2018 UEFA Nations League

[Wee Baby Seamus]

I just hate how many there have been this season, I find it really disrupts the flow.

 

[MaxV]

EDIT: I was wrong, I apologize.

Actually, Sweden just needs to win by any score. H2H is ahead of goal-differential as a tie breaker.

Russia is in trouble, they are missing half of their starters.

 

[koyvoo]

Italy completely dominated Portugal wire to wire in the 1st half but fail to convert.

0-0 at halftime.

 

[Ceremony]

Albania off to the Seaside Leagues via Scotland's... third choice? I think it's third at this point, mostly.

 

[HajdukSplit]

League A
Italy - Portugal 0:0

Italy played well but struggle to score goals, the result means Portugal win the group with a game to spare (Poland at home). Also, Portugal will host the Final Four next June. Italy are safe

League B
Turkey - Sweden 0:1

Important win for Sweden who stay alive and now need to beat Russia at home to top the group. Turkey are relegated

League C
Albania - Scotland 0:4

10-man Albania hammered by Scotland who now host Israel on Tuesday and with a win will top the group (Israel only need a point). Albania aren't yet relegated despite finishing last as they are in a 3-team group (the others in this league have 4 teams). They will be safe as long as Cyprus doesn't beat Norway

Serbia - Montenegro 2:1
Romania - Lithuania 3:0

Two expected home wins, Serbia host already relegated Lithuania while Romania go to Montenegro. Serbia have a two point edge so a win will be enough but if they drop points, Romania have the better H2H should they beat Montenegro

League D
Azerbaijan - Faroe Islands 2:0
Malta - Kosovo 0:5

The top two with easy wins, group will come down to a Tuesday matchup in Pristina between Kosovo-Azerbaijan with Kosovo only needing a point

 

[Juve]

Wow.....Italy wouldn't even score if they tripled the net size....

 

[koyvoo]

Italy really had Portugal on the ropes and scrambling until about the 70th minute, then just as Portugal showed signs of getting their bearings, Italy just completely lost any intensity they had shown previously.

 

[S E P H]

That's coming from an Arsenal fan?
Really?

Arsenal are irrelevant, they haven’t won anything enough to be in the same category as Man City and PSG.

I for one thoroughly enjoy the international breaks. I also really like the Nations league. Everyone can have their own opinion but if it makes you lose interest in football maybe another sport would be better for you.

That was an exaggeration, I will never lose interest in football. However, my point still stands as it is an desire killer having to wait two weeks to watch my mighty Arsenal again. Not only that, I wasn’t able to watch the last two games because I don’t have the B/R stream trash nor the NBCSN gold whatever so I haven’t seen a game in three weeks.

I just hate how many there have been this season, I find it really disrupts the flow.

This, a million times this. I’m not saying get rid of it but we’re like on our fifth international break already. It’s nonsense.

 

[koyvoo]

There has been an idea floating around to have one single 2-3 week break to play out the entire group stage phase of this league. The final phase would still follow in the forthcoming summer. I’m not sure how that would go over.

On top of this, they’ll be drawing the groups soon for Euro 2020 primary qualifying round, so we got plenty more international breaks coming up soon.

 

[YNWA14]

So learn to enjoy international football? It baffles me that people don't enjoy it already. It's refreshing to me.

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

I mean I don't care for it but I get to watch my favorite players and team... that's what I get excited about but other than I'd be hard pressed to watch any other friendly.

 

[gary69]

I still want to see how this works in the future with World Cup qualification, its already a bit confusing with the Euros but with WCQ, Europe has less spots and I doubt FIFA will allow UEFA to use their own system for the qualifying (FIFA rankings has always been used for seeding)

So the carrot for winning League D is there now with a spot at the Euros, I severely doubt that will be the case for the 2022 World Cup, making those games largely useless other than prestige/promotion

But overall I like these games more than friendly matches which usually die down by the 60th minute when each team makes 100 changes

I think UEFA will be allowed to choose the qualifying method independent of FIFA. Probably a couple of spots (two?) will be allocated for the teams via the NL route who haven't qualified through the regular format. My guess would be 2 non-qualifiers from League A, 1 from League B and 1 from League C (might have playoffs before that) to play a semifinal 2-leg tie to decide the 2 qualified teams.

So, with Germany being in the B league in the NL for the WC 2022, they still might have a chance through playoffs if they don't qualify straight up by winning their group.

 

[HajdukSplit]

England's pace killing Croatia, somehow they aren't ahead yet but Croatia did too miss an open net after a Pickford error

 

[Venkman]

Good start by England. Should be ahead already.

 

[Savi]

Vrsaljko off with an injury

Milic in.. lol, he's terrible

 

[HajdukSplit]

Vrsaljko off with an injury

Milic in.. lol, he's terrible

That's the lack of depth kicking in, though its incredible the top three LBs are all injured currently, Jedvaj who started there is not a natural LB either.

 

[Venkman]

Delph playing well.

 

[HajdukSplit]

Croatia settled down a bit and the tempo of the game died, this result does neither any good (more for England as they will stay up). But its incredible to me how Croatia rarely control the midfield in these games with the players on hand, its been a problem forever against any equal/better opposition

 

[Venkman]

Rashford looks much more confident for England than United.

 

[HajdukSplit]

Kramaric, now I expect a parked bus

 

[HajdukSplit]

Croatia suck at defending set pieces...they conceded a throw-in goal at the WC as well

 

[HajdukSplit]

yep another set piece...England probably deserve a result from this match but Croatia could have buried them with the counters they had

 

[spintheblackcircle]

Kane.

 

[Venkman]

Croatians seem to like this ref. Following him everywhere

 

[Savi]

That was so predictable. Croatia not finishing their chances on the counter attack and then England scoring twice on set pieces without creating anything apart from that.