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Promising beginnings, the Courtois affair, but above all failures: look back at the Domenico Tedesco era at the head of the Red Devils

The Domenico Tedesco era at the head of the Red Devils ended on Friday after just under two years. The Belgian Union has decided to terminate the contract of the 39-year-old Italian-German coach following a series of poor results.

Tedesco was appointed on February 8, 2023 after the fiasco of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar which ended Roberto Martinez’s mandate on a false note. The former coach of Schalke 04, Spartak Moscow and Leipzig first brought a breath of fresh air to the national team.

The beginnings are attractive: a 0-3 victory in Sweden in qualifying for the Euro followed by a historic 2-3 success in Germany, with style, in preparation. Even without the injured Kevin De Bruyne, the Devils had a relatively quiet qualifying run, stringing together victories. Tedesco does not hesitate to launch young people and seems to perfectly negotiate the transition between the “golden generation” and the new one.

Under the leadership of the native of Rossano, the ‘new’ Belgium went 14 games without defeat before arriving at the Euro. The Belgian Union was delighted and, during the presentation of the jersey dedicated to Tintin at the Hergé museum, the CEO at the time Piet Vandendriessche announced the extension of Tedesco’s contract until 2026.

The only downside: the Thibaut Courtois affair which broke out in June 2023 between the reception of Austria and the trip to Estonia. Frustrated at not having been named captain against Austria, the goalkeeper left the gathering, falling out with the coach. We will not see him again in the national team during the Tedesco era. Matz Sels then Koen Casteels may well have perfectly replaced the Real Madrid goalkeeper, but the Courtois saga will stick to Tedesco like Captain Haddock’s plaster.

The failure of Euro 2024

Then comes the Euro in Germany. The Devils present themselves with confidence, as outsiders. Especially since the group is, on paper, one of the easiest. But the Belgians got their feet wet from the start against Slovakia: 0-1 defeat. Tedesco’s choice to align Yannick Carrasco as left-back is striking. The victory against Romania 2-0 restarts the machine and allows the Devils to have their fate in hand on the last day. Qualification was achieved thanks to a goalless draw, but the Belgian supporters whistled at their players, who preferred to protect the 0-0 in the final. This score sends Belgium into a more difficult part of the table, with a round of 16 against . The Devils lost 1-0 and Tedesco admitted having “adapted too much” to the opponent.

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Summer passes and a new palace revolution is taking place within the Belgian Union. Piet Vandendriessche, operational director Jelle Schelstraete and technical director Frank Vercauteren (at the end of his contract) are paying the price.

The League of Nations

Tedesco remains in place and is counting on the Nations League to prepare for qualifications for the 2026 World Cup. After a victory against Israel 3-1 in Hungary, the Red Devils lost 2-0 in France. At the end of this match, Kevin De Bruyne did not mince his words about the team’s performance, triggering a new affair.

Tedesco will have to manage the rest of the campaign taking into account the numerous packages at each gathering. The Belgians shared 2-2 in Italy, then suffered three defeats in a row: 1-2 against France, 0-1 against Italy and 1-0 against Israel, again in Hungary.

This disappointing campaign and the arrival of Vincent Mannaert as sporting director sounded the death knell for Tedesco’s adventure. The Italian-German ends his mandate with a record of 12 victories, 6 draws and 6 defeats.

But these six defeats are concentrated in the last 10 games played last year. After a promising first year, Year II of the Tedesco era was one of disappointments. His successor will have to rekindle the flame of the Devils before the play-offs to stay in League A of the Nations League, against Ukraine next March, and, above all, the start of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, which will begin three months later. late.

Red Devils Tedesco dismissal

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