Belgium head coach Domenico Tedesco reveals why the decision was taken to omit goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois from the nation’s Euro 2024 squad.
Belgium head coach Domenico Tedesco has revealed that goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois does not feature in his Euro 2024 squad because he is “not ready”.
The Real Madrid stopper won the last of his 102 caps when representing Belgium against Austria in a qualifying fixture last June.
Since then, Courtois has suffered with long-term knee issues, a meniscus tear following a cruciate ligament injury sustained last summer.
Courtois has since recovered to make four starts for Real Madrid in La Liga, not conceding a single goal in his 333 minutes on the pitch.
As a result, Courtois is in contention with Andriy Lunin to start Saturday’s Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium.
© Reuters
Courtois “not ready” for tournament football
During that run of four starts, Courtois came through unscathed when he started games that took place three days apart on May 11 and May 14 respectively.
Nevertheless, when quizzed on Courtois’s absence from the squad, Tedesco revealed that the player had acknowledged that he may not be able to handle such a workload.
Speaking to reporters at a press conference, Tedesco said: “He was honest and he was clear that really early in the way that he communicated, so of course he knows his body the best.
“It is something different to play every three days or four days during a tournament so this is the last information that we taken into consideration that he is not ready for the Euros
“Then, of course, we planned with the players that can play.”
© Reuters
Tedesco explains thinking behind reduced squad
Unlike other nations, Tedesco has only selected three goalkeepers in his squad, with there having been the option of Courtois featuring in the group.
Tedesco has only selected a 25-player squad – one fewer than the limit of 26 – but the Red Devils coach has admitted that he is comfortable with the decision.
He added “We thought about this. We spoke with Max (Urwantschky), our goalkeeper coach. Of course, you have some advantages if you have four, especially for training sessions, but we don’t want a big, big, big squad. We try to avoid.”
Later in the media briefing, Tedesco revealed that he preferred the initial 23-player limit, feeling that it would have created more unity within the group.