3 reasons why Belgium will lose their quarterfinal match against Brazil
Belgium's clutch 3-2 win against Japan in the Round of 16 is certainly in contention of the most entertaining match of this World Cup. Yet their celebrations will be short-lived as they now face mighty Brazil, who easily dispatched Mexico in the previous round and will be looking to win their 6th World Cup crown.
Belgium are themselves dark horses to win the tournament with their ' golden generation' in their peak years. So far in the World Cup, they have proven their worth with 4 wins out of 4 including a 5-2 battering of Tunisia.
Even with those wins, they have looked far from convincing in any of those games and with an opponent like Brazil, they can't afford any mistakes. Here are the 3 reasons why I think Belgium will lose against Brazil.
#1 Yannick Carrasco's position
Belgium coach Roberto Martinez is often criticised for his team management, such as his decision to not to play Radja Nainggolan and not including him in his squads. Another such example is the player I will be talking about right now, Yannick Carrasco. The former Atletico Madrid man prefers to play as a winger but has been used as a wing-back by Roberto Martinez when playing for Belgium.
Due to his new position and the lack of experience in that role, he is Belgium's weakest link at this World Cup. Being a wing-back requires a player to not only participate in attack but also requires him to do his defensive duties. As Carrasco is a natural winger, he is good offensively but falters when it comes to defense. He has often got caught high up the field and thus leaves a big space in the defense for the opponent to exploit. Due to this, Belgium are vulnerable to counter attacks.
Even during Belgium's match against Japan, he was often caught off guard and Japan's Genki Haraguchi frequently ran into those spaces and caused the Belgium defense some trouble. But with Brazil, he will be facing Willian, who put in a man of the match performance against Mexico. With Willian's pace and his ability to dribble past defenders, Brazil will no doubt target Carrasco.