World Cup 2018: Best combined XI from the Quarter-finals

Manager: Roberto Martinez (Belgium)

Martinez tactically outmatched Brazil in his biggest test yet

Roberto Martinez had been on the receiving end of a lot of criticism ever since he was appointed at the helm as Belgium head coach. Many people believed that he was not the most proficient candidate to lead a golden generation of players who were bigger stars than he could ever dream of becoming in the first place. However, he produced an absolute tactical master-class against Brazil during Belgium's quarter-final clash by dropping the ineffective Dries Mertens and replacing him with Marouane Fellaini in midfield to help assert dominance in that area of the pitch.

The tactical tweak worked wonders for the Red Devils and Kevin De Bruyne has finally liberated which in turn helped him unleash his true potential that helped the Red Devils reach the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1986.

Formation: 4-3-3 (False 9)

Combined XI

Honourable mentions: Jordan Pickford (England), N'Golo Kante (France), Nacer Chadli (Belgium), Romelu Lukaku (Belgium)