Eduardo Germán Coudet (born 12 September 1974), nicknamed El Chacho,[1] is an Argentine professional football manager and former player. He is the current head coach of La Liga club Alavés.
In 2002, during the Argentine Great Depression, Coudet was one of many players to move abroad, joining Celta Vigo in Spain's La Liga. He said of life in his home 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.[3]
On 12 December 2014, Coudet was named as the new head coach of Rosario Central, replacing Miguel Ángel 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 César 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 debut was a surprise 1–0 win away to reigning champions Racing Club, followed 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]
Coudet quit the club on 9 November 2020, due to an approach by Celta Vigo in Spain's La Liga. He left the club in the lead in the domestic league after 20 games, as well as being in the last 16 of the Copa Libertadores and the quarter-finals of the Copa do Brasil, having won 24 and lost 9 of his 46 fixtures.[18]
Celta
On 12 November 2020, Coudet was named in charge of Celta, signing an 18-month deal with the club where he had previously been a player.[19] 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.[20]
In January 2021 and 2022, Coudet's team were eliminated from the Copa del Rey by third-tier opposition away in the Balearic Islands, namely Ibiza and Atlético Baleares.[21] On 2 November 2022, he was sacked for the first time in his managerial career, having lost the confidence of club president Carlos Mouriño; he was succeeded by Carlos Carvalhal.[22]
Atlético Mineiro
On 19 November 2022, Coudet returned to Brazil and signed for Atlético Mineiro ahead of the 2023 season, on a two-year deal.[23] In April 2023, he won the Campeonato Mineiro with an aggregate 5–2 win over rivals América in the finals.[24] His resignation was announced on 11 June, having won 21 and lost 8 of his 35 games, with the team nearing the last 16 of the Copa Libertadores.[25]
Internacional return
On 19 July 2023, Coudet was announced back at Internacional, replacing sacked Mano Menezes for the rest of the year. He arrived accompanied by assistant manager Lucho González.[26] Four days later he managed the club to a goalless draw away to Red Bull Bragantino,[27] and took five matches to record his first win as Internacional knocked out River Plate on penalties following a 2–1 victory 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 1–2 defeat in Porto Alegre.[28] The club finished the league season in 9th,[29] and Coudet's contract was extended for another year.[30]
In 2024, Inter were eliminated from the semi-finals of the state league, losing on penalties to Juventude in March.[31] On 10 July, having lost at home to the same team in the third round of the Copa do Brasil, he was sacked.[32]
Alavés
On 2 December 2024, Coudet returned to Spain after taking over Alavés also in the top tier. He arrived after the dismissal of Luis García, with the club one point above the relegation zone.[33] On his debut three days later, the team were knocked out of the Copa del Rey on penalties after a 2–2 draw away to Minera, a team from the fourth-tier Segunda Federación based in Llano del Beal, a village with 1,300 inhabitants.[34]