The defeat suffered by Belgium on Sunday against Israel at the Bozsik Arena in Budapest (1-0) increased the pressure on Domenico Tedescohis coach asked, though he continued to believe he was the right man for the job.
Belgium He has won just two of his last 10 games and avoided last place in its group and its subsequent automatic relegation to League B of the Nations League thanks to the fact that in September it beat Israel 3-1 in Debrecen (Hungary) and, as a result, went through to the final table of the best particular. ‘average’.
Permanence, in a playoff in March
Same options They ended up tied at 4 points and this criterion, the particular ‘average’, is what ended up condemning Israel to automatic relegation as last in the group. However, Belgium, third behind France and Italy (qualified for the quarterfinals), He must still ensure his permanence in League A in a round-trip playoff against a second from League B (Greece and Austria for sure) that will take place in March,
Tedesco, 39 years old and in office since February 2023, It has been under scrutiny since Belgium’s disappointing elimination in the round of 16 of Euro 2024 against France (1-0) after passing the first stage with only 4 points to its name by only losing to Romania (2-0).
Although the defeat in Budapest on Sunday against Israel did not help calm the situation, the Italian-German coach preferred to be optimistic. “I trust my qualities. I trust my staff, I trust my players. I trust the people around me. I know how difficult I am,” he said after the game.
Belgium’s game did not improve in the Nations League despite the fact that Tedesco, after a disappointing Euro Cup, It promises to give the team more offensive air. The truth is that the ‘red devils’ have only been added 4 points in 6 group games (the aforementioned victory over Israel and a creditable 2-2 against Italy in Rome) and criticism increased.
“After the Euro Cup I told them that we had to change something in some games, we lacked intensity and we had to try new players because if we don’t do it now, we won’t,” Tedesco recalled.
De Bruyne, Lukaku…, a cataract of casualties
But then he explained why he didn’t achieve the results he expected. “This team stage is different because of the many, many injuries,” argument.
In fact, Belgium does not count his great figure, Kevin de Bruyne, in the last four games, in October and November, because of his recurring muscle problems, while the scorer Romelu Lukaku He played only one game, the loss on Thursday against Italy (0-1).
The situation worsened before Sunday’s match because, in addition to De Bruyne and Lukaku, Tedesco accrued other losses therefrom, viz Jérémy Doku, Youri Tielemans, Amadou Onana, Maxim De Cuyper, Romeo Lavia or Arthur Theate.
Smets, a debut marked by his mistake
To make matters worse, Israel’s goal came after a terrible passing error Matte Smets, 20-year-old Genk defender making his debut after the break in this match, took advantage of Yarden Shua to score in the 86th minute.
“It was a difficult game, difficult circumstances and it is difficult to say something hurtful to this young team,” said Tedesco. “Now we are better equipped for next year’s World Cup qualifiers.”
The players must pull the cart
About the players mentioned, besides Leandro Trossard, Loïs Openda, Arthur Vermeeren, Orel Mangala or the Sevilla player Dodi Lukebakio, The responsibility will fall on the return of Belgian football to the level that led it to reach fourth place in the 2018 World Cup and the quarterfinals in the 2026 and 2020 Euro Cups with the help of its ‘golden generation’.
Tedesco, who? will try to convince Madrid player Thibaut Courtois so that the differences between the two and return to the Belgian team look to the future with optimism. “Negative feelings are not new. “They told me it’s typically Belgian,” he assured, defiantly. “Naturally, the results in the Nations League didn’t help, but in March we have a kind of final in the playoffs to keep our place in the A-League.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
