Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard may have just started a fire in the Belgium camp, by openly criticising manager Domenico Tedesco’s tactics.
Het Nieuwsblad cover comments from the Arsenal forward today in which he blames the latest defeat to Italy solely on Tedesco’s tactics.
Belgium were defeated 1-0 at home by Italy in the Nations League on Thursday, with Sandro Tonali’s solo goal enough to hand all three points to the away side.
It was the latest negative result for Belgium, who have lost three of their last four games in the Nations League and are yet to bounce back from their disappointing performances at Euro 2024.
Pressure has been rising in Tedesco since the summer, with many feeling he is not getting enough out of another group of Belgian talent.
Those within the group have largely been on his side, with many defending him and criticising those who have tried to compare the current options to the so-called ‘Golden Generation’ of years past.
It seems, though, the pendulum may be swinging in the opposite direction as Trossard has now come out and directly blamed the manager for his tactics against Italy.
“The first half is the reason we didn’t win,” the Arsenal man said.
“It just wasn’t good enough at the time. In the second half we tried to put more pressure forward and at times we did well, creating opportunities. It’s just a shame that the ball doesn’t go in in the end.
“That was the trainer’s order. After all, we knew that they wanted their midfielders to drop out of our structure. But that didn’t work out well and we switched at halftime. That’s why things went better in the second half.
“Did we agree with that approach? What should I say? It was the coach’s tactic that we trained on this week. But things didn’t go well, so it was good that we adjusted that in the second half.”
