“I didn’t have to convince him, Romelu is motivated”: national coach Tedesco about the bond with Lukaku and his selection

About Romelu Lukaku: “We have a good relationship”

It was the key question for Domenico Tedesco’s selection on Friday morning: is Romelu Lukaku’s fire back? The answer turns out to be yes. The Napoli striker is back at it against Italy and Israel after a short break. At his press conference, the national coach naturally received a lot of questions about his striker. Especially about the recent Koolcast & Friends of Sports podcast, where Lukaku broke the silence and was critical of the national team and the association.

Tedesco remained quite calm about that passage in the podcast during his press chat. “I was told it, but I didn’t listen to it myself. All I know is that I have a good and close relationship with Romelu. I don’t think it’s important what he says to others, but what he says to me personally is important. That’s the best way to build a relationship.” Tedesco is not necessarily concerned about it, but does plan a conversation with his attacker. “I will definitely talk to him about it in the coming days.”

Lukaku also said in that podcast that he was not there during the previous international match “because the fire was no longer burning” for the national team. How come this is now the case again? After a plea from the national coach? “No, I didn’t have to convince him,” said Tedesco. “We haven’t had a conversation to convince him, because I’ve never done that before. That wouldn’t be a good example either. Playing for a national team is an honor, not something you need to be convinced about. Romelu is very motivated to help and it is a good sign that he is back.”

About the young (new) generation

Lukaku also said in the podcast that the new generation of Devils is sometimes too lazy and does not know what it means to win every match and play for prizes. Tedesco also wanted to say something about this: “You cannot possibly tar everyone with the same brush, because everyone has their own character and plays in a specific club in a specific country. Arne Engels, for example, plays for the title and in the Champions League at Celtic. Many young people are doing really well at their club. You can’t summarize something like that in one sentence.” The national coach protects his boys, but is also clear: “I am not going to keep giving opportunities indefinitely. And the young people are indeed being pushed. Then it’s a matter of whether they pick it up or not. You therefore do not always immediately see this in the direct results. There is also the way: we played very well at home against France and it was also good for an hour in Italy.”

Who will also return in addition to Lukaku is Roméo Lavia. In his case the absence was a lot longer. The midfielder played his last international match in March 2023, against Germany. “I was just starting here,” Tedesco remembers well. “So it was a very long time ago and it was a tough period for him with his injury. But when you see how he has returned to Chelsea in recent weeks, you have to say that this is a huge punishment. It is not easy to immediately earn your place back in such a team. But he did and that is why he deserves to be back here.”

Seys is rewarded, Godts is not

Finally, Joaquin Seys is also there. The 19-year-old right back is the seasonal revelation at Club Brugge and can now also get a taste of the national team. He is preferred over Killian Sardella, who was in the pre-selection but will therefore not be selected. “Seys is a back who can play on both sides, I can appreciate that,” said Tedesco about the choice of the Bruges native. “We have to ensure that he is brought in calmly, like we did with De Cuyper.”

In any case, it was a puzzle with the youngsters, because the U21 will also play two important international matches against the Czech Republic (15 and 19 November) with a view to participating in the European Championship. That is why some key players remain with the promises. One of them is Mika Godts. The winger scores well at Ajax, but is not (yet) rewarded with a selection among the big boys. “I want to see him play for the U21s,” Tedesco explains. “He is doing fantastic at Ajax, but we don’t want to skip any steps and need him with the reserves, where he plays in a familiar environment.”