3 Flaws Belgium Need To Iron Out In Order To Win The World Cup

2. Guard against the Counter Attack

Belgium play the majority of their games on the front foot. With players like Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard, they control the game and keep piling pressure on the opposition. While they’ve attacked with a lot of flair, they have shown signs of being susceptible to the counter-attack.

Roberto Martinez prefers deploying a 3-4-3 system with Carrasco and Meunier functioning as wing backs. In this system, De Bruyne and Witsel operate as the Central Midfielders. Belgium have shown a tendency to commit too many men forward and this resulted in Tunisia getting a lot of joy on the counter. Though De Bruyne is a sensational midfielder going forward, he is not a defensive-minded midfielder. A case can be made for Moussa Dembele to start, but that would lead to Belgium changing a system that has worked wonders for them. Belgium can’t play with a back three and three central midfielders. There is also no point in wasting De Bruyne’s talent on the wings.

Hence, the only possible solution is to mix a little caution with aggression and ask Witsel not to commit too far forward. Witsel would then provide the ‘screen’ in front of the back three. With Witsel, the three Central Defenders and a wing back in defence, Belgium would have countered the threat of the ‘counter’.

In the later stages of the competition, Belgium would not want to get exposed on the counter and lose out despite controlling the game.