Roberto Martinez was a happy coach. The praise knew no bounds. “A good result, professional and opportunistic, this was a very good performance,” said the national coach.
22/06/2021 at 07:13
“With Witsel and Eden Hazard on the field throughout the game and De Bruyne almost completely, we had a good rehearsal for Sunday’s game in Seville,” said the national coach. ‘It will also be warm there and the field is not good either. That was true today. They have to go through this in search of 100 percent fitness. I am satisfied. Very satisfied. The goal was three weeks ago to get 9 out of 9 in the group stage and recuperate the questionable players. That worked. Do not forget that Witsel and De Bruyne only played their first game on Thursday, Hazard played eight minutes in the friendly against Croatia. When you see where they are now.’
Witsel and De Bruyne were certainly okay. Eden Hazard can still make progress.
“Do you like that?” said Martinez. “I thought Eden was pretty good. He could have scored twice, perhaps should have been given a penalty. He took his responsibility. It’s only a matter of time before we get to see the real Eden. That last pass, the decisive moves, the goals… that’s talent. That will come back. You’ll see.’
Trossard and Doku
It is not the custom of the national coach to put individual players in the spotlight. He made an exception for Vermaelen. But he also praised Trossard and Doku.
‘Trossard played in an unusual position for him. I did this because Castagne’s withdrawal and Thorgan’s injury left us lean in the wingbacks. The partnership worked well in training. Doku also did a great job in his first game at such a big tournament. He is ready for this level. Whether he has now passed Mertens in the pecking order? I’m not saying that. Doku brings something that others don’t, but so does Mertens.’
The people manager in Martinez also thought about the boys who were in danger of disappearing from the picture.
‘Glad that Batschuayi, Hans Vanaken and Benteke got playing minutes. That is always a fantastic experience for such players. Now all field players have already played at this European Championship. When I have to take stock of the group stage, I see only one negative point: that is the withdrawal of Castagne. We played three professional matches against three opponents with different playing styles.’
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