Not a single hair on his mind yesterday was thinking about calling up a replacement for Thomas Meunier. Eye-catching, considering the right-back will miss the entire group stage. Tedesco doesn’t care. And whoever goes through fire for him will get the same in return.
“Play for the name on the front of the jersey, and they will remember the name on the back.” Former Arsenal defender Tony Adams’ famous statement also ranks high on Tedesco’s list of values. It does not require individuals. He likes players who want to die on the field for Belgium.
Thomas Meunier did his best to qualify for the European Championship, even though he was barely called up in the first year under Tedesco. “Meunier made sacrifices,” Tedesco nodded yesterday. “He went to Türkiye looking for playing time. He did everything he had to do to be here.”
It was painful that he suffered a muscle injury in the last training match before the tournament. “After that match we also thought he wouldn’t be available, but we gave him time. Now it turns out it’s not as bad as it seemed at first.”
The easiest thing is to drop it
“The easiest thing would have been to send him away, but I didn’t want to leave him out. Because before you can talk about Meunier the footballer, you first have to talk about Meunier the person he is. He was very excited to be there.”
Meunier could rejoin in a week and a half, after extensive rehabilitation with Layvin Maichalk. So before we talk about coach Tedesco, we should also talk about the person Tedesco is. Makes decisions based on feeling and group function.
Because De Bruyne and Lukaku were also consulted and both were convinced that their friend would have to retire in this way after many years of service and a lot of hard work. Because that might also have meant the end of his international career.
The People Manager at Tedesco is strong. He senses how his group is doing and what is happening. That’s why he often stands in the middle of them and gives them space when necessary. Meunier’s story is further evidence
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