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Expectations will be sky-high when Belgium take the pitch in the FIFA World Cup 2018. A campaign cut short by a solitary Gonzalo Higuain goal in the quarters four years ago, meant Belgium would have to wait for 2018 to have another shot at World Cup glory. Anything less than the championship would ensure Belgian legend Marc Wilmots would face the axe.
As it turned out, the then Everton manager Roberto Martinez took over as manager. He appointed Thierry Henry as his deputy. Their first test was the European Championships of 2016. A promising Belgium team was eliminated by a rampant Welsh side 1-3 in the quarters. Moving on to the World Cup qualifiers, the Belgian Red Devils, dominated their group to secure automatic World Cup qualification.
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The KBVB has instilled full confidence in the 44-year-old Spanish manager who will try to take Belgium all the way in Russia.
Fixtures: Belgium at their best should be too hot to handle
The Red Devils go into the World Cup ranked third in the world. This time their task will be cut out. Belgium have been paired alongside Panama, Tunisia and England in Group G. Being seeded in Pot A in during the draws, they are being fancied as the group toppers.
While none of the fixtures will be a walk in the park, the most anticipated group stage clash of Group G will be played on the 28th of June 2018 at the Kaliningrad Stadium versus England. The Belgians will face their easiest challenge in their opening Group game against Panama, who are relatively low-ranked at 55.
Purely based on ranking, Belgium should face a rather similar challenge when they face the Three Lions and the highest ranked African team - Tunisia, who are ranked 13th and 14th respectively, though FIFA rankings never portray a clear picture. The Tunisians could spring up a major surprise and the English could pose a steep challenge in the way of Belgium's quest to win the group.
Road beyond the Group Stages
The winner of Group G will play the runners-up Group H which will probably be one of Poland, Senegal, Colombia and Japan in the Round of 16. The road to the semis should potentially have Poland or a repeat clash with England as their quarter-final opponent.
Pre-tournament, not many expect Senegal or Japan to make it beyond group stage participation. Belgium could therefore possibly face James Rodriguez's Colombia or Robert Lewandowski's Poland, none of whom shall be pushovers for the Red Devils.
Should Belgium play to their best abilities, they are capable of beating all their possible opponents in Group G and H, which should ensure a passage to the semis. Should they qualify, they may have to negotiate Germany or Brazil. It remains to be seen if Eden Hazard can live up to the hype and lead the star-studded squad to their first trophy.
The Squad: Nainggolan omission should not gather all the limelight
The talk of the town has been the omission of Roma star Radja Nainggolan. The maverick midfielder has been omitted purely due to “tactical reasons”. Nainggolan has been instrumental this season in the Serie A where they finished second. In the Champions League, he led the team to the semis losing out to Liverpool.
Manager Roberto Martinez would, however, want his player to focus on the task at hand. The Red Devils though are a squad full of match-winners. Martinez has selected 15 players from the Premier League in his announcement of the 28-man provisional squad for Russia.
Tottenham trio Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Mousa Dembele all find themselves in the mix. Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany will be joined by his club teammate Kevin de Bruyne, but it will be Eden Hazard who will be leading the team out in Russia. Hazard will have Chelsea teammates, Michy Batshuayi and Thibaut Courtois for company in the national team.
Strong Defence and Midfield makes Belgium strong title contenders
A lot depends on 24-year-old big money transfer Romelu Lukaku. The United striker has significantly improved since the appointment of Thierry Henry as the assitant coach. Lukaku was the top scorer in the Belgian Pro League as young as when he was 16.
Should Belgium go deep into the business end of the tournament, Lukaku’s form will be crucial.
A midfielder whose scoring abilities will be relied upon will be ex-Anderlecht player, Youri Tielemans. The midfielder had a stellar season with Anderlecht helping them win the Jupiler Pro League in 2016-17 and guiding them through to the group stages of the Champions League. His move to Monaco may not have been a memorable one so far, but he would like to replicate his form at Anderlecht should he get a chance to feature in Martinez's scheme of things.
The Defence looks rock solid for the Red Devils with experienced campaigners, Kompany, Vertonghen and Alderweireld taking charge. Thibaut Courtois will in all likelihood be the first choice keeper for Martinez.
Courtois did not have a great season with Chelsea but played a crucial role in the 2016-17 season which saw Chelsea win the Premier League title.
What Next?
Roberto Martinez has a few crucial friendlies lined up in a bid to not just arrange game time for his team, but he will also look forward to test the balance of the squad. Most importantly, the Red Devils should avoid injuries to their best players at this stage.
Belgium will play Ronaldo’s Portugal on June 2, Mo Salah’s Egypt on 6 June and Costa Rica on June 11, exactly a week before their opening World Cup Group game against Panama on June 18. The Belgian team should manage to win their Group with two wins over Panama and Tunisia and at least a draw against England. The road to Moscow will only get tricky when they reach the Round of 16 phasem against possible opponents Colombia.
The current crop of the Red Devils is being hyped as the “Golden Generation” of Belgium’s football. What remains to be seen is whether the World Cup victory celebrations take place in Brussels after the 15 July final.
