his team. He said in a press conference ahead of the Croatia clash (via The Guardian):
“We were not happy with the two performances, Then you see the storm on the outside and realise that maybe we were listening too much to the outside noise before the tournament. Now we have some outlets in Belgium that are quite happy to jump on fake news. That’s quite astonishing."
Martinez continued:
“It showed there is maybe more desire to find negative news around this team than to really get this nation together and support this team and enjoy the talent of the best generation we have ever had in Belgium football."
The Red Devils will need to win over Croatia today to qualify for the Round of 16.
