...BUT MARTINEZ IS READY TO REST TEN OF HIS PLAYERS
BELGIUM manager Roberto martinez has admitted he could field a reserve team against England in Kaliningrad on Thursday.
With the teams due to meet in a shoot-out for first place in Group G, there is an argument to be made that second place would actually lead to a smoother route through the knockout stage .
And while martinez stressed that he will be sending his players out to win, the former Wigan and Everton boss also said he would not play anybody with an injury or any of the three players who are on yellow cards.
Asked if he could rest all ten outfield players from Saturday’s win over Tunisia, martinez said: ‘Yes, it would be possible.
’It would be too risky and too much of a gamble to use players who have yellow cards, as we don’t want anybody to be suspended for the next stage.
‘No professional ever plays to lose, so we will try and win. There is no point looking at the pathway. It is game by game.’
Belgium have Kevin de Bruyne, Jan Vertonghen and Thomas meunier on yellow cards after their opening two games, while Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard picked up injuries at the weekend.
Lukaku has had a scan on his ankle that showed no serious damage, but it is unlikely that either player will be risked.
So whether martinez takes the extraordinary step of resting all his outfield players or not, it does seem at the very least that the Belgians will be seriously under-strength.
‘If this was a game where teams still needed to qualify, then there would be a lot more emotion,’ added martinez.
‘Lots of the players on both teams share dressing rooms (in the English Premier League), but it would have been different if we had been facing them fighting for qualification.
‘As it is, we can enjoy it. It is a game of celebration, but it could have been very different.’
From their training base an hour outside moscow, Belgium’s players have noticed the apparent change in the England team under Gareth Southgate.
As Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld said yesterday: ‘In Belgium, we say there’s a new wind coming.
‘England have fresh, young players. They play for the biggest clubs in England, but they’re very hungry and humble, as well.
‘There’s a good vibe going on in England right now.’
So if two wins against poor opposition is enough to count as a permanent shift, then Alderweireld and other English-based Belgian players know where it starts.
Harry Kane is World Cup 2018’s top scorer after his hat-trick in the 6-1 rout of Panama and will take this threat in to Thursday’s game.
Vertonghen — another Spurs team-mate of Kane — said yesterday: ‘Harry is obviously very good. It will be very hard to stop him. But we have the defenders in our team to stop him.
‘I know Harry very well. He is one of the best strikers in the world. He is the image of the new England.’
martinez’s team have not done much work since beating Tunisia on Saturday.
Yesterday, only the players not involved in that game appeared in the section of the session open to the media.
manchester City defender Vincent Kompany did train for the first time after recovering from a groin injury and he may play against England. ‘medically, he is now fully fit,’ said martinez.
The squad were given Sunday off to spend with their families, something that martinez has adopted as a policy in Russia. Not many of them actually sat through England’s thrashing of Panama on TV.
Vertonghen admitted he had been impressed — if not surprised — by the exciting football Southgate’s team had played.
‘most of us didn’t see England play, but I watched a bit and I saw a couple of goals,’ he said. ‘England are one of the most impressive teams in the tournament so far.
‘We have to keep in mind they scored six of their eight goals so far from set-pieces, so that’s something to be aware of. We all rate England very highly.
‘They are definitely one of the favourites to win it. We know their players. We see how ambitious they are and the way they celebrate their goals.
‘So it’s going to be very weird to play against Harry and to play against all of them, in a way. It’s going to be funny, I think.
‘Obviously, we can still be winners of the group. I’m happy there’s nothing at stake for qualification for the next round because that would be awkward.’