With the group-stages done and dusted, and with some of the Qatar World Cup’s big-hitters bowing out early, which players will be looking back at their tournament with regret?
As you might imagine, our World Cup Flops XI contains it’s fair share of Belgians and Germans…
Keylor Navas – Costa Rica and Paris Saint-Germain
The three-time Champions League winner was always likely to be busy in Qatar; Costa Rica sharing a group with both Spain and Germany. But if Los Ticos were expecting PSG’s former Real Madrid glovesman to provide the platform for an almighty shock in the so-called Group of Death, those hopes went up in smoke as a Marco Asensio volley slipped through Navas’ fingers only 21 minutes into that 7-0 defeat.
No goalkeeper in the competition conceded more than Navas’ 11 in the group stages. The 35-year-old also underperformed his XG by 1.4 (Fbref).
Thomas Meunier – Belgium and Borussia Dortmund
During Belgium’s 2-0 defeat to Morocco, it was hard to work out which part of Meunier’s performance had been more disappointing. His seemingly ironic approach to defensive positioning, or his consistently dreadful deliveries at the other end. That Meunier kept his place for the 0-0 draw with Croatia spoke volumes about the dearth of right-back options available to Rote Duivels coach Roberto Martinez.
Matthijs de Ligt – Netherlands and Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich’s £67 million centre-back only played once during the group stage. 90 minutes of being torn limb from limb by Senegal’s Ismaila Sarr was all the encouragement Louis van Gaal needed to relegate the former Juventus and Ajax stopper to the bench.
“He makes too many mistakes. He has to play a bit more relaxed,” Dutch legend Marco Van Basten tells NOS.
“I didn’t like Matthijs (against Senegal). It’s a pity, because he is a boy with potential. But he is no better now than two years ago.”
Niklas Sule – Germany and Borussia Dortmund
Given that Sule and Nico Schlotterbeck have struggled to form any sort of an understanding at club level, it was maybe a surprise to see Hansi Flick start the error-prone BVB duo at the heart of his Germany defence for that fateful 2-1 defeat to Japan. Especially with Matthias Ginter, in the form of his life at Freiburg, left on the bench.
Sule hardly repaid his manager’s faith either, switching off in the build up to Takumi Asano’s dramatic second-half winner.
“Germany have a problem in defence. Sule is not world-class. He is the German Harry Maguire,” former Tottenham and Real Madrid playmaker Rafael van der Vaart quipped following Germany’s second straight group-stage exit (NOS).
Then again, diehard England fans will argue that, if Sule had indeed played like Maguire in Qatar, Germany may have been delaying their flight home by a couple of days at least.
Nico Schlotterbeck – Germany and Borussia Dortmund
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While Sule copped most of the stick for Germany’s collapse against Japan, Schlotterbeck’s role should not go unnoticed. It was he who was left choking on Asano’s dust as Hajimo Moriyasu’s jet-heeled supersubs turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead at the Khalifa International Stadium.
Yannick Ferreira Carrasco – Belgium and Atletico Madrid
Depending on who you asked, Roberto Martinez either overachieved or underachieved as head coach of Belgium. And the fact that Carrasco spent much of Martinez’s tenure as an ill-fitting left-wing back (square peg, meet round hole) is either a reflection of how few options the former Everton manager had in that role, or an example of Martinez’s stubborn reluctance to adapt his 3-4-2-1 system.
Either way, Carrasco lasted just 45 minutes in that role against Canada before being removed from the firing line.
Rodrigo de Paul – Argentina and Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid’s £30 million enforcer is probably fortunate that he had enough credit in the bank, as far as Lionel Scaloni is concerned. Many a manager would have dropped De Paul like a stone following his midfield disasterclass against Saudi Arabia.
It was Leandro Paredes who was given the hook instead by Argentina’s head coach. But surely De Paul cannot afford many more performances like that if he is to retain his starting spot for an Albiceleste side with glory in thier sights.
Thomas Partey – Ghana and Arsenal
“(Partey) is a pale shadow of himself,” Sports World Ghana wrote after the 3-2 defeat to Portugal; handing the former Atletico Madrid ace the joint-worst rating (5/10) of any of those who started the game.”
Things didn’t get much better for Partey against Uruguay on Friday either; his pass completion rate of 83 per cent well down on his usual numbers at Arsenal.
Youssouf Fofana – France and Monaco
Handed a start for a much-changed France side during their final group game with Tunisia, the only message Fofana sent out is that Deschamps probably made the right call omitting him from those earlier victories over Denmark and Australia. The Monaco man gave away possession in the most casual fashion in the build up to Wahbi Khazri’s opener and was hooked soon after.
Don’t expect another chance to come his way against Poland on Sunday.
Kevin de Bruyne – Belgium and Manchester City
Even De Bruyne himself knew that he didn’t deserve the Man of the Match award following Belgium’s undeserved 1-0 win over a vastly-superior Canada side. Throughout the tournament, De Bruyne’s usually razor-sharp passes were off the mark; a side sitting second in FIFA’s World Rankings rendered toothless going forward as a result.
Romelu Lukaku – Belgium and Inter Milan
OK, maybe Lukaku’s inclusion is a little harsh. He played only 50-or-so minutes in the tournament, after all, and arrived in Qatar on the back of an injury-hit spell at Inter Milan. But the fact is that, if Lukaku had taken just one of the many golden opportunities that came his way in the dying stages against Croatia, Belgium would have a last-16 clash to look forward to.
“He’s devastated,” team-mate Leander Dendoncker sighed after the goalless stalemate that send Belgium packing.
The haunted expression on Lukaku’s face, after hitting just about everything but the back of the net, told us that much.
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