Roberto Martínez goes back to tactics board after Belgium’s great escape

After the harum-scarum 3-2 win over Japan, it is hard to see how Martínez can set his team up in the same way when they face Brazil

Roberto Martínez’s head must still have been spinning from a dramatic, wild finale to a game that finished with him stood on the pitch, in the Japan half, celebrating Nacer Chadli’s winning goal, yet everything was brought sharply into focus with the first question in the post-match press conference. “People will ask about the dangers of that system, with only three defenders, only two players in central midfield, so will you change that?” asked the reporter.

Calmly and politely, Martínez made the point that now is “not a day to speak about systems”. Maybe that was fair enough in the circumstances. It was close to midnight in Rostov-on-Don and Belgium had just become the first team in 48 years – since West Germany beat England in 1970 – to win a World Cup knockout match after being two goals behind. There was something to celebrate about that, even if Japan had taken Belgium to hell and back.

Continue reading...