False dawn or a new day?

Captain Eden Hazard's admission that Belgium 'want to reach the final' of the 2018 World Cup coupled with dominant performances that have yielded nine goals over two games has seemed to strengthen opinion that perennial dark horses Belgium could finally step up and join the big boys at this World Cup.

With their golden generation in full bloom, the Red Devils will be attempting to at least replicate the feats of 1986 when a Diego Maradona brace undid them in the semifinals and they had to be content with fourth place.

They certainly have the talent to do so, if not better, with a forward line that most teams in the world look upon with envy.

Hazard got his first World Cup goal against Tunisia, and added another just for good measure. He also picked up an assist in the first game and has been a menace to defenders throughout.

Striker Romelu Lukaku is a far cry from the player he was in 2014 -- finishing this year with 27 goals and nine assists as Manchester United's best outfielder. His hunger for goals is already shining through in Russia, with four goals from two games.

In 2014, Kevin de Bruyne had spent half a season at Wolfsburg after a topsy-turvy spell at Chelsea. Now he is one of the best midfielders in the world and the crowning jewel of Pep Guardiola's all-conquering Manchester City side.

There are others -- Napoli's rapid winger Dries Mertens, Tottenham Hotspurs's 2017-18 revelation Mousa Dembele and Borussia Dortmund's Michy Batshuayi -- but the one who will make or break this team is coach Roberto Martinez.

Former coach Marc Wilmots was blamed widely for Belgium's underperforming stars at the 2016 Euros, where he shoe-horned players into positions they were unfamiliar with in order to get the best XI on the pitch.

Martinez has alleviated those problems by moving away from Wilmots's preferred 4-2-3-1 and switching to a fluid 3-4-2-1, which becomes a 5-2-2-1 while defending.

This sort of system makes it easier for players such as Eden Hazard and Dries Mertens to operate through the middle, which they prefer, and excel with their superb playmaking abilities as the wingbacks overlap into the spaces left behind.

De Bruyne is put into the centre of midfield, where Martinez put his playmaking abilities to use by making him the conduit between defence and the forwards.

However, this is also what makes Belgium a more defensive, and perhaps easier to exploit, team.

When players fail to get into position fast enough in transition, Belgium are left at sea with a frail defence between the opposition and goal. This is often the reason players are reluctant to get forward and with no overlapping runs, their attack grinds to a halt and forces more individual and less team play.

If they all venture out together, Belgium are left with only Axel Witsel to cover the entirety of midfield. Wingbacks Thomas Meunier and Yannick Carrasco, a natural winger often have to run back and not only are they defensively below-par, the latter especially, but the pair often forget their defensive duties altogether.

Tottenham pair Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld -- who were used as left and right-backs under Wilmots -- find familiarity and make a formidable pair at the heart of defence. However, Vincent Kompany's injury has meant that Dedryck Boyata slots in between them.

The Celtic player has put in decent enough shifts so far, but those have come against Tunisia and Panama. How he stands up to stiffer competition will be something to keep an eye on.

Belgium were imperious in qualifying, winning nine and drawing once, and they continue to be in Russia as well. But none of their glimmering performances have come against a top team.

With new personnel and a new philosophy, Belgium will be hoping to make a make a statement against England that ensures the world stand up and take notice. However, if the same old problems return, then they would rather hope the world doesn't.