England v Belgium: England game will show if Belgium's stars retain their Midas touch
Say what you like about the League of Nations. Just don't make big money where your mouth is.
As for punting material, England's Group A2 colliding with Belgium today (5pm) is too heavy on guess. Intimidated by the virus-related mysteries over selection and ambitions.
Nevertheless, this is yet another opportunity for British fans to gossip at the Gossamer Touch of their standard top-rank 'contestants'.
Roberto Martínez promised Thursday’s friendly against Ivory Coast in Brussels would be all about “l’après Génération Dorée”. Yet after seeing his side’s 12-match winning streak ended by a penalty from Franck Kessie, the Belgium manager must be relieved to focus on the present once more against England on Sunday.
Even the most ordinary backline hoofer seems to have the timeless calm and supple, cultured ballet-slipper of the high-wire walker.
Now here come our brave boys, galloping on in their wellies, defying the rising tide of panic.
England’s competitive record against the international elite means Belgium are favourites. They are also ranked No.1 in the world by FIFA.
Check starters. Crystal Palace fans might by surprised to hear Michy Batshuayi is worth a go ‘anytime scorer’ at 43/20 (888sport) on his stats.
And pick Harry Maguire or Michael Keane at 14/1 (Bet365) ‘anytime’. The old Gareth Southgate Plan A looks due a reboot.
Four games through the looking glass of this Premier League season and the title race has gone pretty ugly for punters.
City and Liverpool 1/4 combined? No thanks. Everton at 20/1? They were 500/1 a minute ago. Worse than backing a loser.
And if you’re thinking Villa or Leicester, pull over at the next available services and poke yourself in the eye.
Stick to goals. It’ll take 30+ for the Golden Boot . Very few have that in ‘em. Harry Kane has. If you haven’t dabbled yet, he’s fair at 8/1 .
Punt Tottenham as ‘the highest scoring team’ too – the 66/1 (Boylesports) is daft. Get on!
Fulham and West Brom are already seeking their ‘plus one’ for the Annual Plughole Ball.
It’s probably Sean Dyche or Chris Wilder. Not enough goals and no clear success in buying any. Hard to choose. You don’t have to.
Punt the Brom/Fulham/Burnley ‘relegation treble’ AND the Brom/Fulham/Sheff Utd treble - each pays 8/1 (Bet365) . If either wins it’s like a 7/2 payout on your total stake.
Villarreal’s Gerard Moreno is worth a lucky nugget at 33/1 (Paddy) to nick Lionel Messi’s Golden Boot in La Liga this season
Last week: Winners at 9/2, 15/8 & 9/5
Martínez celebrated his fourth year in charge in August and his record is simply phenomenal. Belgium have won 36 of their 46 matches since his appointment and been defeated three times – including in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup by France – meaning they have occupied top spot in Fifa’s rankings since September 2018.
But with some signs that the famous talent pool could be dwindling as the post-Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and co era draws nearer, the former Wigan and Everton manager must seize the opportunity of two major tournaments – next summer’s delayed Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup – taking place in successive years.
“It’s always possible,” says Kristof Terreur, a Belgian journalist who covers English football for the Antwerp-based Het Laatste Nieuws. “This team now has a lot of experience – since 2012 the core hasn’t changed. We could still be an Italy, like in 2006. They know what is required if they make it to the latter stages. But they haven’t been beaten for a long time, so we will have to see how they react if that does happen. England should be the first real test of where we are.”
This time, Belgium will be without Hazard – their captain – and the goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who returned to Real Madrid because of a hip injury on Friday, while Jan Vertonghen is expected to wear a mask in order to take part after he suffered a facial injury playing for Benfica.The former Tottenham defender could win his 121st cap at Wembley and the 33-year-old he will be reunited with his former club mate Toby Alderweireld in Martínez’s favoured back three. But, like England, a lack of depth in defensive areas remains a concern before the European Championship.
Already Belgium’s record goalscorer with 52 goals in 85 appearances, in 2018 Lukaku predicted he would retire from international football after the Euros in order to make way for the next generation and said in April there was no guarantee he would be at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
His presence in attack remains crucial in the absence of Hazard and Napoli’s Dries Mertens, who is in quarantine in Italy after two clubmates tested positive for Covid-19, with Brighton’s Leandro Trossard a contender to start in the front three along with Jérémy Doku.
The 18-year-old became the most expensive Belgian player signed from a Belgian club on deadline day when he joined Rennes for £23m from Anderlecht, having been courted by Jürgen Klopp. Doku – who was reportedly compared to Sadio Mané by the clubs scouting team – visited Melwood in 2017 to meet the Liverpool manager but decided to remain at Anderlecht and has continued his development under Vincent Kompany.
Martínez called him up for the Nations League matches against Denmark and Iceland last month, with Doku scoring in the 5-1 demolition of the latter to underline his vast potential. “It’s not as if he is a star yet – in the Belgian league he had his ups and downs and didn’t score a lot of goals. But you could see his confidence grow after he scored against Iceland,” Terreur says.
“The others who have trained with him see something special – he is probably the fastest player in the squad and has something unpredictable, too, that can make the difference.”
Perhaps most telling, though, is the absence of any players from Genk – whose academy produced seven of the current squad, including Courtois, De Bruyne and Timothy Castagne of Leicester. Doku’s big-money move meant only five of Martínez’s 33-man squad are based in Belgium, while the same number are under the age of 23, compared with eight in England’s squad.
“There has been a change because you can only produce one or two per generation,” Terreur says. “It’s a typical Belgian thing – once clubs have money, they don’t bring the youngsters through and prefer to bring in average players they hope to sell for a profit. That will happen with Anderlecht now Doku has left as well.”
The Standard Liège defender Zinho Vanheusden and Milan’s Alexis Saelemaekers made their debuts against Ivory Coast, while Belgium’s age-group sides have continued to record encouraging results, including a 4-1 thrashing of Germany last month thanks to two goals from the Netherlands-based midfielder Mike Trésor Ndayishimiye.
Even if the future may not be all that bad, Martínez knows his time is now.
