Three years later, the central defender (or left back) is in the top 3 of players most used by Domenico Tedesco, with Wout Faes and Timothy Castagne. Its status has evolved; his attitude, too. It takes up more space, more responsibilities, brings character and its qualities. But he doesn’t always use the form to address his opinion or his criticisms to a teammate.
The scene on Thursday, and his altercation with Faes in the wake of an Italian occasion, reminded us that he could start like clockwork. This happened very quickly: Faes had criticized Theate for not having intervened better when it was undoubtedly Faes who could have better hindered Di Lorenzo’s movement. Annoyed, the Frankfurt defender shoved Leicester’s defender behind his back, which required the intervention of Amadou Onana and Koen Casteels.
Words with Lukebakio against France, close to a fight in Rennes
The two men had an explanation after this incident to resolve their differences, just as Dodi Lukebakio had an explanation with Theate in the wake of Belgium – France for a concern of another order, more tactical. Discussions and disagreements are common in the heat of the moment, but Theate’s nonverbal behavior sometimes seems excessive, far from the positive and constructive criticism that Tedesco advocates.
He comes back, for example, this altercation when he was in Rennes, at the beginning of September 2023. During a bullfight in training, the Belgian defender seriously clashed with Flavien Tait, in a very muscular exchange, which shot at the start of a fight and required the intervention of teammates. There too the dispute was quickly resolved before the French midfielder left Rennes a few days later, in the last days of the summer transfer window, without any link with what had happened.
From Cuyper and Engels: the Devils’ kids still have to grow up
The tension at the end of the transfer window, and a sluggish start to the championship for Rennais, had made the atmosphere a little more tense. It is also through this more delicate pass for Belgium that we must see these tensions rise. And since Theate is not the type to say what he thinks, things can quickly explode.
Being a regular holder, however, does not authorize all reframing or certain behaviors, like when he told, during the last Euro, to the journalist in charge of Belgium for L’Équipe, that he would speak to him when his newspaper gave him information. best grades. Arthur Theate is no longer the young wolf who arrived on tiptoe, but the lion (his nickname in Bologna) must watch his claws if he does not want to be put in a cage.
