Sunday, in a 9,000-seat stadium of which 8,325 seats were empty, the makeover was extreme. Too many to draw definitive conclusions, particularly on Domenico Tedesco’s ability to lead the national team, even if the debate will inevitably come back to the table. From bistros to the technical direction of the federation. What more could he have done with many kids, including four who celebrated their first milestone, Sambi Lokonga, Bassette, Sardella and Smets, guilty of a big error on the only goal of the match? This will be one of the questions that needs to be answered.
Tedesco does not want to give up despite the new defeat: “I still trust myself and I still trust my players”
The surviving executives were very disappointed
The federal coach would hope to count on the rare survivors among his executives. But Trossard was quickly injured, without making the effort to grit his teeth when the back of his thigh started to pull. Lukebakio tried but clumsily. And Openda remains Openda: a center forward who doesn’t know how to hold the point alone. The press box at the charming Bozsik Arena is just behind the bench occupied by Tedesco and we have often seen him railing about the choices, errors or placement of his theoretical scorer, who will be suspended for the first leg of the play-off.
The young people tried to apply themselves but we felt stress in some and a lack of confidence in others. Learning happens there. We went back fifteen years when it was time to launch the golden generation. But this new crop will have to learn to express itself on the pitch. We were surprised by the silence in the Belgian team on Sunday. As proof that no one dares to take leadership when things are not going well. The armband was not going to transform the introverted character of Castagne, who will also be suspended in March.
The shadow of Philippe Clement
The word “patience” will come up again often in the coming months. Rightly so, but the World Cup qualifiers will start in June and we will have to be able to show more. Because the expansion to 48 qualifiers will not offer the Devils a gift ticket, far from it. We will have to hope that De Bruyne, Lukaku, Tielemans and Doku are not exhausted after their club season and that the vacation taken during the Nations League will have been useful.
The Devils under the magnifying glass: Smets gives a gift to Israel, Openda with zero confidence, eight failures in all
Will Tedesco still be there? Despite its humiliating nature, it is difficult to rely on this defeat against Israel to bury the German coach. But there is a new technical director in the house. Vincent Mannaert wants to quickly put his stamp on the showcase of the federation. And a Belgian coach he adores could find himself on the market if Glasgow Rangers’ results don’t improve very quickly. With a record of two victories in… ten official matches over the year 2024, it is difficult to be lenient, obviously.
