Domenico Tedesco is reportedly close to being named the new manager of the Red Devils by the Belgian Football Association. The German-Italian will succeed Roberto Martinez, who resigned with the national team after the disappointing first-round exit from the 2022 World Cup. According to reports, Tedesco will be joined by Franky Vercauteren as the new technical director. Follow 12BETINFO for more.
The Belgian FA was persuaded by Tedesco’s tactical skills and stat-driven approach to the game, and he will reportedly sign a contract through 2024. The Italian-German coach established his name after his successful stints with Schalke 04 and RB Leipzig. He guided RB Leipzig to a German Cup triumph, fourth place in the Bundesliga standings, and the Europa League semi finals. He also had a good run at Spartak Moscow.
Before taking over at Leipzig, Tedesco managed FC Erzgebirge Aue for five years, keeping the team in the German second division despite great odds. After guiding Schalke 04 to the Champions League, Tedesco was sacked the following year after a 7-0 loss to Manchester City. He then returned to the Bundesliga, where he lifted Leipzig from mid-table to a Champions League place.
Last year, Martinez stepped down as Belgium coach following their humiliating World Cup campaign, crashing out as early as the group stage after finishing third in Group F standings. FIFA’s second-ranked side ended their berth in the tournament with a goalless draw against Croatia, who finished behind group winners Morocco.
The 49-year-old Martinez was appointed in 2016, succeeding Marc Wilmots, who led Belgium to the top of the world rankings for the first time from November 2015 to April 2016. Martinez guided Belgium’s “Golden Generation” to their best World Cup place, finishing third four years ago. They also topped the world rankings from September 2018 to March 2022 under Martinez.
During the qualifiers, Belgium finished on top of their group unbeaten, having won six matches and scoring 25 goals to book their place in the tournament. Heading into the tournament, the Red Devils were defeated in a friendly against Egypt 2-1. In the opening game, Belgium fought hard for a 1-0 win against Canada before a shock defeat to Morocco 0-2 and a goalless stalemate against Croatia.
Joachim Low, Thierry Henry, and Herve Renard were mentioned as possible candidates for the managerial position, but Tedesco and Peter Bosz ultimately made it to the final shortlist. Belgium will begin their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign in Sweden in March. The Belgians will face Estonia, Austria, and Azerbaijan in their qualifying group.
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