Let's be realistic - do the teams really care about the Nations League? The passion seems rather lacking during the last occasion, what more now during the pandemic. Seems like national coaches are using the games to experiment players (and perhaps to shield the top players, to fend off pressure from clubs and players themselves).

Elentos

55570 Posts

October 14 2020 09:29 GMT

#362

I think in Nations League when you're a higher end team you can basically only lose. If you lose or draw against lesser teams you'll be mocked relentlessly. If you win, "these games don't mean anything anyway nobody cares". And I'm sure the players also would rather be in their clubs because the season just started and this international break doesn't help anyone (just extra games in a season that's already packed as hell).

GTR

51582 Posts

October 14 2020 10:56 GMT

#363

i definitely feel low's time ran out after that disastrous world cup campaign - but as the winner of the world cup in 2014 as you said it will only be him that decides if he stays or goes.

Twisted

Netherlands13554 Posts

October 14 2020 20:04 GMT

#364

So far, after two extremely dull games for the Netherlands against Mexico and Bosnia, this game against Italy has been amazing.

High pace, lots of chances, high quality of play.

clusen

Germany8702 Posts

October 14 2020 23:18 GMT

#365

About Germany:
While the state of the team is absolutely terrible in every way there is a silver lining:
You get to watch Schweinsteiger as a pundit =)

I miss my Fussballgott so much

RKC

2848 Posts

October 15 2020 00:06 GMT

#366

Any England fans here?

After chalking a 'statement win' against Belgium, they lose to Denmark and fall to third in their group. Guess the Maguire hate will soon spread beyond Manchester...

DropBear

Australia4399 Posts

October 15 2020 03:27 GMT

#367

Watching Maguire and Pickford do their thing gives me energy

Harris1st

Germany7150 Posts

October 15 2020 11:16 GMT

#368

On October 14 2020 18:29 Elentos wrote:
I think in Nations League when you're a higher end team you can basically only lose. If you lose or draw against lesser teams you'll be mocked relentlessly. If you win, "these games don't mean anything anyway nobody cares". And I'm sure the players also would rather be in their clubs because the season just started and this international break doesn't help anyone (just extra games in a season that's already packed as hell).

Nations league sucks and is still a stupid idea. If they really want to do this international break they should much rather to WC quali because that has at least some meaning for the players historically

Liquid`Drone

Norway28785 Posts

October 15 2020 12:19 GMT

#369

I like nations league a lot, but I think there's a difference for top and second tier teams. For a team like Norway, nations league is an easier route to championships than what the ordinary qualification is.

That this particular season gets particularly cramped is a separate issue and not one I disagree with, but I understand that and why no competitions are particularly keen on being the one to get axed.

aseq

Netherlands3996 Posts

October 15 2020 14:35 GMT

#370

I agree, for nations like mine (NL) nations league is a great safety net as we manage to mess up our qualification now and again. Sure, countries like Iceland, Romania, Bulgaria and Romania aren't walkovers by any means but in a 2 leg format the odds are good and it's a nice extra chance to have. For the top teams, it's not so important.

Acrofales

Spain18264 Posts

October 15 2020 16:52 GMT

#371

On October 15 2020 23:35 aseq wrote:
I agree, for nations like mine (NL) nations league is a great safety net as we manage to mess up our qualification now and again. Sure, countries like Iceland, Romania, Bulgaria and Romania aren't walkovers by any means but in a 2 leg format the odds are good and it's a nice extra chance to have. For the top teams, it's not so important.

With the expanded qualifier spots for Euros we should never miss them. That we somehow managed to is disgraceful, and a Nations League safety net wouldn't have saved us. We'd probably just draw twice against Bulgaria and then lose on penalties.

Euro qualifiers are a joke now, and claiming NL is anything other than a top tier team is absurd.

I mean, if NL isn't then really only Germany and Italy are.

{CC}StealthBlue

United States41117 Posts

October 15 2020 17:21 GMT

#372

So what are the chances the government does step in to regulate the league?

Pandemona

Charlie Sheens House51493 Posts

October 15 2020 18:05 GMT

#373

Government isn't allowed to step in to regulate it because FIFA will ban England from competing internationally, same with UEFA on a European level would be my guess. All the Government stepping in would do is force the big clubs to walk away and play in another league.

England national team is ran by Southgate who has lost his spark now, his team selection is just shocking, any manager who plays Eric Dier when they do not have too is a deluded fool, he is the worst professional footballer i have ever seen, he does absolutely nothing well. Maguire is in some shocking form and deserved his red and the games vs Denmark were pretty shocking, we still had huge chances at 1-0 down to grab something from the game as well as in the first game vs them had a goal ruled out for no reason.

I have no qualms with the nations league, i think it adds way more to friendlies as the big teams can play vs eachother more regularly to really get tested, but right now with Coronavirus ripping through Europe again these fixtures have been a complete waste of time. They should have forced the international games in during the summer off period for 2-3 weeks and get it all out the way then, not during a compressed season and to top it off a second wave of the virus. Shocking the amount of positive cases now in footballers when there was hardly any beforehand.

Deleted User 173346

16169 Posts

October 16 2020 18:06 GMT

#374

--- Nuked ---

Oukka

Finland1683 Posts

October 16 2020 23:53 GMT

#375

Premier League is fine, government won't need to (or want to) take it over as long as there is enough billionaires around who need a hobby. Maybe the government can use covid regulations to pressure PL to pay to save some of the lower leagues tho, if there is no public benefit then Premier League as a non essential business could be shut down for now?

Again, that'd kind of dubious, but so is the whole premise of pretending that the lower league teams can operate under the current circumstances. If government mandated a shutdown they could furlough staff or claim insurance money but not being told to shut but no audiences seems to combine all the worst outcomes. Which seems to be a general trend under this government but that belongs to the politics thread I guess.

sharkie

Austria18629 Posts

October 17 2020 11:35 GMT

#376

Robertson's been on fire since restart

sharkie

Austria18629 Posts

October 17 2020 11:42 GMT

#377

So Liverpool "offside" check by VAR right now - they used van dijk's elbow for his line. So can you score with your elbow now?

DropBear

Australia4399 Posts

October 17 2020 13:26 GMT

#378

Liverpool absolutely fucking robbed

sharkie

Austria18629 Posts

October 17 2020 13:31 GMT

#379

I dont want any liverpool being favoured by refs heard this season. The referee denied them a deserving red card on Pickford, a penalty and now the winning goal

the lines SHOWED NO OFFSIDE and VAR says offside wtf

Deleted User 26513

2376 Posts

October 17 2020 13:37 GMT

#380

We went from 3 referees making dumb mistakes, to 5 referees doing dumb mistakes. This VAR system - great improvement. Disallowing a goal after video review for 0.5 cm offside is damaging the game, not improving it.