A classic from the Squadra Azzurra.
There is talk of dismissal, conflict with Courtois
Things are not going well for the Red Devils. The effect of Domenico Tedesco disappeared, the team began to lose more and more often – and everyone remembered his conflict with the leader. Now the tone of the atmosphere in the locker room is set by the fact that Thibaut Courtois, the reliable goalkeeper and mental leader of the Belgians, is not yet in the national team. Coach Domenico underlines that he is ready to bring the goalkeeper back to the national team – but remains true to his original decision to leave the team.
Two other alarm bells are ringing: those of Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku. The former often criticizes his partners: this is what he said in September after the defeat against France (0:2) in the League of Nations:
We are too tight at the back. When there are six players left on defense, communication is lost. But it’s not about making transitions correctly, it’s about people not doing the job. If the standard we aim for is to be the best, but we are no longer good enough to reach that level, then we have to give it our all and give it our all on the pitch. If you don’t even do that, it’s all over.
Subsequently, Kevin was not included in the Red Devils squad for the October matches – and Lukaku missed the national team match with him. Tedesco said the initiative came from the players. The midfielder wanted to work on recovery, the second wanted to work individually in a new team to adapt quickly.
Meanwhile, the Belgian national team under Tedesco failed at Euro 2024 – and in the last nine meetings they achieved only two victories. Once again there is no unity in the team and the fans are calling for the manager’s resignation.
Scenario from the previous game
The Belgians approached the fight with this background. Therefore, it is clear how important the victory was for everyone. For the coach to continue working, for the players to reverse the negative streak. Plus we had to play at home, after the comeback at the Olympic Stadium in Rome. This gave a psychological advantage.
And the scenario of that match was partly repeated. At the start Luciano Spalletti’s team once again proved to be their best. The Blue Team takes advantage of this in the center and moves the ball faster. In the 6th minute the opposing defense was broken: Rovella made a clear pass to Retegi, but the pass into the penalty area was intercepted. Yet the Italians, as in the last match, scored first, and they did so at the start too. In the 11th minute there is a pass under the run of Di Lorenzo who passes it to Sandro Tonali with an empty net.
The Italians quickly gained the lead and maintained the pace of the match with periodic attacks.
The reliable defense ensured a good finish, but the attack was not encouraging
True, the lively start last time did not lead to anything good. At home, the Azzurra team achieved an even more impressive advantage. But the match was overturned by the expulsion of Lorenzo Pellegrini. Already in the first half Belgium reduced the score by one goal, in the second half they regained parity.
Now such decisions did not affect the nature of the struggle. Italy, having gained an advantage, moved on to play second after the break. In the first 45 minutes the hosts had five shots, while the home team only had one. In the second half the picture was the opposite. The Red Devils pick up the pace. The tone for the final period was set with active pressure and long-range shots (so that at least a few chances appeared). Gradually this paid off, but Donnarumma saved the Italians.
This is an Italian classic: get a minimal advantage and “dry” the game. The Blue Team did not let themselves go wild and for a long time did not allow the opponent to enter their penalty area. At the same time, the team is noticeably lacking in finishing. The mechanism works without problems, the ball is quickly brought into the opponent’s goal: yesterday the score could have even been higher. But there wasn’t enough individual skill to pull off any more moments.
Luciano Spalletti also noted the failure in the second half, but overall he is satisfied:
The players were good, but in the second half the pitch became difficult and we lost a bit of clarity in the game. We made too many mistakes with the ball. In such conditions it is important to maintain possession of the ball because adapting to the opponent’s pace becomes very difficult. When they moved into our half of the field it became difficult for us, but the players fought like lions.
The coaching reshuffle suggests itself
The Italian national team took revenge for the home humiliation, after the European Championships the team appears extremely confident – one draw and four wins. Despite the fact that in the first round of the League of Nations of UEFA played away against the French. Spalletti earns trust.
But Domenico Tedesco is on the brink of the abyss. He started well: in the first 14 matches under Domenico’s leadership, the Red Devils remained completely undefeated. But the most important thing is that things aren’t working out for him right now. With regard to the euro, implementation problems arose again, but these could not be resolved. An early departure leads to an unsuccessful autumn. Belgium have lost twice to the French and have now lost to Italy, despite failing to win in the first round. At the moment the team is inferior to its direct competitors. All this while waiting for selection for the 2026 World Cup.
A decision is expected from the Belgian Football Federation. Impossible to fail the qualification, the Red Devils await the final phase. A coaching reshuffle is being prepared and it is best to carry it out before the selection process begins, so that Tedesco’s replacement has at least one training camp to familiarize himself with.
