Belgium is stifled and Roberto Martínez seeks answers | David Hytner | Soccer

B Elgian TV had a camera on Roberto Martínez during the quarterfinal epic against Brazil and he showed a manager at the fever. The adrenaline ran his system while he was trying to train his players through the game, having made radical tactical changes. "Let's hope I'll be more calm against France," said Martínez on Monday with a smile.

The Spaniard was quieter but that was not what he had in mind. During the biggest evening of his managerial career and during the second semifinal of the World Cup in Belgium, there was a strange absence of tempo; a lack of cut and thrust that has marked his team as the great artists of the tournament.

The pbadage of Martínez at 4-3-3 and a fake 9 had thrown Brazil, paving the way for a glorious triumph, but little He came for him here, although it was not for the lack of 39; test. Martínez has tried everything, exchanging from one system to the other and launching offensive substitutes. The attempt to categorize his formations was an important sub-plot. After an encouraging start, his team fainted. He could not get traction. The final action was not there.

This was the great opportunity of Belgium; the moment to make history by reaching a first World Cup final. For many years, the team was followed by speaking of a golden generation and several members of the Martínez team had made it clear that they were there to raise the trophy. Nothing else. But in the end, they were choked and the director did not have the answers.

The overall impression was of a defeat against more street opposition. Belgium had lost docilely against Argentina at the last World Cup and then exploded against Wales at Euro 2016. This exit was worse because they were older and wiser. For the first time in 25 games, they had tasted defeat.

It was easy to describe Martínez as a player, a manager who raises issues through movements at one end of the field and an end only, and only one detail sums it up. In his team of 23 players, he had only one specialist, Thomas Meunier, and the Paris Saint-Germain player was suspended here. The loss of a player, even if it was important, was enough to elicit a case of square pegs and round holes.

Until the coup de send, no one could say for sure how Belgium would line up. De Bruyne would start on the left wing. That would never happen. What Martínez did was play Nacer Chadli on the right and Jan Vertonghen on the left-back – in other words, far from their natural positions.

Martínez started with a back four as against Brazil, which was a diversion from the type. Before Brazil, he had placed his trust in a defense to three. France was settled and consistent while Belgium seemed edgy, unpredictable.

The approach of Martínez was incredibly fluid. Who would have seen Marouane Fellaini as number 10? It was there that he started, although he had worked to the left of the center and that he backed down when France had the ball. When Chadli pushed, it seemed that Belgium had a back three. De Bruyne, starting from the right – his third different role in three matches – had the license to drift to the interior; all the way up to the other side at times. It was total Martínez.

Mírínez and Belgium sought to play the game; to press the front foot while France was sitting deep, seeking to exploit the electric rhythm and movement of Kylian Mbappé. It was strange to note the slow tempo for long spells – and the flatness of the atmosphere. It was not like that Martínez wanted it.

De Bruyne gave beautiful balls and Belgium announced an opening goal. Eden Hazard blinked. The match would have taken another aspect if Hugo Lloris had not been asked to kick out Toby Alderweireld's shot. But against such opposition, balance was the key. Belgium had to close the back door and it was a bad sign that, despite their ascendancy in the first period, France created the greatest chance before the interval when Thibaut Courtois saved Benjamin Pavard.

Martínez dreaded the defensive. The truth was that it seemed more likely to come from one of his players. Fellaini's reaction to Samuel Umtiti's goal has all said. He knew that he had allowed the defender of France to attack him. Martínez continued to twist; to search for new angles of attack. Dries Mertens replaced the inefficient Mousa Dembélé and worked on the right while Yannick Carrasco was introduced on the other side.

Martínez even smashed an extra striker, Michy Batshuayi, in the end. Nothing has changed, the symbol of Belgium being Romelu Lukaku. No 9 could not find space. He was choked. Belgium hit the wall.