Roberto Martinez the man to make 'Golden Generation' shine and other Belgium v Panama talking points

Matt Jones - Editor 12:29 17/06/2018
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  • Group G at the World Cup kicks off on Monday, with the tournament’s essence encapsulated in the clash between Belgium and Panama.

    Seen as one of the favourites to lift the Jules Rimet trophy and a squad boasting an embarrassment of riches, Belgium will be expected to earn victory against plucky debutants Panama – who after Iceland, become the 79th team to feature at the World Cup.

    Here we look at three talking points ahead of the game.

    Lukaku looks to launch Golden Boot campaign

    Set to be in the goals: Romelu Lukaku.

    There won’t be a glut of football fans who’ll have Romelu Lukaku down as World Cup top goalscorer in their various prediction leagues with friends – but the Belgian behemoth will feel he can catapult himself into the reckoning in the Red Devils’ opening game against Panama.

    It’s overlooked just how stellar a season he had at Manchester United – 27 goals in 51 games in all competitions being a superb return from the 25-year-old.

    He’s been in fine form in friendlies leading up to the World Cup too – netting a brace in a 4-1 hammering of Costa Rica (Lukaku also set up Michy Batshuayi’s goal), as well as grabbing one as another fellow World Cup participant, Egypt, were blitzed 3-0 in Brussels.

    It is often overlooked how devastating a finisher he is because he is not the most proficient technically and has in the past been pegged as a flat track bully who doesn’t do it on the big stage.

    Yet his record speaks for itself. He is 27th on the list of top Premier League scorers ever with 101 goals, but his ratio of 0.46 goals a game places him inside the top 10 at eighth.

    With former Liverpool and United striker Michael Owen ranked eighth overall on 150, it would be ludicrous to suggest Lukaku won’t finish his career testing the top dogs as much as he terrorises defences.

    He is only going to get better. He is already Belgium’s top scorer ever (36) so who knows how high the mark will be when he finally calls it a day. And with Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Dries Mertens and Yannick Carrasco supplying him at this tournament, expect him to revel in Russia.

    Romelu Lukaku

    Lukaku netted 27 goals for United this past season.

    Martinez is the man

    Roberto Martinez has recovered his reputation after sour Everton ending.

    There was many an eyebrow raised when Roberto Martinez was the man tasked with taking this gleaming golden generation that Belgium possess and unleashing its true potential.

    They had just capitulated at Euro 2016 – dumped out by a swashbuckling display of craft and courage from Wales, their quarter-final 3-1 enough to end the reign of Marc Wilmots, who for a long time had been considered unfit to harvest the country’s biggest ever crop of talent.

    But Martinez’s record stands up to scrutiny – his 70 per cent win rate is the best of any manager in Belgium’s history (ignore Louis Nicolay’s one win from one game in charge).

    Unbeaten in the last 19 games under the Spaniard, they lost only his maiden match in charge – a 2-0 friendly defeat to his native Spain.

    In those games, 10 clean sheets have been kept, so despite boasting an attack the envy of many a team at the World Cup, the former defensive midfielder has also installed stoic defensive principles.

    Belgian football chiefs have been sufficiently impressed to offer him a two-year contract extension to Euro 2020.

    A manager who wilted under the spotlight of his first elite managerial posting at Everton, he’s repaired his reputation considering his appointment didn’t exactly set hearts racing among Red Devils die hards.

    A disciple of the Catalan school of how to play, Martinez was guilty of wanting to change too much, too soon at Goodison Park. He believed a revolution was required but all he got was a revolt.

    But when you delve deeper, his 42.9 per cent win rate is better than David Moyes. It is actually the seventh best in the 130-year history of the club.

    In light of the disastrous reigns of Ronald Koeman and Sam Allardyce that have followed, perhaps some Toffees fans will look back on Martinez’s spell more sweetly now.

    Panama will be no pushovers

    Roman Torres scored the goal that got Panama to the World Cup.

    Roman Torres scored the goal that got Panama to the World Cup.

    Since participating in the Gran Colombia–Peru War between 1828 and 1829, Panama as a nation have become familiar with conflict.

    The last time they entered the battle field was when the United States invaded in 1989 – and Belgium must prepare for an attritional battle when the two countries meet on the football field in Russia on Monday.

    Panama are preparing for their World Cup bow, and although their fans will be ready to soak up as well as add to all the colour customary at a World Cup carnival, they’ll be primed and ready to pose problems for their more superior neighbours in Group G.

    Much like fellow debutants Iceland, Hernan Dario Gomez’s game plan will be built on resilience and hard work. It probably won’t be pretty – in fact it might well be extremely ugly at times, much like in their encounter with Denmark in March where they reverted to the game’s dark arts to try and earn the upper hand.

    Striker Blas Perez’s dangerous challenge on Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel earned him a straight red card, while three more of his colleagues were shown yellow. This was a friendly by the way.

    That was in the 66th minute and in the previous 65, tempers had frayed and the game often threatened to descend into chaos.

    They may intend to be angels against the Red Devils, especially on their big stage bow. But though they may be minnows, Panama will be no pushovers either.

    What they lack in exposure at the elite echelon of world football, they’ll make up for in grit and experience – six of their 23-man squad have over 100 caps.

    It may have been garnered at a lower level, but this is a tight-knit group of troops who will be well drilled and work together.

    Much like their approach to trying to diffuse the danger of Danish Dynamite’s attacking threats, Belgium can expect a fight when they meet Panama at the Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi.

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