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The Belgium football team has witnessed a renaissance in the recent years. With a whole host of talents emerging to the fore, they’ve become the dark horses in the international competitions.
Although the performance at the World Cup 2014 and Euro 2016 was fair to middling, Les Diables Rouges remain an elite team packed to the rafters with stellar names.
And at the upcoming Russian showpiece too, Roberto Martinez’s men pose a tough prospect.
He recently chose the final 23-man squad that will be participating in the World Cup a few days from now. Bustling with Premier League stars, the squad features most of the usual suspects.
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However, given the vast talent pool of the team, there are an impressive number of players who have been ostracized from the trip too. Let’s squeeze them into an XI here:
Goalkeeper: Matz Sels (Anderlecht)
As much as Belgium boasts an envious amount of attacking talents in the team, the goalkeeping is one department where the options run thin.
Thibaut Courtois and Simon Mignolet are the only two well-known Belgian shot-stoppers, and it isn’t surprising to see them flying to Russia.
However, the third choice was a dicey one for Martinez. Koen Casteels and Matz Sels are both uncapped, but the manager went with the former in the final squad.
Sels left Newcastle United last summer and signed for Anderlecht on a season-long loan. The 26-year old was instantly installed as the first choice and played in every league game of the season.
But, in 32 appearances, could muster only 9 clean sheets and conceded 34 goals as his side finished third in Belgian top-flight.
He was included in the preliminary squad though, but lost his place to Casteels, who too had a dreaded season with Wolfsburg in which as many as 49 goals were put past him!
Defence: Laurent Ciman, Jason Denayer, Jordan Lukaku
Whilst Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld are likely the preferred center-back duo at the majors, Martinez is taking a risk with the injured Vincent Kompany, who recently hobbled off after sustaining in a knock during a friendly.
His decision came into question, especially having overlooked Laurent Ciman in that case.
The 32-year old has 19 caps under his belt, but none since 2016. Ciman joined LA Galaxy at the turn of 2018 and despite turning in some fine displays, was continued to be overlooked by the former Everton boss.
As a matter of fact, his 115 interceptions last season were the highest among the defenders in the MLS, while he also made 134 clearances - 8th best in the league. He is also credited for scoring the first ever goal at the LA’s new home ground, Banc of California Stadium.
Pretty impressive stats to back his cause, if only Martinez had heeded to it.
Jason Denayer was a part of the Euro 2016 team, but his only appearance in the competition came in the 3-1 defeat to Wales in the quarter-finals. Things didn’t break on the international stage for him too after that.
The 22-year old has been shifting between loan spells in the last three years, from Galatasaray to Sunderland before moving back to the Turkish capital.
This frequent change of scene hasn’t helped him establish and play to his full potential. But he still has time on his side and can resurrect his international career in near future.
Whilst Romelu Lukaku will be looking to lead the attacking vanguard for Belgium, his younger and lesser-known brother Jordan, would be watching him from home.
The 23-year old had an indifferent season with Serie A side Lazio, while the recurring injuries did not help his cause either.
He has missed 19 games since the start of last season, as a regular bout of hamstring and muscle injuries kept him on the treatment table for 204 days!
This certainly stymied his performances on the field, as Lukaku looked increasingly unsettled and failed to bring anything of worth to the table.
He made just 13 tackles at a success rate of hardly 33% and won only 37% of his duels.
Midfielders: Radja Nainggolan, Steven Defour, Anthony Limbombe, Guillaume Gillet
Belgium’s midfield is packed with several big names, but the most noteable one missing is Radja Nainggolan. The AS Roma star was ostracized as Matinez sighted tactical reasons, prompting the player to retire from the side in the immediate aftermath.
The 30-year old had a stellar campaign with the Giallorossis, scoring 6 times and laying 11 assists in 42 appearances in all competitions. His 34 chances created in the league is bettered only by Aleksandar Kolarov in the team, whilst he also won 74% of his take-ons.
Nainggolan is a complete midfielder who brings a range of qualities to the team. Unfortunately for him, he doesn't fit in the national set-up under Martinez.
Following him in the sunset was Steven Defour, who too hung up his boots after being excluded. The Burnley midfielder was one of the most capped players in the squad with 50, whilst also scoring twice in the process. However, since Martinez took over, he has donned the Belgian colours only once.
Defour’s time at Burnley has been fair to middling, but he did show improvements in the 2017/18 campaign, before sustaining a season-ending injury.
In just 24 appearances, he managed to create 17 chances and also maintained an 84% average passing accuracy. Just when he was about to hit the throttle, he suffered a cartilage fracture, ruling him out for the rest of the season.
Anthony Limbombe only made his debut in March, playing the first 45 minutes of the friendly against Saudi Arabia.
The former Everton boss might have seen potential in him, which is why he thought of trying him in the rehearsals. But it was too little time for him to impress, and also too late to be given an opportunity.
Gillet on the other hand, is a forgotten man in the Belgium set-up. Having made his debut in 2007, the 34-year old's career never really took off, shuttling in and out of the team.
His career appeared to be over when he didn't make a single appearance from June 2013 to March 2016, despite being on the bench on a few occasions.
He was directly called up for an international friendly against Portugal, three months before the Euro 2016, but was subbed off at the hour mark. Gillet has once again been overlooked since, maybe its time for him to retire too.
Forwards: Christian Benteke, Divock Origi and Kevin Mirallas
Benteke endured a drastic dip in form this season as Crystal Palace fought relegation for large spells of the first-half of the campaign. But even when things started looking on the up for the Eagles, the striker continued to underperform.
In 30 games, Benteke struck just thrice and assisted 5 times. It’s his lowest return in front of goal since leaving Gent in 2013 and was virtually non-existent in the final third.
His former Liverpool teammate Divock Origi too, was mired in the relegation mix with German side Wolfsburg. In 31 appearances, he managed 6 goals, including one in the playoffs to help his side retain Bundesliga status.
However, he hasn’t played for Belgium since 2016, which suggests he was never in Martinez’s plans. So it isn’t surprising to see him miss out on a place.
Kevin Mirallas has disappeared into obscurity ever since he swapped Everton for Greek side Olympiacos in January. In 13 appearances since, he struck twice and assisted twice each, but his time in the Belgium team was always plummeting.
In the recent games, most of his appearances came from the bench and his last cap, the 50th of his international career, came as early as in March when he played Saudi Arabia after coming on as a substitute.
At 30, he’s fast entering the twilight of his career, but given the fact he wasn’t overlooked by Martinez completely in his tenure, does indicate something positive and may be back in the squad soon after the World Cup.
