2018 UEFA Nations League

[maclean]

Slovaks only controlled play because all of Czechs best players weren’t playing. If Barak, Jankto, Schick, Kaderabek, Darida, and Kalas started, it’d be a different story. Heck, we didn’t even play our best goalie.. was like Czech-B team out there.

Don’t want to take anything away from Slovaks but that was not even close to Czechs best lineup. Sorry.

Wow, hit the brakes a bit, bud, the team has often looked poor even with those players playing, nevertheless I'm particularly interested who you think the best goalie would have been?

 

[sabremike]

I STILL have no idea how any of this thing works.

 

[MaxV]

EDIT: never mind. Each group winner in B gets promoted.

 

[hatterson]

Sterling scores for the national team for the first time in 435 years.

Really nice play out of the back from England there. Spain pressed a bit and Pickford just picked out a hell of a forward pass.

 

[Venkman]

WTF Sterling scored. Nice passes from Pickford and Rashford too.

 

[hatterson]

Another long ball from Pickford to Kane, who plays some excellent holdup and then finds Rashford.

Rashford actually finishes it this time. Really solid first touch that set himself up well.

 

[Venkman]

Great hold up play and pass by Kane. Nice run and finish Rashford.

 

[hatterson]

wtf is going on right now. Spain is completely disjointed and England taking easy advantage of it.

Good chip over the top by Barkley and Kane with a really nice reception and first touch assist.

 

[HajdukSplit]

Iceland on the verge of relegation, need to win the match and currently losing at home to the Swiss, have yet to score in the NL as well

 

[hatterson]

If the Spanish player goes down there, it's a penalty and Pickford is on the edge of a red card.

Edit: It should have been a pen anyway, but unfortunately if you don't go down, refs so rarely give it out.

 

[Venkman]

Great tackle by Maguire.

 

[hatterson]

Great tackle by Maguire.

Yea I don't see why that's a foul and especially a card. It's super hard, but he didn't scissor him and he needed to go hard to get the ball.

 

[Deficient Mode]

Paco gonna win the Bd'O this year

 

[hatterson]

Dani should get a lifetime ban for that dive just because of how stupid it was.

 

[hatterson]

I literally forgot Winks was playing in this game. I can't recall a single one of his touches.

 

[bluesfan94]

Iceland on the verge of relegation, need to win the match and currently losing at home to the Swiss, have yet to score in the NL as well

They used up all their voodoo magic to make it to the World Cup

 

[HajdukSplit]

Iceland officially relegated and likely will be in Pot 2 for the Euro 2020 draw. Meanwhile the Swiss actually have it in their own hands to win the group if they beat Belgium at home on the final MD in November

Finland's good form continues, four wins from four in the NL and yet to concede a goal, they only need one point to promote. However their last two games are both away against their direct competitors.

 

[Venkman]

Didn't expect a win or that performance in Spain. Hung on a bit in the 2nd half but the 1st half was very good. High tempo press, Spain passing it out for a throw 3 or 4 times. The switch to 433 seemed to work, with Dier dropping in to a back 3 when needed. Should've beaten Croatia too.

 

[Albatros]

Finland's good form continues, four wins from four in the NL and yet to concede a goal, they only need one point to promote. However their last two games are both away against their direct competitors.

Hungary failed to win Estonia so they're out already.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

It's pretty apparent now that England's star in international football is rising and Germany's is sinking. I think I predicted England would win a major trophy some time over the next years about a year ago or so and people laughed. I don't think they will laugh in the future.

 

[czechcanadian]

Wow, hit the brakes a bit, bud, the team has often looked poor even with those players playing, nevertheless I'm particularly interested who you think the best goalie would have been?

I just don’t understand why Slovakia is a big favourite in this. Anyways the better keeper in the last 2 years has been Jiri pavlenka

 

[Evilo]

It's pretty apparent now that England's star in international football is rising and Germany's is sinking. I think I predicted England would win a major trophy some time over the next years about a year ago or so and people laughed. I don't think they will laugh in the future.

Don't think many laughed. I remember saying that given their amazing results in youth categories they had a great base to win something major in the next decade.
However, there's a long way to go still and youngsters have to be given playing time to develop. Some are taking it abroad, but we know young english don't want to travel. The EPL isn't the right league to develop however.

 

[maclean]

I just don’t understand why Slovakia is a big favourite in this. Anyways the better keeper in the last 2 years has been Jiri pavlenka

Pavlenka? I'll admit I don't watch the Bundesliga so I haven't seen him play in a while, but Vaclík is playing great for a top La Liga side (like literally currently first in La Liga), before that backstopping Basel to multiple titles and much European play, has been the clear successor to Čech for some time. I guess if you like Pavlenka more that's your perogative, but saying they didn't start their best keeper seems disingenuous, I would say he is even considered the third goalie.

I don't think Slovakia were exactly favourites, but they have been playing better in recent years (cf. a full 21 spots higher on the FIFA rankings) and by all accounts had a better game (missed it myself). From what I've read however it wasn't that this loss was somehow embarassing, but that there are alleged conflicts within the team and the loss was just a catalyst. The fact is they may have felt they could win the group and after two games of playing well will only be able to try to avoid relegation. It is interesting that Kozák criticised Škriniar, who failed for both of the goals against, as one of the worst players on the field.

 

[spintheblackcircle]

I literally forgot Winks was playing in this game. I can't recall a single one of his touches.

 

[Sportpsych90]

Pavlenka? I'll admit I don't watch the Bundesliga so I haven't seen him play in a while, but Vaclík is playing great for a top La Liga side (like literally currently first in La Liga), before that backstopping Basel to multiple titles and much European play, has been the clear successor to Čech for some time. I guess if you like Pavlenka more that's your perogative, but saying they didn't start their best keeper seems disingenuous, I would say he is even considered the third goalie.

I don't think Slovakia were exactly favourites, but they have been playing better in recent years (cf. a full 21 spots higher on the FIFA rankings) and by all accounts had a better game (missed it myself). From what I've read however it wasn't that this loss was somehow embarassing, but that there are alleged conflicts within the team and the loss was just a catalyst. The fact is they may have felt they could win the group and after two games of playing well will only be able to try to avoid relegation. It is interesting that Kozák criticised Škriniar, who failed for both of the goals against, as one of the worst players on the field.

I think Kozak was frustrated with both Skriniar and Lobotka, who are both gaining a lot of attention in Slovakia and Europe for their current worth. Both players didn't have a great game, and Kozak felt like maybe the attention is getting to their heads and they weren't playing up to current expectations. The Slovak team has probably their best lineup of individual players in a long time, and I would say they were correctly deemed as favorites in this game. However, a combination of lack of team chemistry, and the Czech's taking advantage of their limited oppurtunities gave this result. I'm Czech and Slovak so I hate that they are in the same group :/