Criticism of Domenico Tedesco Grows

The Red Devils have qualified for the Round of 16, but they have not made a great impression so far. Criticism of national coach Domenico Tedesco is mounting. Even his way of communicating is being questioned.

After the failure of the World Cup in Qatar, the collaboration with Roberto Martinez as Belgian coach came to an end. After six years, it was time for a change. The Belgian FA eventually opted for Tedesco. The Italian-German had made a convincing impression during his application, even though his experience was relatively limited.

His debut under his reign was also promising. The Devils showed more tactical flexibility than under Martinez and several new players were given their chance. In addition, qualification for the European Championship was straightforward. In fact, the football federation was so satisfied that Tedesco’s contract was extended until mid-2026 in March.

No Open Communication

But since then, things have not been going so well. For example, the national coach made questionable choices in his selection for the Euros. And during the tournament, he was caught out by tactical errors. Against Slovakia, for example, he made several poor choices, while against Ukraine he opted for a very conservative approach, which earned him criticism.

In the VRT program dedicated to the European Championship, Ruben van Gucht also criticized his way of communicating. The journalist always follows the Devils closely during major tournaments and is therefore well-placed to judge them. “You can say what you want about the previous national coaches. But Martinez always gave a press conference and an individual interview after each match. Marc Wilmots was also a little more available to the press,” said Van Gucht.

Too Positive Speech

Tedesco, for his part, is content for the time being to stick to the press moments provided by UEFA and rarely puts his finger on the sore spot. “Apart from the tactics, his communication could really be better. At the press conferences in the stadium, it’s also a bit like Martinez, a bit too much good news. He never says anything bad, as was the case again on Wednesday when it really wasn’t a good match. Tedesco has a lot of trouble naming things.”