Playing fields of England add spice to rivalry
MOSCOW: Familiarity from facing each other regularly in England’s Premier League will add to the flavour of today’s World Cup semi-final between Belgium and France, Belgian midfielder Nacer Chadli said on Sunday.
The 28-year-old from relegated West Bromwich Albion is one of 11 players in the Belgian squad members based at English clubs, to add to five in the French lineup.
“We know all these players so well. We know them at a tactical level, we know what they are capable of doing and we know their individual qualities. I think it’s an advantage for our planning,” Chadli told a news conference after Belgium’s training session on the outskirts of Moscow.
The match in St Petersburg sees teammates from English champions Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur go head to head as well as rivalries between club colleagues from Barcelona, Paris Saint Germain and Monaco.
Among the appetising matchups, Chelsea have Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and captain Eden Hazard up against Ngolo Kante and Olivier Giroud, who are certain to start for France. Paul Pogba faces Manchester United club mates Marouane Fellaini and Romelu Lukaku.
Chadli is the only player from West Brom set to be involved in the match after a season in which they were relegated but he hardly played because of recurring thigh injuries.
“I was in a negative spiral all season at West Brom,” he said. “I was injured several times and that was not easy. I worked hard in the rehabilitation just to try and get some game time.
“For me just to get selected for the 23 to come to Russia was a victory. And then to be able to play, even nicer, not to speak of helping to score a match winner. That was tremendous.”
Chadli netted a dramatic stoppage-time winner in the round of 16 against Japan as Belgium came from two goals down to win 3-2.
He had been brought on when Belgium were in dire straits and was involved at the beginning of the decisive counter-attack, which came from a Japanese corner, and applied the finishing touch after sprinting the entire length of the field.
His performance meant he started against Brazil in the quarter-final in Kazan.
“The feeling after scoring that goal was unbelievable but then so was the feeling after the match against Brazil. I don’t know which was nicer,” Chadli added.
Meanwhile, France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris insists opponents Belgium should now be favourites after they beat Brazil in the last eight.
When asked if France deserve the favourites tag, Lloris replied: “I don’t think so. A nation like Brazil with all its talent and history has to be the favourites and if Belgium beat them then that fact will make them favourites.”
France will face their former player Thierry Henry, who won the World Cup with France in 1998 and is currently an assistant manager with Belgium.
Striker Olivier Giroud recalled Henry insisting that Arsenal would never win the league while he was starting up front for the Gunners and said it left him annoyed.
“Can you win the league with him?” Arsenal legend Henry had asked. “I wouldn’t think so. He does a job, and he does it ever so well, but you can’t win the league.”
Giroud called it ‘brutal’ and confessed his pride had been hurt.
“It brings into question the work you do every day. I was a little annoyed,” he said.
The 31-year-old, who joined Chelsea in January, has yet to score at the World Cup and has drawn blanks in each of his last six appearances for France. But he is unconcerned.
“If we are World Cup champions without me scoring, I don’t mind. It means, if I’m on the pitch, the boss thinks I can help the team. That’s the main thing,” Giroud added.