⚽ UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany ⚽ - Qualifiers👉Group Stage

[Daniel91]

Brazil underestimate all of their opponents thinking that they are the best and they prove that in the group faze but when it come to knockout faze they lose the big matches. Croatia goes on their teamwork and with every round they skip thats a big achievement for them. Will see them at next world cup where they will be because a lot od players wont play for them

I agree with this observation. After their big win against Serbia early on, Brazil became complacent during the FIFA World Cup 2022 group phase. They lost to Camroon by a margin of 0-1. Argentina also lost to Saudi Arabia in the group phase, but the difference is that they learnt their lesson and started to treat their opponents with respect. They never lost another match in the 2022 edition. On the other hand, Brazil got one more big win against South Korea in the round of 16, and then again went back to their old ways. And finally got knocked out by Croatia in QF stage.

I think things need to be put into perspective. Brazil lost against Cameroon in the last match of the group, which meant absolutely nothing to them because they had already secured a place in the knockout phase of the competition.
Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia in the first match of the group stage of the competition and jeopardized chance to qualify for the knockout stage of the competition.
The players of Brazil know the players of Croatia very well, they play together with them in the world's best clubs and leagues, and they didn't underestimate Croatia as they knew that a very difficult match against Croatia was waiting for them.
In the statements before that match, all the players of Brazil spoke very respectfully about the players of Croatia and warned that they were in for a very difficult match.
In the match against Croatia, Brazil players gave their best, but it was not enough to win, and the Croatian players should be congratulated for that.
Croatia defeated the best team in the world and thus made the path to the world title much easier for the Argentina players.
In Argentina, after the defeat of Brazil against Croatia, there was a bigger celebration than in Croatia, did you know that? Do you know why? Because they knew that after the defeat of Brazil, the way to the world title was open for them.

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[Blitzboy]

I wouldn't say that the problem with Brazil is their national league. Look at Croatia. They have very poor national league, but the national team is one of the best in the world. Majority of national team players play in strong European leagues like Premiership so they bring much quality to the national team. I would say that with Brazil it's similar. Their star players (Casemiro, Richarlison, Thiago Silva...) are all playing in the top European clubs.

I would say that lack of team bonding is one of the issues with Brazil. Their players are immensely talented. But since they play for different clubs in different leagues, the players are not very familiar with each other. And this creates issues while playing as a team. On top of that, I don't have a good opinion about the current Brazilian coach. Carlo Ancelotti is about to replace Tite (Adenor Leonardo Bacchi), but I am not expecting much. Management has been quiet poor with the Brazil national team for the last 5-6 years, I would say.

@Sithara007 who said that Ancelotti is taking up the Brazil job because he’s already planning for Real Madrid’s upcoming season hence he won’t be coaching the Brazil team anytime soon. Furthermore I feel that Brazil will put in a improved performance because Fred, Anthony, Casemiro all are playing in the same team and hopefully Neymar too will also join them soon at Manchester United which will further improve their chemistry.

That's an interesting point you've made there regarding the potential chemistry between Brazilian players at Manchester United. However, if we look at the broader picture, Brazil's performance in international tournaments has been less than stellar recently, hasn't it? They have had some of the most skillful individual players globally, but the harmony often appears off when they take to the field as a unit. Curiously enough, these very players excel in their respective European leagues, which could be a testament to club-based practice and cohesion. Neymar's decision to join Manchester United over a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia is indeed intriguing, possibly indicating a strategic move to better team dynamics.

[Sithara007]

That's an interesting point you've made there regarding the potential chemistry between Brazilian players at Manchester United. However, if we look at the broader picture, Brazil's performance in international tournaments has been less than stellar recently, hasn't it? They have had some of the most skillful individual players globally, but the harmony often appears off when they take to the field as a unit. Curiously enough, these very players excel in their respective European leagues, which could be a testament to club-based practice and cohesion. Neymar's decision to join Manchester United over a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia is indeed intriguing, possibly indicating a strategic move to better team dynamics.

Still a lot of opaqueness regarding Neymar's offer from Saudi Arabia. I have reasons to suspect that it was not as lucrative as the ones given to Messi and Ronaldo. Anyway, Paris St-Germain is also owned by Arabs (Qataris, not Saudis) and their contract is also worth a huge sum ($263 million). If Neymar want to stay in Europe, it is understandable. Even Messi's wife was not happy with his move to Saudi Arabia and had asked him to stay with PSG. But fortunately Messi was able to convince her and avoid a $1.2 billion loss to his bank account. 

[slackovic]

/snip

Even Messi's wife was not happy with his move to Saudi Arabia and had asked him to stay with PSG. But fortunately Messi was able to convince her and avoid a $1.2 billion loss to his bank account. 

Didn't Messi just signed with Inter Miami? At least that is what was published yesterday. If it's true what you say about his wife not wanting to move to Saudi Arabia, I guess he signed with Miami because of that. I couldn't find the exact financial agreement but there are speculations that he was offered a revenue-sharing deal with Adidas and Apple TV, but also a possibility to own a part of the club when he retires.

[Daniel91]

/snip

Even Messi's wife was not happy with his move to Saudi Arabia and had asked him to stay with PSG. But fortunately Messi was able to convince her and avoid a $1.2 billion loss to his bank account.  

Didn't Messi just signed with Inter Miami? At least that is what was published yesterday. If it's true what you say about his wife not wanting to move to Saudi Arabia, I guess he signed with Miami because of that. I couldn't find the exact financial agreement but there are speculations that he was offered a revenue-sharing deal with Adidas and Apple TV, but also a possibility to own a part of the club when he retires.

Yes, this is already confirmed news on many online portals, and they also reported Messi's statement that he is going to America because he wants peace for himself and his family.
Barcelona seem to have failed to convince Messi that the financial construction of bringing him to Barcelona is sustainable.
Of course, Messi has a huge marketing value, and in America he now has the opportunity to further strengthen his personal brand and increase his earnings.
It seems to me that neither Ronaldo nor Messi will play in European football anymore.

[Sithara007]

Didn't Messi just signed with Inter Miami? At least that is what was published yesterday. If it's true what you say about his wife not wanting to move to Saudi Arabia, I guess he signed with Miami because of that. I couldn't find the exact financial agreement but there are speculations that he was offered a revenue-sharing deal with Adidas and Apple TV, but also a possibility to own a part of the club when he retires.

OK.. looks like it is confirmed.

https://www.goal.com/en-in/news/lionel-messi-confirms-inter-miami-move-argentine-superstar-mls-snubs-al-hilal/blte4073fe5404e15b2

I don't think that it is a very intelligent move from Messi, but then it is his decision and his career. Messi might have wanted to take up the lucrative deal from Al Hilal. But his wife was staunchly against that idea. I just hope that in the end he doesn't regret about this decision. The financial details for the Inter Miami deal are not out yet. Messi might have got a decent deal, given his ongoing negotiations with Barca, Al Hilal and Inter. David Beckham is one of the owners of Inter Miami, and this might have also influenced his decision. 

[harapan]

Still a lot of opaqueness regarding Neymar's offer from Saudi Arabia. I have reasons to suspect that it was not as lucrative as the ones given to Messi and Ronaldo. Anyway, Paris St-Germain is also owned by Arabs (Qataris, not Saudis) and their contract is also worth a huge sum ($263 million). If Neymar want to stay in Europe, it is understandable. Even Messi's wife was not happy with his move to Saudi Arabia and had asked him to stay with PSG. But fortunately Messi was able to convince her and avoid a $1.2 billion loss to his bank account. 

Messi isn't going to Saudi Arabia, He's going to MLS. The money is the only only thing that the Saudis have to offer, the quality of football is relatively lower than that of the MLS. The MLS is more competitive.
Did you see the contract given to Kante? Do you think Neymar would be given any less? Neymar just wants to continue playing in Europe. He feels he still has a lot to offer and that is true. Besides Manchester United will offer him a very good contract. Neymar and Man United have not agreed on anything yet and he might still go to another European club or even go to the MLS or Qatar or Saudi Arabia.

[Sithara007]

Messi isn't going to Saudi Arabia, He's going to MLS. The money is the only only thing that the Saudis have to offer, the quality of football is relatively lower than that of the MLS. The MLS is more competitive.
~~~

Yeah... I saw that news (regarding Inter Miami) after I made my post. Now the picture is clear regarding Messi. That said, I disagree with you regarding Saudi league. A number of star players are moving to different Saudi clubs and the quality as of now is not that bad. And in the next 2-3 years, I would assume that the quality of the league would be comparable with major European leagues such as the EPL and Ligue 1. Anyway, I am 100% sure that the Saudi Professional League is much more competent than Major League Soccer. 

[Daniel91]

Still a lot of opaqueness regarding Neymar's offer from Saudi Arabia. I have reasons to suspect that it was not as lucrative as the ones given to Messi and Ronaldo. Anyway, Paris St-Germain is also owned by Arabs (Qataris, not Saudis) and their contract is also worth a huge sum ($263 million). If Neymar want to stay in Europe, it is understandable. Even Messi's wife was not happy with his move to Saudi Arabia and had asked him to stay with PSG. But fortunately Messi was able to convince her and avoid a $1.2 billion loss to his bank account. 

Messi isn't going to Saudi Arabia, He's going to MLS. The money is the only only thing that the Saudis have to offer, the quality of football is relatively lower than that of the MLS. The MLS is more competitive.
Did you see the contract given to Kante? Do you think Neymar would be given any less? Neymar just wants to continue playing in Europe. He feels he still has a lot to offer and that is true. Besides Manchester United will offer him a very good contract. Neymar and Man United have not agreed on anything yet and he might still go to another European club or even go to the MLS or Qatar or Saudi Arabia.

In fact, through sponsorship contracts and investments in the league, Messi will earn much more in the long term in America than in Saudi Arabia, and of course the quality of football in America is higher.
Neymar is a very good football player, but the problem is his behavior and work ethic. In Paris, he simply did not justify the huge money that PSG invested in him. Will it be better in Manchester? I'm Not really sure.
We will see if Henry Kane will decide to change clubs and go to Real. He certainly wants to start winning trophies towards the end of his career.
The final tournament in the League of Nations awaits us next week, and then we look forward to the continuation of the EURO qualifiers 

[Sithara007]

It has been a long and frustrating wait to get to the next round of matches. Fortunately the third phase starts this week, with two matches for each team. There is a Norway vs Scotland match in Group A, which is extremely crucial for both the teams (Scotland is currently on top with 6 points from 2 matches). Norway has 1 point as of now. Then there is a match between Belgium and Austria in Group F. This is crucial, as Belgium is at no.2. I checked the other groups as well, and there are not that many interesting matches for this week.

[LUCKMCFLY]

Well I can't deny that Denmark always gives a lot to talk about, the teams that are from these countries have a very peculiar fútbol, but it's like you say, we can talk a lot about football, but until they beat Argentina, France, Brazil I think that the countries continue to have a football that is sorely lacking, I say these countries because I know that Croatia is capable of winning and it has, for a reason they got so far in Qatar, Croatian fútbol is also very good, main demonstration , your captain Luka Modric, one of the best fútbol players in the world, winner of the Golden Ball, is something impressive.

Everyone says that Croatia has Luka Modric but I think the UEFA Nations league will be his last competition in the national team. He is getting old and I'm sure it's hard for him to keep up with all the games. It will be interesting to see who will replace him in the Croatian team.

If eventually Croatia, his figure is undoubtedly Modric, perhaps because he is in one of the most influential teams in the world such as Real Madrid, in addition to having won a controversial ballon d'or, when everyone expected the winner to be someone else, he came out In addition, Modric must be recognized that he gave everything in the World Cup in Qatar, he played with his heart and that is something that the whole world saw, those are the things that make him great, however, as you say, it may be that It will be his last time with the Croatian team, but I would never leave Modric, I would only let him go when he wants to retire, because a player like that always has to be kept.

It has been a long and frustrating wait to get to the next round of matches. Fortunately the third phase starts this week, with two matches for each team. There is a Norway vs Scotland match in Group A, which is extremely crucial for both the teams (Scotland is currently on top with 6 points from 2 matches). Norway has 1 point as of now. Then there is a match between Belgium and Austria in Group F. This is crucial, as Belgium is at no.2. I checked the other groups as well, and there are not that many interesting matches for this week.

Well, I'm anxious to see Belgium play, it's not for nothing , but in the World Cup in Qatar I didn't like what I saw of them , I don't know what happened to them, they have lower-level players and the way they played didn't convince me at all, What I hope here is that this other phase is very exciting, I personally love watching the games, now with Norway , I want to see this team emerge, these Nordic teams I have realized that they really like soccer and they are really good , I hope they can show all the power and not stay with Anything.

Erling Haaland WILL be ready for Norway's Euro 2024 qualifier against Scotland despite Man City's epic party, claims their boss as striker is urged to 'rest' ahead of the match

Norway coach Stale Solbakken is confident Erling Haaland will be ready to shoot down Scotland after a 48-hour party to mark Manchester City's historic Treble.

The superstar striker arrived by private jet in his homeland yesterday afternoon to join up with Solbakken's squad ahead of Saturday's Euro 2024 qualifier showdown in Oslo. Along with many of his club colleagues, Haaland had still been celebrating City's incredible season late into Monday night.

Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-12191797/Erling-Haaland-ready-Norways-Euro-2024-qualifier-against-Scotland-says-manager.html

[Sithara007]

Well, I'm anxious to see Belgium play, it's not for nothing , but in the World Cup in Qatar I didn't like what I saw of them , I don't know what happened to them, they have lower-level players and the way they played didn't convince me at all, What I hope here is that this other phase is very exciting, I personally love watching the games, now with Norway , I want to see this team emerge, these Nordic teams I have realized that they really like soccer and they are really good , I hope they can show all the power and not stay with Anything.
~~~~

IMO, Belgium is one of those dying teams within UEFA, similar to Netherlands and Danmark. Once upon a time, they were no.1 in FIFA ranking. And that was when Romelu Lukaku was at his peak form. But this idea of a team dominated by a single player doesn't work well in the long term (Norway with Erling Håland is another example), and eventually Lukaku ran out of steam and that had a negative impact on the Belgian performance. They have matches against Austria and Estonia this week. Let's see how that turns out.

[slackovic]

If eventually Croatia, his figure is undoubtedly Modric, perhaps because he is in one of the most influential teams in the world such as Real Madrid, in addition to having won a controversial ballon d'or, when everyone expected the winner to be someone else, he came out In addition, Modric must be recognized that he gave everything in the World Cup in Qatar, he played with his heart and that is something that the whole world saw, those are the things that make him great, however, as you say, it may be that It will be his last time with the Croatian team, but I would never leave Modric, I would only let him go when he wants to retire, because a player like that always has to be kept.

/snip

I agree that Modrić should stay with Croatia for as long as he wants to be. And I'm sure that Dalić will never kick him out of the national team. Everyone in Croatia knows how much Modrić has given to the national team. I just watched his interview on TV where he said that he will be at disposal to the national team for as long as he thinks the national team needs him.

[Daniel91]

If eventually Croatia, his figure is undoubtedly Modric, perhaps because he is in one of the most influential teams in the world such as Real Madrid, in addition to having won a controversial ballon d'or, when everyone expected the winner to be someone else, he came out In addition, Modric must be recognized that he gave everything in the World Cup in Qatar, he played with his heart and that is something that the whole world saw, those are the things that make him great, however, as you say, it may be that It will be his last time with the Croatian team, but I would never leave Modric, I would only let him go when he wants to retire, because a player like that always has to be kept.

/snip

I agree that Modrić should stay with Croatia for as long as he wants to be. And I'm sure that Dalić will never kick him out of the national team. Everyone in Croatia knows how much Modrić has given to the national team. I just watched his interview on TV where he said that he will be at disposal to the national team for as long as he thinks the national team needs him.

Ok, we all agree that Modrić is a great soccer player and that his significance for the Croatian national team is very important.
However, we must be aware that his career is coming to an end and that it is becoming increasingly difficult for him physically to keep up with the condensed rhythm of a large number of matches in various club and national team matches.
It is an open secret that Real are not very happy with Modrić's desire to continue playing for the Croatian national team.
On the other hand, Dalić should slowly start preparing the team for the time after Modrić and prepare the national team's game for that period.
Otherwise, the situation from the beginning of 2000 could be repeated, when the change of generations was not done well and gradually, and there was a big drop in the game and results of the Croatian national team.

[bitgolden]

Ok, we all agree that Modrić is a great soccer player and that his significance for the Croatian national team is very important.
However, we must be aware that his career is coming to an end and that it is becoming increasingly difficult for him physically to keep up with the condensed rhythm of a large number of matches in various club and national team matches.
It is an open secret that Real are not very happy with Modrić's desire to continue playing for the Croatian national team.
On the other hand, Dalić should slowly start preparing the team for the time after Modrić and prepare the national team's game for that period.
Otherwise, the situation from the beginning of 2000 could be repeated, when the change of generations was not done well and gradually, and there was a big drop in the game and results of the Croatian national team.

Well, dude is 500 years old, so him not resting during the summer period is a tough thing, if he keeps playing for the national team at that age, the risk of him getting injured increases, and as the team that pays his salary, they have all the right not want him to get injured.

I understand the logic behind it, because that's not going to be easy in the end to find out he got injured, but if he is not injured even in that case he would not be rested and he would still have a higher chance to get injured during club period, due to stress he put on his body. At that age he should retire from national team and just focus on the club, and not even play all games there, no cup games, and most league games exception of some simple ones, and play in all UCL games. So more like 40-45 games a year is more than enough.

[Rruchi man]

I agree that Modrić should stay with Croatia for as long as he wants to be. And I'm sure that Dalić will never kick him out of the national team. Everyone in Croatia knows how much Modrić has given to the national team. I just watched his interview on TV where he said that he will be at disposal to the national team for as long as he thinks the national team needs him.

Modric is still a very influential player for Croatia that is why he is captain, and so far as he continues to be useful, there is no need to retire. I am watching the Nations league semi finals, where Netherlands play Croatia, and in this game Luka Modric still plays fine football for Croatia. Age does not count where a player can still make an impact in the National team especially a small and strong nation in football like Croatia. Modric still wants to win medals for his country, he should not be pressured into retirement, he still has enough quality to help Croatia in Euro 2024 if they qualify.

[harapan]

I agree that Modrić should stay with Croatia for as long as he wants to be. And I'm sure that Dalić will never kick him out of the national team. Everyone in Croatia knows how much Modrić has given to the national team. I just watched his interview on TV where he said that he will be at disposal to the national team for as long as he thinks the national team needs him.

Nobody is kicking Modric out of the Croatian national team. He is going to play till he wants to step down, Even at his age he still better than a lot midfielders. He is very valuable to the the team.
Modric is not only a good player but he's also a leader. He has led his team to a world cup final, semi final and he's still here leading his team to a nations league final. As old as he is now, he is still needed in that Croatia team. Even Madrid as big and rich as they are cant afford to let Modric leave just yet.

[Renampun]

If eventually Croatia, his figure is undoubtedly Modric, perhaps because he is in one of the most influential teams in the world such as Real Madrid, in addition to having won a controversial ballon d'or, when everyone expected the winner to be someone else, he came out In addition, Modric must be recognized that he gave everything in the World Cup in Qatar, he played with his heart and that is something that the whole world saw, those are the things that make him great, however, as you say, it may be that It will be his last time with the Croatian team, but I would never leave Modric, I would only let him go when he wants to retire, because a player like that always has to be kept.

I agree that Modrić should stay with Croatia for as long as he wants to be. And I'm sure that Dalić will never kick him out of the national team. Everyone in Croatia knows how much Modrić has given to the national team. I just watched his interview on TV where he said that he will be at disposal to the national team for as long as he thinks the national team needs him.

Modric is a brilliant midfielder, so far in the Croatian camp no one can match his intelligence as a midfielder and we can see for ourselves how he contributes to the Croatian national team, so I'm sure the Croatian coach will continue to play Modric on the field until he himself decides to stop.

tomorrow euro 2024 qualifying rounds will start again, there will be an exciting match between finland vs slovenia, in group H slovenia is the leader of the group and it looks like slovenia will narrowly win this match.

[Sithara007]

tomorrow euro 2024 qualifying rounds will start again, there will be an exciting match between finland vs slovenia, in group H slovenia is the leader of the group and it looks like slovenia will narrowly win this match.

Difficult to follow these matches because they are scheduled few and far between. The first phase was played long back in March 2023. Almost three months have passed and most of us don't even remember the team standings. I am a bit curious about Group B. If Greece wins both of their matches this week (against Ireland and France), then they will keep Netherlands at third position. Anyway, winning against France is close to impossible. Also Group F is interesting, because three teams are fighting it out to finish within top-3: Sweden, Austria and Belgium. 

[slackovic]

I have one question that may sound stupid, but I still don't get the thing about the winner of the UEFA Nations league. Now that Croatia is in the finals and Spain or Italy joining them after today's game, what happens with their qualifications? Does the UEFA Nations League winner still play qualification games even though it will be qualified for the EURO2024?