The first question that Roberto Martinez asked on the eve of a breathtaking victory over Brazil was to know if he could be interested in managing Spain.
The 44-year-old man did not say "no", but only when the dust settled on Saturday, the idea seemed credible.
Martinez has not lost a competitive match with the Belgian national team in his two years at the helm. The last team to be defeated was Everton's team, who lost 3-0 to Sunderland in May 2016.
The boss of Belgium Roberto Martinez saw his stock increase during the World Cup
Yet, within the British coasts, The redemption reputation has not been forthcoming. The suspicion has always been that Martinez can not put up a competent defense, or give a credible explanation when things go wrong. His unrelenting optimism has always shriveled heavily on Merseyside, where they are still quick to propagandize.
Friday night's win should change all that. The 2-1 win – Belgium's first win against Brazil since a 1963 friendly match in Brussels – was comfortably built on the most impressive tactical strategy of a manager of any match. this tournament
Attacking one was one thing. The redeployment of players something else.
The familiar 3-4-3 was transformed into a system that changed according to the phases of the game Friday night and without the ball being more like a 4-3-3, which squeezed out The Martinez's decision to deploy Romelu Lukaku against Brazil has certainly paid off ” class=”blkBorder img-share” />
Martinez's decision to deploy Romelu Lukaku against Brazil has certainly bearing fruit.
Jan Vertonghen moved away to let Nacer Chadli in and follow Paulinho's tracks. Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku were instructed to stay on top of the pitch when Belgium were out of possession, offering counterattacking options. Kevin de Bruyne was redeployed from deep midfield to a fake No 9, with space ran into with Lukaku operating on the right.
On Martinez's side, it was tactical tournament management in action and made Tite's own coach. settings – send Roberto Firmino at halftime to make a 4-2-4 – extremely basic look. Tite could reflect on the missed opportunities and a penalty denied, although there was a process of cause and effect at stake.
It's turning the screw so tight that Belgium has made the Brazil so hard to find cold blood. Quality to Death
"We trained a few days on it," said Toby Alderweireld about the new system. We knew what we had to do. It's one thing. The second thing is to do it, to stick to it.
Martinez now prepares his team for his eagerly awaited semi-final clash against France
"It was the first game we came back a bit back and tried to play on Of course, we want to have the ball, and in the other games we have been 100% favorites, but that may suit us as well, Martinez was cleared, but he did not try to hide his contribution.
Lukaku (left) and Kylian Mbappe (right) are the main threats to their respective sides
"I think when you play Brazil, you have to get a tactical advantage that, "he said. "It would be too easy to hope that you bring your game and win the football match.We were to be brave tactically.It was a big game.Lazak and Hazard give you a period when the opposition do not know how to cope .It was a tough tactical plan and the way they believed it was incredible. "
We already have the feeling that France – the opponents of Belgium in half -final St. Petersburg Tuesday – feel the confidence of the great country. "has already eliminated the best player in the world (Lionel Messi) against Argentina," said Lucas Hernandez on Saturday. He did not hit the ball We do not say it but we all know we can be [world champions] We are all great players We are ambitious When we play a World Cup we want to win it Is normal. "
France is driven by the fact that Thomas Meunier, who fell into the Defense four to help the & # 39; axis Neymar / Philippe Coutinho Brazil, it n & # 39; has not played, suspended for yellow card 71 minutes that & # 39; he took for a foul on Neymar.
But the victory against Brazil gives the impression that Belgium crosses a psychological threshold, unlike France. Lukaku's contribution will give him the same confidence as Kylian Mbappe.
"The victory is huge for us," said Vincent Kompany. "There are enough players in this team who really want to win in terms of what this country has achieved at football level is unique.This is not the end.We have enough players in this team who want to go to the end. "
The same goes for Martinez.While he was leaving his post-game press conference, the room spontaneously clapped and he l & rsquo; Accepted, slightly clumsy, it was far from that 3-0 at the Stadium of Light.Martinez seems to have learned something from seven deadly days in the Premier League.It seems like he found the redemption.
