Kane must go up a level to get
England skipper has five goals from six shots in Russia but Loftus-Cheek warns him the Belgium No1 is a formidable opponent
the sizeable frame to get in the way. It is very hard to score against him. He will be very tough to beat.
“The problem with Belgium is that before you reach him, you have to get past their backline.
“We can do all the hard work to outwit them and then you still have Thibaut standing in front of you.”
Southgate has indicated he could make changes for the match, potentially denying fans an opportunity to see Kane and Lukaku go head-to-head.
No matter who starts up front for England, Courtois will be in their way. There are many stars in the Belgium team that get much more of the limelight, such as Eden Hazard and Kevin de Bruyne, but Loftus-Cheek thinks Courtois’ importance to Roberto Martinez’s side should not be underestimated.
“You need a top keeper like Thibaut to win big trophies, like the League at Chelsea in 2015 and 2017,” he said. “He can bail any team out of trouble. When opponents create big chances, he is there to deny them. I have seen Thibaut do that numerous times for Chelsea.
“Thibaut can have as big a say as Eden against England and for their World Cup chances overall. The keeper is your last barrier. He can be your saviour. If the team gets broken down, Thibaut still gives you another chance.”
Arguably, no Belgian will be more determined to have a good game against the nation where they ply their trade than Courtois.
The former Atletico Madrid loanee came under heavy criticism at times last season with Chelsea, none more so
Ruben Loftus-Cheek
than when he let two Lionel Messi shots go through his legs in their Champions League defeat to Barcelona.
He bounced back from adversity, though, having a strong finish to help the Blues win the FA Cup last month.
Still, he would no doubt love to prove a point to the people who criticise him the most by shutting out England’s leading man.
“Every player has to take criticism and some can handle
Courtois.
“I know what people I have to listen to, like Gianluca Spinelli, my coach at Chelsea. He will come to me and say, ‘You need to do this or that better or do a bit more of that’. I will listen to him because he is an experienced coach.
“But maybe there are some people who analyse me that have never played in goal and I don’t care what they say
it,
like me,” said