10 things we learnt after Belgium’s draw with Greece

By | March 26, 2017

Missing from action.

1. Without Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne, Belgium do not look like a team to be feared.

2. Yet again, Belgium looked short of ideas against a packed defence. But see 1.

3. Radja Nainggolan has been playing in an advanced role for Roma but he is lost out wide.

4. The squad is ageing. Half of last night’s outfield players were 28 or over. Only four were under 23. The World Cup – if they qualify – will be important.

5. With the demise of Vincent Kompany and Thomas Vermaelen – I hope I am wrong – defensive options are few.

6. Roberto Martinez was far too slow in changing things last night. See 3 for example.

7. Romelu Lukaku did nothing for 88 minutes, but was tightly marked, before scoring the goal that gained a point.

8. Mousa Dembele, Radja Nainggolan and Kevin De Bruyne are all central midfield players who can make a difference. Last night none were there and it showed.

9. The team were far too confident in the first half. They missed a leader on the pitch to shake them up.

10. Before last night, World Cup qualification seemed a formality. Now, with trips to Bosnia and Greece to come, it’s far from certain.

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