Paul Giblin
ST PETERSBURG, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Belgium coach Roberto Martinez has some special words for his assistant coach as he looks to lead Belgium to their first ever World Cup final appearance.
The Spaniard will be in the dugout on Tuesday for the World Cup semifinal against France in St Petersburg and at his side will be Thierry Henry, the former French international and one of the heroes of France's 1998 triumph on home soil. Now Henry is helping Martinez to plot France's downfall and the Spaniard is grateful to have him at his side.
"Thierry is someone who lives for football. He's a very, very special guy," he said in an interview with TV network, ESPN.
Martinez added that the former Arsenal, Juventus and Barcelona player had a lot of offer. "He brings to the table his experience as [a] winner of a World Cup ... that's golden for you to have," he commented.
Many have seen France's teenage sensation, Kylian Mbappe as the successor to Henry in the French attack and Martinez said it would be a "very tough thing to do." He said Mbappe was "exceptional" and that Belgium would have to "anticipate him and be well-positioned."
The Belgium coach went on to say that it's crucial to defend the space and not just the player and also talked up the strength of the French attacking play, singling out Olivier Giroud and Antoine Griezmann for praise.
Finally he sounded a battle cry as Belgium look to make history. "This group has to play with no fear at all ... To play without fear would probably be the one thing which would help us the most," concluded Martinez.
