Jakarta –
Dominic German officially appointed as the new coach Belgian national team. The 37-year-old tactician got a short contract until Euro 2024 Cup future.
Tedesco replaced Roberto Martinez who withdrew after a disastrous 2022 World Cup result, where De Rode Duivevels crashed out in the group stage and scored just one goal during the tournament. He is required to bring change.
“It is a great honor to be coach of Belgium. I am ready to take on this task and I am very motivated. I have had a good feeling from the first talk,” said Tedesco, quoted by the BBC.
Tedesco’s name stuck out when he coached Schalke 04 in the 2017-18 season and brought Die Knappen to become runners-up in the Bundesliga. However he was sacked the following season due to poor results, one of which was a 7-0 thrashing by Manchester City in the Champions League.
He is also the first coach to give RB Leipzig the first major trophy after winning the DFB-Pokal last season. But he was kicked out again this season after losing 1-4 to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.
Coaching Belgium is not an easy task for Tedesco. He inherited a team that was in transition. A number of star players have aged, and some have chosen to retire from the national team like Eden Hazard.
There are indeed new names ready to be given big responsibilities such as Youri Tielemans and Leandro Trossard. But whether it will be able to have the same impact as the generation of Kevin De Bruyne et al, of course, still needs to be seen.
Tedesco’s first match will be against Sweden in the Euro 2024 qualifiers on March 24.
(adp/mrp)