Everything seemed clear last March when Tedesco revealed his selection for the friendly matches in Ireland and England. “We had a good conversation with Witsel in Madrid, we spoke openly after my appointment and we decided not to summon him for March. And in June, he decided to retire,” confided the national coach.
And added: “After his decision, we had a new conversation in which he explained his choice to me. From my side, everything is clear and everything was positive. »
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In short, the page seemed definitively turned but the truth of one day is not necessarily that of the next and in recent days, a crazy rumor has been circulating. As Jean-François Rémy said in our “diabolical debate” talk: “In the community, the rumor is circulating according to which Domenico Tedesco is thinking of Witsel, given the problems in defense”.
Jan Vertonghen and Arthur Theate are currently injured and the fallback options are not great. There is Toby Alderweireld who has always left the door ajar but the Antwerp player is coming out of a rather gloomy season, unlike that experienced last year during which he offered the title to Antwerp at the last second. And there is the Witsel “case”. The latter had an exceptional season with Atlético Madrid in… defense. And at 35, he has lost none of his talent. His experience would obviously be valuable in a tournament like the one which will be played in Germany from June 14 to July.
There are, however, some major concerns. Firstly, Axel Witsel has announced the end of his international career and his latest media outing does not portend a return to the selection. He hardly appreciated the way in which he was sidelined when Tedesco arrived at the head of the Devils. He would have preferred the coach to be more frank. He did not hesitate to point out his lack of consistency. Second, at Atletico Madrid, Axel Witsel does not play in a system comparable to that advocated by Tedesco in the Belgian national team. With Simeone, Witsel plays in a 3-man defense while the Devils play in a 4-man defense. Does Tedesco have an idea in mind? Would he be ready to change his game plan so close to the Euro?
It is clear that Axel Witsel’s experience and talent are assets that should not be overlooked and everyone is aware of this. From there to seeing him return, there is a step that Tedesco has not (yet) taken. Polyglot, the German coach is currently silent in all languages.
The return of NGolo Kanté to the French selection may have given ideas to some, and perhaps even to Tedesco. We will be set for Tuesday May 28…
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