Martinez says ‘blame me’ after Belgium’s tame San Marino display
Belgium manager Roberto Martinez insists he takes full responsibility for an “unacceptable” showing against the minnows of San Marino.
The Red Devils maintained their 100% record in Group I after registering a 4-0 triumph in Serraville on Friday night – however, they were widely criticised for a meek showing against the minnows.
It took 43 minutes for them to break the deadlock, courtesy of a Michy Batshuayi penalty, before they made the game safe after the break.
Belgium looked out of sorts without the attacking talents of the Hazard brothers, Eden and Thorgan, while Martinez started Dries Mertens and Romelu Lukaku on the bench. And the former Everton boss faced tough questions, despite the ultimately comfortable victory.
He said: “It wasn’t good in the first half, certainly not for a team of our level. “Our performance did not come close to being acceptable and that’s my fault.
“I played players in positions that they were not comfortable in and that is why the game was scrappy and we became frustrated.
“That was not the right attitude against a defensive team like San Marino
“It did not go smoothly at all and I learned a lot about my players. But, again, I take responsibility.”
The omission of former Manchester United frontman Lukaku – who did not get introduced off the bench – raised more than a few eyebrows following his fine start to the season with Inter Milan, notching two goals in his first two Serie A fixtures.
However, Martinez confirmed he was keen to rest the imposing marksman and, ominously for Scotland, revealed he will feature at Hampden Park on Monday night.
He added: “Lukaku had a difficult summer and I didn’t want him to play two games in four days.
“I don’t think it was a good idea to let him play against San Marino – but Romelu will play against Scotland.” Meanwhile, Jan Vertonghen has warned Scotland that Belgium, who have won all five of their qualifying matches so far, scoring 15 goals and conceding just one, will be out to make amends when they arrive at Hampden on Monday. The Tottenham Hotspur defender said: “It was a seriously strange match against San Marino.
“The first half was difficult and maybe we underestimated the challenge.
“Before kick-off we thought: ‘Good pitch, perfect conditions, this should be fine’.
“But they defended deep, slowed the game down and we played at that pace. “We were playing too much as individuals. You look at each other for a moment and think: ‘How is this possible?’
“The team performance was certainly not good, but we shouldn’t be too dramatic about it.
“We are at the top of the group and the three points arrived in the end.
“We now have an important match coming up on Monday against Scotland and it is the time to respond, perform to our true capabilities and take an important step towards the European Championships.”
Scotland, meanwhile, will hope the appointment of referee Pawel Gil proves to be a good omen after the Polish referee took charge of European victories for Celtic and Rangers last season.
The 43-year-old, Lubin-born official, will be the man in the middle for the visit of Belgium tomorrow, with Steve Clarke’s charges in desperate need of a win to keep their slim qualification hopes alive.
He is no stranger to Glasgow after overseeing Celtic’s Europa League group phase triumph against Rosenborg last September.
An 87th-minute header from Leigh Griffiths – omitted from the Scotland squad for these fixtures – secured a 1-0 victory.
Gil also took charge of the Gers’ hardfought 1-0 success against Croatian cracks Osijek in the Europa League second qualifying round, with Alfredo Morelos bagging the decisive strike. Gil’s compatriots Konrad Sapela and Marcin Borkowski will run the line at Hampden, with Pawel Raczkowski acting as fourth official.