How Should Mauricio Pochettino Approach Belgium?

Mauricio Pochettino has a full deck of cards now that striker Folarin Balogun can play with his red card being suspended. That doesn't mean this will be an easy match by any stretch as Belgium has a ton of solid players, but with Pochettino's tactics and his depth, it's exciting to see. There are different variables to how Pochettino should approach Belgium, but you will see something creative, that's for sure.

With Balogun starting, this should be an option of how things play out: have Christian Pulisic play as a false nine in a 4-4-2 formation. Essentially, use him and Balogun as the two forwards in front. Pulisic tends to cut inside a lot so tucking him in might actually be a reasonable idea. Another way to use Pulisic is to have him be the 10 as he is the best playmaker on the team and already how he cuts inside in a more favorable way. Then there is the possibility of having three attacking midfielders with Pulisic being one of them where he can cut either out to the wing or tuck inside when needed. Either ways and there could be plenty of other possibilities to use him, Pulisic probably needs to be prioritized more in this situation.

An interesting way is to stack two attacking midfielders in front of two holding ones and play behind Balogun. One way is to have Weston McKennie and Gio Reyna play as the attacking midfielders who can help Balogun in support, but can also fall back when needed. McKennie is likely to be the guy who acts as a second striker when needed, but can also fall back in defense which could also lead to having Pulisic swing back in from the wing in attack, defensively, and support. When McKennie pushes forward, Pulisic can tuck in as a third attacking midfielder with Reyna making the attack more dangerous.

Tim Weah could be utilized as an option here too due to his speed and ability to fall back as a fullback. Weah was one of Gregg Berhalter's top wingers in 2022 and honestly should be used more often whether it's in rotation or coming off the bench. That being said, having Weah used on the wing and then falling back in defense is a great idea as well. If this is an option, then it helps Pochettino with how he utilizes his substitutes later in the match.

Let's get creative here. How about having Malik Tillman, McKennie, and Reyna as the attacking midfield with Tyler Adams as the holding/defensive one and both Weah and Pulisic out on the wings while Balogun is the striker? That's a formidable attack, but it does put some pressure defensively. To compensate that issue, Pochettino could use a five back system with having both Sergino Dest and Antonee Robinson used as wingbacks and Tim Ream, Chris Richards, and Alex Freeman as the centerbacks. This is basically throwing the kitchen sink at Belgium here.

Then there is using the super subs approach. This essentially will be the hardest game plan for Belgium to prepare for. Have Reyna and Ricardo Pepi come in as extra attackers while using Haji Wright as a like for like replacement for Balogun. Then have Weah play out on the wings adding more speed which should make the Belgian defense on their toes. There's lots of possibilities, but utilizing these players should help USA win this.

While there are plenty of options and creative possibilities to help with Balogun's absence, these are simply ideas. Belgium is towards the end of their golden generation if it hasn't ended already. Belgium are slow and aging, which is a huge vulnerability for them. Pochettino and his team needs to take advantage of this. Pochettino is known for his excellent tactics and he has the team that best suits his style which helps favor USA over Belgium. Romelu Lukaku doesn't move much as he parks himself in front of the net waiting for a ball to be distributed to him so he can score. Lukaku is still dangerous, but that five back system proposed earlier would probably make him ineffective thus frustrating the Belgium attack. Kevin De Bruyne might be 35, but he still has some spunk in him to get the job done. The midfield proposed earlier could prevent De Bruyne from being effective as they could swarm him cutting off any options he might have had. Jeremy Doku is another player to watch out for as he might actually be Belgium's most dangerous attacker on the squad. What USA should do is isolate him and put as many backs on him as possible rendering him ineffective. The one player that the Americans will have the hardest stopping is Leandro Trossard as he has been Belgium's best player in the World Cup. Youri Tielemans and Amadou Onana are also great players for Belgium. Finally Thibaut Courtois is a phenomenal shot stopper which will give USA's attack some fits as he is one of the best in the game. If the US can use their speed to it's advantage, then they have a great chance at winning the game if they aren't the favorite already.