Eduardo Germán Coudet (born 12 September 1974), nicknamed El Chacho,[1] is an Argentine professional football manager and former player who is the manager of Brazilian club Internacional.
In 2002, during the Argentine Great Depression, Coudet was one of many players to move abroad. He said of life in his country: "I can't live any more over here. It's terrible to experience every day with this sense of unease. You brake at a light and you don't know if they're going to wash your windscreen, ask for an autograph or stick a bullet through your head", and had chosen a cheaper car to avoid bringing attention to his wealth.[2]
After several years playing in Mexico, Coudet returned to Argentina in January 2010 to play for Colón de Santa Fe.[3]
Coudet eventually became a trialist for the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer and later signed with the club in July 2010.[4] He was released by the club in February 2011.[5] On 28 March 2011, Coudet signed with Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the North American Soccer League.[6] Coudet was given a six-match ban after aggressively confronting the referee in a match against the Puerto Rico Islanders on 21 July.[7]
Coaching career
Rosario Central
On 12 December 2014, Coudet was officially named as the new head coach of Rosario Central, replacing Miguel Angel Russo. As his assistant, he selected former Argentina international Ariel Garcé, who had a previous brief stint with Central. Aiming to reinforce his squad, Coudet contacted various ex-Central players, including Marco Ruben, Cristian Villagra (both playing in Ukraine at the time) and Cesar Delgado, convincing them to join for the 2015 season.[8] Among others, Coudet also managed to sign defender Pablo Álvarez and midfielders José Luis Fernández and Gustavo Colman.
Coudet's official debut began with a surprise 1–0 win away to reigning champions Racing. Central followed up this win with four consecutive victories. Coudet's side had a 13-game undefeated streak until an eventual 2–0 loss away to River Plate. Central bounced back quickly, inflicting on rivals Newell's an unprecedented fourth consecutive derby loss.[9] Coudet's team finished 2015 in third place, and narrowly missed out on the 2014–15 Copa Argentina Championship after a controversial 2–0 final loss to Boca Juniors, after a dubious penalty decision and an offside goal put the tie beyond reach.[10]
Club Tijuana
On 12 June 2017, Coudet was announced as the new manager of Liga MX side Club Tijuana, having signed a one-year contract with the club.[11] Just 4 months and 18 days later, he was dismissed. His team at the Xolos contained nine compatriots.[12]
After missing out on Copa Libertadores qualification in 2017–18, Racing won the league in 2018–19, their first in five years. Coudet's team were the highest scorers over the 24 games (42) and conceded the fewest goals (15).[14]
On 12 November 2020, Coudet was named in charge of La Liga side RC Celta de Vigo, signing an 18-month deal.[18] He won his first five in command, with the most goals and fewest conceded of any league manager at that time, markedly better than his predecessor Óscar García.[1] At the end of the season, he signed a new contract until June 2024, including the Galician club's centenary.[19]
On 19 November 2022, Coudet joined Brazilian club Atlético Mineiro ahead of the 2023 season, signing a two-year deal.[22] In April 2023, he won the Campeonato Mineiro with an aggregate 5–2 win over rivals América in the finals.[23] His departure from Atlético was announced on 11 June, following a dispute with the board of the club over player transfers.[24]
Internacional return
On 19 July 2023, Coudet was announced back at Internacional, replacing sacked Mano Menezes, accompanied by assistant manager Lucho González.[25] He managed his first match back at the Colorado in a 0-0 draw at Red Bull Bragantino on 27 July,[26] and took five matches to record his first win as Internacional knocked out River Plate on penalties following a 2-1 triumph in regular time at Beira-Rio to lead the team into the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals. He proceeded to lead the team to the semifinals, where they got knocked out by eventual winners Fluminense in a heartbraking 1-2 defeat in Porto Alegre.
Following the elimination, and with the team facing danger in the lowest positions at the Campeonato Brasileiro, Coudet got his first win in the Gre-Nal derby on 8 October, a 3-2 scoreline at home.[27] Internacional began a slow climb at the table with a 7-1 smashing against Santos and a 2-1 win at Vasco da Gama, but eventually lost steam and lost the chance to qualify to the following year's Libertadores. Still, Inter won five of its last seven Serie A matches, ending in 9th place overall. On 19 December, he signed a contract extension with the club valid until December 2024.[28]
^"Eduardo Coudet é o novo técnico do Galo" [Eduardo Coudet is the new Galo manager] (in Portuguese). Clube Atlético Mineiro. 19 November 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
