Given the Belgian national team's plethora of Premier League connections I suppose we should expect the English media to cheerlead for them. I'm not quite as eager to jump on the pro-Martinez bandwagon as some of my compatriots, though. I felt he allowed the game to drift away from his team in the second half, and even though they survived in the end they suffered more than I think they needed to. (And I see that in the time it took me to type as much, gary69 beat me to more or less the same punch, the swine).
Fellaini and Witsel did their jobs well defending a lead, but up until Own Goal worked his magic they looked an ungainly midfield pair. Likewise, I'm unconvinced by Chadli, hard though he worked.
It was exciting stuff, though. The start was pretty positive, but the early goal meant there was no possibility for caution to take over.
I agree with those who say Firmino should have started for Brazil and that they missed Casemiro badly. Equally as important, surely, is their habitual lack of a genuine number eight. Until they sort out that position, they'll always tend to be slightly short of balance. The impact of 1994 on their mentality of team building weighs as heavy as 1966 did for England.
