England vs Belgium: Gulf in class laid bare, Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne dictate and Harry Kane quiet again
Thomas Meunier scored Belgium’s opener in the fourth minute and Eden Hazard added a late second in what was a fairly comfortable victory
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Your support makes all the difference.England finished their World Cup campaign with a 2-0 defeat to Belgium in St Petersburg in the World Cup third place play-off.
Thomas Meunier scored Belgium’s opener in the fourth minute and Eden Hazard added a late second in what was a fairly comfortable victory for Roberto Martinez’s team.
Here are five things we learned:
Midfield troubles
You can read too much into a team sheet, especially one before a World Cup third-place play-off. Belgium named their strongest team: are they taking this too seriously? England made five changes: are they taking this seriously enough? But what was most notable was that Gareth Southgate swapped out all three of his central midfield players. If you’re of the persuasion to include wing-backs in midfield then effectively Kieran Trippier was the only one not to lose his place.
The tactical post-mortem from Croatia concluded that the midfield was where England faded away, pinned back and overcome down the flanks. Perhaps Southgate agreed and maybe this was his way of trying something new as he looks to future. But against Belgium, just as against Croatia, England’s familiar old flaw of struggling to keep the ball reared its head, even if the personnel had shifted. As Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne flitted between lines it was a reminder that for all the progress under Southgate, England lack such midfield talent to compete.
Is Loftus-Cheek the future?
When England were feeling the heat against Croatia, Gareth Southgate took beyond the 70th minute to bring on a substitute. He didn’t use another until extra time, and at no point did he turn to his most gifted midfield talent, Ruben Loftus-Cheek. So does the manager trust him?
Loftus-Cheek got his opportunity against Belgium for the second time in the tournament, and played tidily without really impressing himself on the game. The 22-year-old now more than ever needs to be trusted at club and country if he is to fulfil his vast potential, and England sorely need him to if they are to put up a fight against opponents of this calibre.
Kane unable
Harry Kane will almost certainly win the Golden Boot, bar a miraculous performance from Kylian Mbappe or Antoine Griezmann on Sunday, but that doesn’t mean his performance in this tournament should be free from scrutiny. He started well against Tunisia and Panama but has faded through the knockout stages, not having a scoring since his penalty against Colombia or even mustering a shot on target against Sweden or Belgium.
The fear of leaving him out against Belgium in the group stage was that he and the team would lose momentum, but if anything it looks as if he has played too many minutes, seemingly weary and heavy-legged through much of the games against Sweden, Croatia and here against Belgium.
Is England’s football revolution a myth?
One tweet caught the eye this week because it went against so obviously against the grain. “England playing out from the back is a myth,” went the gist, and watching England try to pass their way through treacle against Belgium certainly didn’t disprove the point.
There was a flowing move at the end of the first half – Delph, Dier, Delph, Rose, Delph, Kane, Sterling, Loftus-Cheek – which showed just what they are capable of with confidence and an injection of speed into their play, but when it broke down Belgium steamed forward again and nearly scored, illustrating how it can be done with a clinical edge. England undoubtedly try to play from the back under Southgate, but the final steps through midfield and into the final third remain a work in progress.
Foundations laid
It has been a fine tournament for England: had they been offered a semi-final finish before the World Cup, no doubt manager and fans would have taken it. And yet somehow it has ended with a bitter taste, and a sense that there is still a huge gulf to match the world’s leading international teams. The hard work starts now.
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