Belgium have hired Domenico Tedesco as their new head coach: here’s a profile of the Italian tactician who can revive Romelu Lukaku’s international career by following Antonio Conte’s footsteps.
Belgium confirmed the appointment of Tedesco with an official statement on Wednesday.
The 37-year-old moved to Germany from Calabria when he was two. “I don’t remember much about the beginning, but I had a happy childhood, with many friends. After school, I’d meet them to play football, it was very nice,” he said in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport in April 2022.
“After my graduation in industrial engineering, I worked for Daimler, even if I wasn’t directly hired by the company producing Mercedes, but by an external supplier.
“In 2013, I had the chance to join Stuttgart’s youth sector permanently, which became my job. It wasn’t a risk but a huge opportunity, I’ve never regretted my decision. I love football and I think it’s a privilege to be involved in this sport. To be a coach makes me feel fire deep inside. It was like this when I was playing as a kid and nothing changed.”
He also took charge of Hoffenheim’s youth teams before receiving his first appointment in professional football with Germany’s second-division side FC Erzgebirge Aue for the last 11 games of 2016-2017.
Tedesco was hired by Schalke 04 in the summer of 2017, finishing second in his first-ever campaign in the Bundesliga. He left the club in 2019, signing for Spartak Moscow, where he remained for two seasons before returning to Germany, signing for RB Leipzig.
He took charge on December 9, 2021, replacing interim coach Achim Beierlorzer. He reached a top-four finish in the Bundesliga in 2021-22 and won the German Cup, his first and only trophy at a professional level so far.
Despite spending his whole life in Germany as well as two years in Russia, Italiano has roots deeply set in Italy.
“This is something I’ve always been asked. I feel very Italian, but my parents are from there,” he said in an interview with Leipzig a year ago.
“We may have moved to Germany when I was two and a half, but we spent every summer holiday in Italy and many of my relatives still live there, so I am very Italian.”
Tedesco’s preferred formation is 3-4-1-2 and it’s no coincidence that Antonio Conte is his role model.
“I am learning from everyone. I watch Barcelona, Ajax, Milan, Juventus, Inter, Roma and Chelsea games. One doesn’t invent football, but can only learn,” he said before a Europa League clash with Atalanta last season.
“If I have to name one [role model], I’d say Antonio Conte because he’s done very well and I thin he is doing the same at Tottenham.”
Perhaps, Conte’s management of Lukaku at Inter would inspire Tedesco especially after the Nerazzurri star was blamed for the Red Devils’ early World Cup exit in Qatar, leading to Roberto Martinez’s dismissal.
Lukaku scored 64 goals in 95 appearances under Conte at Inter before a €115m transfer to Chelsea in 2021.
Among the stars Italiano coached is Christopher Nkunku who will join Chelsea from RB Leipzig in the summer.
“He is a very quiet person off the pitch and a smart player,” Tedesco told Sky Sport in 2022.
“He works a lot and is always focused. He is so fast on the pitch, he has quality and a good shoot. He is very, very interesting.”
Belgium said Tedesco has signed a contract until after the 2024 European Championship, stressing that the Italian is a “modern coach with top-level international experience, who likes to play an offensive style of football with plenty of forward pressure.”
Perhaps, after his spell with Belgium, Tedesco could finally return to Italy, taking charge of a Serie A club. He has already been linked with a few teams in the Peninsula, including Fiorentina, before Vincenzo Italiano’s appointment in 2021.
“Italy is a country of football and I’ve always liked Serie A. The only thing I can say is that I’d like to coach in Italy one day,” Tedesco told TMW at that time.