Movers and shakers in Belgium’s World Cup qualifiers to-date

Belgium have played six games so far in their qualifying group, winning five and drawing with Croatia in Brussels. Those dropped points could prove vital but the team’s form has been good enough for Belgium to rise to 12th in the FIFA rankings – a position to be confirmed tomorrow.
Let’s have a look at some key players and examine the various departments in the team.

Most influential player – Axel Witsel

Witsel has not missed a minute in the six qualifiers to-date and has hardly put a foot wrong. He is Marc Wilmots’ brains on the pitch, organising midfield and filling in the gaps when needed. He plays just in front of the back four, the same position that Marouane Fellaini played when the duo were together – along with Steven Defour – at Standard Liege.

Most improved player in the qualifiers – Kevin De Bruyne
In the Leekens era, De Bruyne made the occasional appearance as a substitute, primarily on the wing. Under Wilmots, De Bruyne has become one of the main players in midfield. He was man of the match when Belgium won 3-0 in Belgrade – a turning point in the campaign – and he was the most influential player when Belgium won 4-2 in Cleveland (USA) recently. As Franky Vercauteren said of De Bruyne, he can play anywhere, 6, 8, 10 and on the wing.

Most room for improvement – Marouane Fellaini
Fellaini has only managed 204 minutes playing time in the six games, reportedly saying he was too tired to play against Scotland. Used ‘up front’ by Everton, the tall midfielder has always insisted he wants to play deeper. Fellaini recently said his favoured position was in front of the back four but he admitted that Wilmots was certain to choose Witsel ahead of him. It will be tough for Fellaini – if nothing changes – to retain a position in the starting eleven.

Top substitute – Nacer Chadli
Under Leekens, Chadli was seen as a winger in competition with Eden Hazard, Dries Mertens and Kevin Mirallas. Since then, Wilmots has also used him in a creative midfield role. He’s had more minutes (220) than Fellaini and it’s obvious that Wilmots rates the ex Standard player. If he can stay fit, he has a major role to play.

Goalkeepers
Thibaut Courtois is one of four players to have played every minute of all six qualifiers. His reputation is growing faster than that of any other player, possibly in Europe. Awarded top keeper in La Liga, it’s just a question of time before he replaces Peter Ĉech. Simon Mignolet and Jean-Francois Gillet can only sit and watch.

Defence

Thomas Vermaelen and Jan Vertonghen are the other two ever-presents in the Belgium team. The Arsenal player has been more impressive, possibly because the Spurs man has been out of position at left back. They have usually been joined by charismatic captain Vincent Kompany and Ajax’s Toby Alderweireld – yet another centre back who has to play out of position.

Midfield
Assuming Belgium play 4-3-3, the most regular in the midfield roles have been Witsel, De Bruyne and Moussa Dembélé. As mentioned, the first two have been outstanding for Belgium, with De Bruyne working hard and becoming more and more of a creative force. Dembélé has featured in all six matches but has been a tad disappointing. He could be under pressure to keep his place in future.

Front three
So far this has usually been Eden Hazard, Christian Benteke and Mertens. None of them has been consistently good for the national team. Hazard has certainly improved in the latter matches but Benteke has not yet shown anything like his Premier League form for Belgium. The Aston Villa striker seemed lost against Macedonia with the creative players swiftly interchanging positions and exchanging passes while Benteke looked on almost as a casual observer. Mertens blows hot and cold but he has tremendous stats for PSV.

Waiting in the wings

Romelu Lukaku has only played 45 minutes in the qualifiers so far. He was warming up for most of the game against Macedonia but didn’t make it onto the pitch. He started in the recent friendly but Wilmots will most likely keep faith with Benteke.

Mirallas has been involved in five of the games, mainly as a substitute. He’s been improving and could replace Mertens on the wing in some games.

Defour has only played on one game – 67 minutes – and with the existing competition he will find it hard to earn a starting role. It’s remarkable given that when he was the Standard Liege captain – aged 19 – he was seen as the brightest star in Belgian football. Now at Porto, he’s regularly on the bench and that will not do him any favours.

Others who have featured are Guillaume Gillet (180 minutes), Daniel Van Buyten (90 minutes) and Petit Pele Mboyo (3 minutes). Not to forget Thorgan Hazard who has come from nowhere in the past 12 months and had a few minutes in the recent friendly.