Domenico Tedesco admits the red card made a huge difference after Belgium had a ‘bad start’ in their 2-2 Nations League draw with Italy.
The Azzurri had come flying out of the blocks at the Stadio Olimpico this evening, taking the lead after 61 seconds when Andrea Cambiaso finished off a move with 18 Italy touches.
Cambiaso’s shot was then parried into the path of Mateo Retegui for 2-0 and it seemed to be very comfortable, but Lorenzo Pellegrini saw red for a studs-up tackle on Arthur Theate’s ankle and changed the game.
“Italy started very strong and it is not easy for any team to react after conceding that early,” said Tedesco in his press conference.
“They showed confidence, even more after that goal, and we struggled to get into the game after a bad start. We followed the plan when we had the ball, but suffered when not in possession.
“They were pushing down the central zone, with effectively a 3-6-1 formation, so we had to press both Samuele Ricci and Alessandro Bastoni. You can only do that when the team stays tight.
“That was our problem, and their brilliant cross-field passes like the second goal were difficult to defend against. Admittedly, the red card helped us a lot.”
Tedesco explains unusual Belgium tactics
Some of the difficulties that the Red Devils had early on was down to their tactics, as Jeremy Doku seemed to be acting all the way along the right flank dealing with Federico Dimarco.
“We wanted to have more of the ball,” explained Tedesco. “Everyone knows he loves to play on the left and cut inside on his right foot, but by playing on the right, we wanted to keep him on his stronger foot and make it more difficult to block him off.
“We had already changed the tactics even before the red card, pressing higher, and that is what led to the situation by being aggressive and winning it back.”
Belgium got back into it with two goals coming from set play routines, scored by Maxim De Cuyper and Leandro Trossard.
“We should’ve stayed calm after conceding the first goal, but we didn’t, and Italy made the most of that to score their second.”
There was controversy in the second half when Bastoni went into a last-ditch tackle on Lois Openda and penalty appeals were rejected by both the referee and VAR.
“It was an intense match, it became difficult for the referee to deal with in the second half too. If you were going to give a penalty for that, you should also have had a red card for Bastoni. In any case, I don’t want to talk about the referee.”
Tedesco was born in Italy and his family moved to Germany when he was a child, so he still speaks the language fluently.
It was his first time against the Azzurri and Tedesco insists this knowledge of being a fan prepared him for the last half-hour.
“I am Italian, so I know that it is probably harder to play against Italy down to 10 than it is when they have 11 players. They can defend individually, in open spaces, in one-on-one situations.
“Perhaps we should’ve been more patient and tried to move them around more, but we’ll see if we can improve in the next match against France.”
Belgium drop to third in the Nations League group on four points, while France have six and Italy seven.