The national coach can still want to see the Nations League as a glorified practice match as much as he wants, but he will have to be careful. Relegation is looming, although the Red Devils still have everything in their hands. A loss against France is to be avoided at all costs.
Belgium is at risk of dropping out of the A group of the Nations League if they also lose to France on Monday. This will be followed by matches against Italy at home and Israel in Budapest. But if France also beats the Red Devils at home, they will reach 9 points. If Italy wins at home against Israel, it will reach 10 points. Belgium is then at 4 and with two games to go, third place can hardly be avoided.
The tournament, which was introduced years ago to replace meaningless practice matches, offers the chance to play against top countries, but now it seems that the Red Devils are in danger of missing this opportunity.
Domenico Tedesco seems to underestimate the importance of those matches by experimenting with new players instead of fielding his strongest team. Or with new systems that entail a fairly high risk, as we saw against Italy.
In recent years, the Red Devils have often complained about the lack of top matches in the run-up to major tournaments. Now that they have the chance to compete with countries like France and Italy, the focus should be on putting in the best performance.
Absence De Bruyne and Lukaku big manco
Yet Tedesco chooses to call up young players such as Ngonge and Fofana, who have not yet proven much at club level. The criticism is not gentle for a coach who was already under fire after a failed European Championship. The fact that he cannot call on De Bruyne and Lukaku is a major shortcoming.
The draw against Italy puts Belgium (and Tedesco) in a difficult position. To avoid relegation from the A group, the Red Devils absolutely must beat France. If they finish third in their group, they will have to play jump-off matches, which increases the chance of dropping to the B group of the Nations League.
This would mean that the Devils will again play against weaker opponents and that is not exactly the best preparation for upcoming tournaments. The sporting value of the Nations League is underestimated by many. The Belgian Football Association should be aware of the consequences of possible relegation, especially now that the pressure on the new technical director is increasing.
The risk that Belgium will again be underprepared for major tournaments due to a lack of strong opponents is real if Italy and France are not defeated. The indifference of the vast majority of fans is also not a good sign. If the national coach doesn’t take the Nations League seriously…
Tedesco is therefore faced with a crucial choice: does he continue to experiment with young players, or does he use his strongest team to ensure Belgium’s retention in the top division of the Nations League? The answer to this question will not only determine his own future, but also that of Belgian football in the long term.
