Scouting Report: Primer on Canada's World Cup foes Belgium, Croatia & Morocco
The final preparations are complete.
Now, the next time the CanMNT takes the field for a match, it’ll be to play in the FIFA World Cup, as they are now officially less than a week away from officially ending their 36-year drought at that tournament.
From this point on, their goal will be to try and get out of their tough Group E, where Belgium, Croatia and Morocco await them, in what will certainly be three challenging tests.
So as they continue their quest to try and find a way to catch the rest of the world by surprise over in Qatar, here’s a look at what to expect from Canada’s group at this tournament, one that’s expected to be a great challenge for John Herdman’s side as they set out to try and make some history.
Belgium
FIFA Ranking: #2
Elo Rating: #5
Head coach: Roberto Martínez
Best World Cup result: Third place (2018)
Their World Cup squad:
11,59 million Belgians. 26 Devils. 1 goal. 🏆 #DEVILTIME pic.twitter.com/wwCAMvlU6k
— Belgian Red Devils (@BelRedDevils) November 10, 2022
How they got here:
After an excellent 2018 World Cup, one where they were one Samuel Umtiti header away from making their first-ever final, Belgium entered this 2022 cycle eager to build off their record-best third-place finish in Russia.
Drawn into Group E of UEFA World Cup qualifying with Wales, Czech Republic, Estonia and Belarus, Belgium confidently topped their group with a record of 6W-2D-0L (20 PTS) across eight games of qualifying, scoring 25 goals and conceding just six along the way, allowing them to qualify rather comfortably for this tournament.
Memorable victories included a 3-1 home win over Wales, and a 3-0 home result against Czech Republic, two results that ensured that they’d book their way to a third-straight World Cup, while leaving the other two to fend for themselves in the UEFA playoff.
Expectations in Qatar:
Expectations are sky-high for the second-ranked team in the world, who after their big breakthrough in 2018, are expected to make a similar run again in 2022. With a golden generation that is nearing the end of its cycle, this may be the last World Cup for several Belgian greats.
One of the teams with the lowest turnover rate from the last World Cup, head coach Roberto Martínez will look to lean on that experience to navigate the challenges that this tournament can offer, making them likely group favourites on paper.
How they’ll line up:
Belgium has played every game this year in a 3-4-2-1, their preferred formation dating back to the 2018 World Cup. One where their two #10s operate freely underneath a #9, with their wing backs expected to fly forward and provide width, they will try and break down opponents in possession whenever possible.
Having averaged 61% possession in their games this year, they’re at their best when they’re on the ball, looking to play with freedom in the final third, creating space for their dangerous players to operate.
They do have some worries defensively, however, as they’ll put a lot of pressure on an aging back three to stand tall when they do lose the ball, but they’ll try to limit that by getting numbers behind the ball when they do lose possession, although transition moments could pose them issues.
Who to keep an eye out for?
There are no shortage of threats to keep an eye out for in the Belgian lineup, but their fate likely lies on the shoulders of two names - midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
Firstly, there’s De Bruyne, who has been a creative force for Manchester City this season, scoring three goals and adding 13 assists in 19 games (all competitions) this season, sitting as one of the most dangerous creative midfielders in the world. With 25 goals and 46 assists in 93 caps for his country, he always steps up for Belgium, and will look to try and maintain that form at this World Cup.
But while De Bruyne pulls the strings offensively, Courtois will look to be Belgium’s saviour in goal, as the reigning Yashin Trophy winner will look to prove why many see the 30-year-old as the best in the world right now. Able to win games all on his own with his 6’7” frame, as he proved during Real Madrid’s Champions League winning campaign last year, he’s been solid again this season, conceding 16 goals in 15 games, keeping three clean sheets.
Otherwise, while Belgium will be without all-time leading scorer Romelu Lukaku for their match against Canada, they’ll look to the always-reliable Michy Batshuayi and Eden Hazard in attack, who will look to profit off of the creativity of De Bruyne and Youri Tielemans in midfield.
Lastly, Axel Witsel will look to be a defensive force in midfield, giving protection to his centre backs, which include veterans Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen.
Croatia
FIFA Ranking: #12
Elo Rating: #12
Head coach: Zlatko Dalić
Best World Cup result: Second place (2018)
Their World Cup squad:
HERE IT IS! 🥁
— HNS (@HNS_CFF) November 9, 2022
🇭🇷➡️🇶🇦#Croatia squad for the 2022 @FIFAWorldCup in Qatar!#WorldCup #Family #Vatreni❤️🔥 pic.twitter.com/P5T3876pP2
How they got here:
After a dream 2018 World Cup, one where they made a surprise run to the final, falling 4-2 to eventual champions France in that game, Croatia came into this cycle eager to prove that run was no fluke, and instead prove that they can now be a trophy threat at each World Cup going forward.
To get here, however, they had to endure a tough qualifying cycle, as a group with Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Cyprus and Malta ended up being a tough battle for Croatia. As a result, they only ended up narrowly qualifying directly by just one point over Russia, racking up a record of 7W-2D-1L (23 PTS), scoring 21 goals and conceding just four.
But thanks to their strong defence, they were able to recover from a shock opening day loss to Slovenia to go undefeated the rest of the way, with a 1-0 road win over Slovakia, a 3-0 home win over Slovenia and a dramatic 1-0 home win over Russia on the last day sitting as highlights of their campaign.
Expectations in Qatar:
Expectations are also high for Croatia in Qatar, as they’ll look to go deep in this tournament once again. Having done well to turn over their squad as a few 2018 regulars aged out, they have a good mix of experience and youth that has served them well this year.
As wins over France and Denmark this year in Nations League showed, Croatia can beat anyone on their day, and play the exact sort of soccer that can allow them to go deep in this tournament.
Therefore, they’ll be expected to try and at least return to the semi-finals, as they look to build on their growing status as a team built for a tournament format.
How they’ll line up:
As has been the case for most of Dalić’s tenure, expect Croatia to use a 4-3-3, as they have done for most of this year.
Built around their dominant midfield, Croatia likes to dominate teams in the middle of the park, on both sides of the ball, something that they’ll look to do in Qatar.
At the same time, they’ve got some dangerous names in the attack, including some good speed on the wings and some intriguing #9 profiles, who thrive off of the chances that their midfield is able to create for them.
Otherwise, their midfield has also helped them out defensively, with their ability to hold onto the ball (Croatia has averaged 56% possession in 2022) helping them limit chances defensively, which is why they’ve conceded more than one goal in a game just once this year.
Who to keep an eye out for?
For Croatia, any discussion about their ability to dominate games starts and ends in midfield, making it important that Canada keeps an eye out for their biggest threats there, which is the trio of Luka Modrić, Mateo Kovačić and Marcelo Brozović.
First, there’s the main threat, which is Modrić, who at 37 years of age, is still one of the best at his position right now.
Fresh off of a strong Champions League winning campaign with Real Madrid, the former Ballon D’Or winner has been excellent again this season, scoring five goals and adding two assists, while sitting as one of the best creators in the game. The engine of Croatia’s midfield, there’s a reason why he’s got 23 goals and 25 assists in 155 caps for his country, stats that don’t even do his creative impact justice.
Otherwise, Kovačić is a key support piece in midfield, as he’s also a key engine in midfield. Currently at Chelsea, where he’s got one goal and one assist in 17 games, he’s an excellent box-to-box threat, so although he might not get many goals or assists at the World Cup, he can control the tempo of the game unlike many others.
Then, rounding things off is Brozović, who is a strong defensive anchor, one who can also progress the ball forward with ease. A strong tackler, there were doubts he’d be fit for this tournament, but having seen the field four times since his return from injury, those doubts are gone, so expect him to shut things down in the middle for Croatia.
Elsewhere, keep an eye on 2018 World Cup final goalscorer Ivan Perišić up front, as well as Andrej Kramarić, while Dejan Lovren will look to lead a young but talented defensive group at the back.
Morocco
FIFA Ranking: #22
Elo Rating: #30
Head coach: Walid Regrarui
Best World Cup result: Round of 16 (1986)
Their World Cup squad:
اللائحة الرسمية لأسود الأطلس 🦁
— Équipe du Maroc (@EnMaroc) November 10,
Squad list complete ✅🇶🇦#DimaMaghrib 🇲🇦 #AtlasLions #TeamMorocco pic.twitter.com/X7n747e5Vx
2022
NOTE: Amine Harit was replaced by Anass Zaroury.
How they got here:
As is always the case in CAF World Cup qualifying, it was a tough road for Morocco to get here, as they had to top a group of four teams in the second round, before winning a home-and-away series in the final round to book their spot.
Yet, despite that, they flew through both rounds, booking their spot in their second consecutive World Cup.
First, they topped their first-round group with Guinea-Bissau, Guinea and Sudan with ease, finishing with six wins in six games, scoring 20 goals and conceding just one, before dispatching DR Congo 5-2 on aggregate in the final round, putting an exclamation note on their qualification with a 4-1 win at home in the second leg.
Expectations in Qatar:
Yet, despite their dominance in qualifying, it’s hard to gauge the expectations for this Moroccan side. Talent-wise, they’ve got a team that can certainly push to the knockout stages, sitting with some true tier-one players in their ranks, and a strong squad of players playing in the top five European leagues, but they’ve often underperformed at big tournaments.
Them being eliminated in the quarter-finals of this year’s African Cup of Nations was a key example of that, as many expected them to make a run to the finals, yet, they continued their struggles at that tournament, one where they haven’t made the final four since 2004.
At the same time, Morocco will feel confident in their chances of making the knockout rounds in Qatar. Part of the reason for their AFCON struggles was due to a dispute between head coach Vahid Halilhodžić and a few of their star players, which saw some of them stop being called up.
With Halilhodžić now fired over that conflict, however, and Walid Regrarui now at the helm, those key names are back, and have looked excellent lately, so there’s no reason why Morocco can’t be a darkhorse candidate to make the knockout round, and then see what happens from there.
How they’ll line up:
After flirting with a three at the back during qualifying, Morocco has returned to a familiar 4-3-3 as of late, one that puts a lot of emphasis on holding possession and strong wide play.
As a result, they’ve typically averaged 57% of possession this year, and do well to generate a high volume of chances for themselves in games, while doing well to put teams under duress defensively. Along with a solid defensive unit, one that does well to limit chances for opponents, they’re at their best when they’re peppering opponents with chances, while being clean in transition, as they showed in wins over Georgia and Chile recently.
Yet, they’ve also been prone to being exposed in transition, as losses to the US and Egypt earlier this year showed, as they tend to push numbers forward in possession.
Because of that, they’ll look to be careful of knowing when to pick their spots in this tournament, especially against teams that are strong in transition like Canada.
Who to keep an eye out for?
As expected, a lot of Morocco’s best talent comes out wide, although they’ve got a solid array of names across their roster.
In this tournament, however, look for them to be led by the dangerous Achraf Hakimi, the PSG full back who is among the most dangerous attacking full backs in the world. As shown by his three goals and three assists in 21 games this year, he is always eager to get forward for Morocco, where he has eight goals and seven assists in 54 games with the Atlas Lions.
Otherwise, Hakim Ziyech is a big threat, and the biggest beneficiary of Regrarui’s hiring, as he was one of the players frozen out of the squad before. Now back, the Chelsea man has looked excellent, even scoring a long-distance banger in Morocco’s final pre-World Cup match, doing so despite playing just 270 minutes for Chelsea this year. With 18 goals and 10 assists in 43 caps for Morocco, he tends to step up big for his country, and will look to be a main creative threat offensively for them in this tournament.
Elsewhere, keep an eye on Yassine Bounou in goal. The Montréal-born goalkeeper, he’s been a key cog for Sevilla these past few years, and will likely want to perform well against his country of birth.
Other than that, centre backs Nayef Aguerd and Romain Saïss will look to hold things down defensively, full back Noussair Mazraoui will look to complement Hakimi, while Sofyan Amrabat and Azzedine Ounahi will look to control play in midfield, with Sofiane Boufal and Youssef En-Nesyri eager to cause danger in attack.
