Belgium: Coach Tedesco is wasting his team’s talent

Over a Kölsch you can quickly start a conversation in the cathedral city. The large number of Belgian fans is not at all unusual, I learn from two people from Cologne with whom I share one of the coveted tables in front of a brewery. We understand each other even better when I order “Heaven and Ääd”. Fried blood sausage with mashed potatoes and applesauce is just as traditional here as the many small and large breweries in the city center.

The Köbes is quick, like all brewery waiters, I am assured. Beer delivery to the table will only be stopped upon express request. No problem, the glasses are small and the conversation is ongoing. After the second Kölsch I know about the Belgian quarter, about former barracks and associated residential buildings in the city. After the First World War, parts of the army of the neighboring country were stationed in Cologne; after the Second World War, the largest Belgian garrison abroad was here. The Belgian House on Neumarkt, which opened in 1950 as a cultural institute, is now part of the university and city library.

Expulsion by Tedesco

“We’ll take that,” says Lars. “We pay too,” says Henning and laughs. I wasn’t fast enough, suddenly the third Kölsch is in front of me. I have to go to the neighboring city of Düsseldorf, which is not very popular with Cologne residents. The Belgian refugee movement there had already started on Monday morning. A day later there are only a few, mostly sad black, yellow and red figures left in Cologne. Most of them were driven out by one of them, so almost: under the guidance of the German-Italian football teacher Domenico Tedesco, Belgium’s footballers were eliminated 0-1 by France in the round of 16 of the European Championship on Monday evening.

Miracle striker Kylian Mbappé and the French as vice-European champions in 2016, world champions in 2018 and World Cup runners-up in 2022 – you can lose there. And that only after an own goal from defender Jan Vertonghen five minutes before the end of the game. The fans thought so too and said goodbye to the team with benevolent applause. There were whistles after the last group game against the Ukrainian footballers. With a lot of trouble and a goalless draw, Belgium only qualified for the round of 16 thanks to the better goal difference.

False trust

The fans love their stars, captain Kevin de Bruyne was celebrated again in the Düsseldorf Arena. They are dissatisfied with their coach in Belgium. The daily newspaper “De Standaard” wrote that “Tedesco could prepare for criticism.”

But they probably won’t get rid of him that quickly. In March his contract was extended until the 2026 World Cup. And before the round of 16 he had received further support from the association. “Everyone applauds how Tedesco is renewing the team,” said President Piet Vandendriessche. He couldn’t justify the great trust, at least at this European Championship. His players have scored just two goals in four games.

It was clear against France why the offensive, which was not unjustly praised and had storm giant Romelu Lukaku, the fast and tricky wide players Jeremy Doku and Lois Openda as well as Kevin de Bruyne in the center, failed to get going. Tedesco took his team in the wrong direction. Didier Deschamps was also surprised. “On paper, Belgium is an offensive team,” said France’s coach about the opponent’s extremely defensive tactics. His team didn’t offer a spectacle either, the last of at least 20 shots on goal – fired by substitute Randal Kolo Muani and deflected by Vertonghen – ended up in the Belgian goal by no means undeserved.

Wasted talent

Tedesco, on the other hand, wasted his team’s talent. The attacking strong captain de Bruyne played in the defensive midfield for more than an hour, the pressing only started shortly before his own half, which meant that the entire team spent most of the game there. The ways forward were correspondingly long. That explains the meager two shots at the French goal – and also the fact that Belgium’s record goalscorer Lukaku failed to score at the European Championships. Tedesco couldn’t or didn’t want to explain why his tactics didn’t work. “If we win the game, everything will be great.” After saying things like that, he can rightly expect criticism when he returns.