ROBERTO MARTINEZ has revealed he could rest all TEN of his outfield players against England. The Belgium boss will make sweeping changes for the Group G decider with an eye on next week's last-16 clash. 6 Main men Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lulaku are unlikely to play for Belgium against England, with both teams already through to the KO phase Credit: EPA Martinez insists it would be "very risky" and "unprofessional" to start his three players who are one game away from suspension - Kevin De Bruyne, Jan Vertonghen and Thomas Meunier. And the Spaniard is almost certain to also rest four-goal striker Romelu Lukaku, who is recovering from an ankle knock. Asked if he could change ten players, Martinez said: "It could be a possibility to do that, yes. "I think everyone deserves to play in the World Cup. Jesse Lingard scores incredible long range goal for England against Panama at World Cup 2018 6 Belgium have hit eight goals in their two group games so far with Kevin De Bruyne supplying from midfield and four-goal Romelu Lukaku firing in attack Credit: AP:Associated Press "So it’s more important for me to be able to give that opportunity and see how they can react on the pitch and how much they can contribute. "We are going look after the situation with the suspensions and look after the situation of the individual physical condition. "I think it would be very risky and a real gamble to play any of the players who are on a yellow card against England, because you don’t want to have any player missing for the knockout stage." Jan Vertonghen and Roberto Martinez admits Belgium have their work cut out trying to stop Spurs team-mate and 'best striker in the world' Harry Kane on Thursday 6 Roberto Martinez says it would be a big gamble to play too many stars vs England Credit: Reuters Group leaders England might need only a draw to finish on top. Fellow qualifiers Belgium are level with them on points, goal difference and goals scored. But the Three Lions are better placed in the fair play table as so far they have picked up one less yellow card. England fans in wild celebrations as they score six goals against Panama at World Cup 2018 6 Michy Batshuayi, right, and midfielder Marouane Fellaini are hoping to start for Roberto Martinez's men against England Credit: AFP or licensors 6 Belgium could rest up to ten regulars for their group finale with the Three Lions Credit: AFP or licensors 6 England skipper Harry Kane has bagged five goals in two games and is likely to be taking on a much-weakened Belgium team Credit: AP:Associated Press<doc-sep>England coach Gareth Southgate has put himself in the firing line but it was the correct call, writes Adam Bate. If much of Gareth Southgate's focus so far has been on lifting the pressure on this England team, it is about to get tougher now. A 1-0 defeat to Belgium with a second string line-up means that Southgate's side face a trickier looking last-16 tie against Colombia instead of Japan. If the result does not go England's way, expect the manager to be heavily criticised. Southgate is already being accused of surrendering the momentum by resting key players rather than chasing victory at all costs in order to top the group. If that decision results in defeat to the Group H winners on Tuesday then his perceived folly will be confirmed in the minds of his critics - he will be the one who undermined England's chances. What happened to winning at all costs? Those cries have already begun. "You think Churchill ever deliberately lost a battle to win a war?" asked the ubiquitous Piers Morgan, showcasing his trademark grip on perspective. For the doubters, and they can always be found easily enough when anything goes awry, this was not only cowardice but also arrogance. That accusation stems from the suggestion that neither England nor Belgium were particularly keen on topping the group because it would put them on a quarter-final collision course with World Cup favourites Brazil. But it really does not require any great intellectual contortions to accept that some paths to glory might be easier than others. Taking the argument to its nth degree serves to ram home the point. What if it were the Dog and Duck pub awaiting England in the quarter-finals after playing Colombia, with ninety minutes against the Red Lion in their way if they wanted to reach the final? Surely then, it would make sense to avoid the half of the draw that includes Brazil and the rest? Image: Southgate rotated his squad for the 1-0 defeat against Belgium Of course, Sweden and Switzerland are no pub teams. But once the principle is established that it can be advantageous to take the less daunting path to the final then everything else is haggling over the odds. And it is worth noting that the bookmakers - not known for their profligacy - shortened England's odds of World Cup glory even in defeat. Much of the rest of the criticism is disingenuous, as Southgate well knows. "If we had put Harry Kane on for ten minutes and someone had whacked him on the ankle that would have been ridiculous," he told reporters in his post-match press conference. It would certainly have resulted in copious criticism directed at the coach who had taken that needless risk. Southgate's preparations for this tournament have been exhaustive - something for which he received much praise in the build-up to this World Cup. Perhaps there should be similar levels of gratitude, now things are intensifying, that the England coach has not succumbed to the hysteria which greeted both his selection and the subsequent scoreline in Kaliningrad. Image: Marcus Rashford had the chance to level things up against Belgium His decision should not be viewed as controversial but logical. England will have to play five matches in 18 days if they want to win this World Cup. Taking the chance to give a rest to his most important players, most notably Kane, was not an opportunity that any coach with grand ambitions in Russia could possibly forego. Roberto Martinez made the same call. In addition, Southgate has placed huge stock on the importance of the group, and in rotating his team he has managed to ensure that all 20 of his outfield players have now seen action at this World Cup. Not only is that likely to help morale but it also gives Southgate more reason to believe his back-up options are fit and ready to make an impact if needed. As a result, far from an act of cowardice by the England coach, it is actually his critics who have exposed their own poverty of ambition. The only thing Southgate is guilty of is preparing his players to contest seven games rather than four or five. Looking beyond the last 16 is not arrogance. It is a coach who is willing to see the bigger picture. "When you're a manager you've got to make decisions that are right for your group and are right for the primary objective," Southgate explained afterwards. "Sometimes those decisions will be criticised and I understand that. Only one person has to make that decision with the full facts and the intricacies of managing a group and a tournament. "Trying to balance all of those objectives and trying to win can be difficult but sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture and make decisions that might, in some quarters be criticised but I am entirely comfortable with that. I think everybody in our dressing room and our group understands what we're trying to do." None of that will count for much if England cannot beat Colombia. The result against Belgium and the furore surrounding it has made sure of that. Deliberately or otherwise, Southgate lost this battle. But if he can cope with the increased pressure and continue to deflect it away from his players, his chances of winning the war have not diminished. Comment below to get involved in the debate, but please adhere to our House Rules. If you wish to report any comment, simply click on the down arrow next to the offending comment and click 'Report'.<doc-sep>Gareth Southgate is contemplating as many as six changes for the final World Cup group game against ­Belgium on Thursday but insists that England do not want to lose momentum and that their “mindset” is to go for the win. Finishing runner-up in Group G could, arguably, create a smoother path into the knockout stages but Southgate said it was “dangerous territory to try to plot and predict”. He recalled the failure at Euro 2016 when drawing Iceland was celebrated, after a goalless match against Slovakia when wholesale changes were made, and added that it was about time England claimed a big scalp. There is a balance to be struck between resting players and maintaining momentum following the victories against Tunisia and Panama, which secured qualification for the last 16. Arguably the player needed to be protected most is Harry Kane but it is understood that the striker, with five goals in the race for the Golden Boot, is desperate to play. A compromise may well be struck, with Kane starting but not playing for more than an hour. A significant factor will be the physical state of the players following the 6-1 defeat of Panama which, although comfortable, was played in stifling heat in Nizhny Novgorod.<doc-sep>
Should Gareth Southgate ring the changes for England's final World Cup group game against Belgium? England have already secured their place in the last 16 with back-to-back wins and would secure top spot in Group G with a victory on Thursday night. However, with the prospect of second place potentially securing a more favourable route to the final, we asked the Soccer Saturday pundits whether they thought Southgate should rotate his side against Belgium... Paul Merson: Madness not to make 11 changes "I can't believe he isn't going to rest every player. They've had a game in the boiling heat on Sunday and Belgium will rest players as well. Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard won't play. "I just think we are playing a dangerous game if we play our best team and get beat because it knocks our confidence, whereas if we make 11 changes then losing won't have the same impact. If they win the game then great and if we don't then we go the other way in the draw. "Let's be honest, nobody wants to go the Brazil way and you don't get any medals for winning all of your [group] games. Also, Southgate has been to a World Cup and didn't play a minute so he shouldn't want to do that to any other player." Phil Thompson: No more than four changes "I wouldn't make too many changes, perhaps Eric Dier for Jordan Henderson, Danny Rose for Ashley Young and Trent Alexander-Arnold for Kieran Trippier. However, I wouldn't touch the back three because the understanding there is so important. "Trippier seems to be carrying a bit of a thigh problem so it would be a really good game to bring Trent in. I thought he might have done that when he took Trippier off against Panama, so I thought that was defeating the object in terms of gaining experience. Trent knows the Belgium team so I'm confident he would do well. "I'd say three changes, four maximum. The big question is Harry Kane. Do you rest him? He'll be looking at the Golden Boot, which is such a prestigious achievement, so going head to head with Romelu Lukaku adds to that incentive to play. "The bookings do come into it and I thought Southgate might have taken Ruben Loftus-Cheek off but he trusted him to manage his game and that says a lot." Matt Le Tissier: Southgate must trust his instincts "There might be a case for resting a few and I think if all of our best players played and picked up a few injuries he would get slaughtered; although that is wrong because they can also get injured in training. "Gareth is in the hot seat and whatever he does will be what he believes is right. I think he's cool and calculated enough to go with his gut instinct rather than worry about how it could be perceived in the media. Image: Harry Kane leads the Golden Boot race with five goals "I would probably rest a few if I was honest and give minutes to players we have to rely on in the later stages. I'd definitely rest Kane, even though I'd know he'd want to play because of the Golden Boot situation, but I'd like to see Marcus Rashford start the game. I think he could be a key player come the knockout stages." Charlie Nicholas: England can show they mean business "It does not matter if Belgium make changes, it would show England mean business if they won this game. They are in the frame with six or seven other teams and if I was England I would want to get this game won and prove they are serious contenders. "Therefore I would only make a couple of changes. My personal agenda would be Kane starts and you can take him off after 65 minutes. "Dele Alli missed the last game so he can come in. Jordan Henderson for Eric Dier would be the other change I would expect. I would change the goalkeeper and give one of the other lads a chance, but I wouldn't want to disrupt the momentum too much."