World Cup 2018: One Underrated Player from Each Semi-Finalist

Belgium - Axel Witsel

Axel Witsel

I was almost tempted to put Kevin De Bruyne in this slot considering that he still hasn’t received the recognition that his excellence deserves. However, it’s difficult to label one of the Premier League’s best players as underrated. Instead, one player whose quality has gone unnoticed is Axel Witsel. The Tianjin Quanjian midfielder (now that’s something you don’t expect to hear in the World Cup semi-finals) has been brilliant as a pivot for the Belgian side.

While Witsel did not have much to do in the group-stages against the likes of Tunisia and Panama, he has been brilliant in the knockout stages. Against Japan, Witsel was great in the first half as he contained Japanese counter-attacks. Thus in the second period, Japan chose to counter through the wings which was far more effective.

Yet, Witsel’s best game of the tournament was against Brazil where he helped the Red Devils resist the Selecao’s irresistible attack. While the likes of Phillipe Coutinho and Paulinho were still influential, Witsel (along with Marouane Fellaini) managed to lessen their impact. He will need to repeat those performances against Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante if France are to reach the semi-finals.