⚽ UEFA Nations League final four ⚽

[Minor Miner]

I don't think that Croatia lost was the fault of the players. It was their fate that they will be defeated by Spain because Croatia played brilliantly and I didn't expect such performance from them. Penalty is a game of luck and shouldn't be used to judge a team when they lost in PK. This was why I said it was their fate. On the other hand Spain was lucky on that day as the match favored them in the Penalty stage. Spain wouldn't stop surprising the world with the quality football from world class players. Destiny can't be changed but delayed,those players that will resign in Croatia national team was not destined to win the trophy.

Croatia loses the national league championship to Spain. It was a challenging game characterized by excellent performances from both parties; everyone was concentrating on the title and put in all they had on the field; nevertheless the game ended in extra time and penalty shootouts with brilliant performance fulltime. That was a completely another level, and we all know how nerve-racking taking penalties is. Those who scored were ecstatic, while those who failed to score were booed by the supporters. Spain won the current champions of the national league trophy.

Croatia had a strong squad. So everyone expected Croatia to win. But I don't like Croatia's performance in the final. Spain's players were more diligent than Croatia's players. And very well played. Spain deserved to win this match. Spain had a very organized performance. However, despite many attacks, neither team could score in 120 minutes. The defense of both teams was very strong. But the match was undoubtedly very competitive. We got an opportunity to enjoy an exciting match.

[shogun47]

This is Lewangdowski  His execution of the penalty in my opinion is very miserable. And in general it looks like unfair - I think some kind of change should be introduced in the rules so that we do not see these caprine twitches:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1wcWRB_jGv8

The toughest penalty taker in my memory was Chilavert. Everyone knew that he would most likely hit in the center, but he had such a strong shot that it was impossible to reflect it.

Haha thanks for sharing the link and yes, Lewandowski is one of those guys who suck when executing penalties. It is dumb looking and I would freak out as a coach when he doesn't hit in a very important game. I really prefer those who target whatever they target and then go with a hard shot. If the goalkeeper defends it, that's fine, but jumping around like a deer before shooting isn't fun to watch. But some are even worse looking than Lewandowski when they take penalties.

[BitcoinAccepted]

Spain also has a nice class at the moment. They have had bad years since the last time they became European and World champions. 2008-2010-2012, all became champions. They didn't show much after that. So in that respect it is nice for Spain to win another title. Croatia was close, but again no gold won. It must be frustrating somehow if you've been close to it a few times. But many players are not happy at all playing this Nations League tournament.

[hahay]

This is Lewangdowski  His execution of the penalty in my opinion is very miserable. And in general it looks like unfair - I think some kind of change should be introduced in the rules so that we do not see these caprine twitches:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1wcWRB_jGv8

The toughest penalty taker in my memory was Chilavert. Everyone knew that he would most likely hit in the center, but he had such a strong shot that it was impossible to reflect it.

Haha thanks for sharing the link and yes, Lewandowski is one of those guys who suck when executing penalties. It is dumb looking and I would freak out as a coach when he doesn't hit in a very important game. I really prefer those who target whatever they target and then go with a hard shot. If the goalkeeper defends it, that's fine, but jumping around like a deer before shooting isn't fun to watch. But some are even worse looking than Lewandowski when they take penalties.

It seems that it doesn't really matter how and in what way they take the penalty kick, because what matters is whether they score a penalty kick or miss it. Because, even though they do it in a standard way or don't have strange movements before kicking, but if they fail in the end the player is said to be bad because he failed to score a goal from the penalty spot. So yes, I personally don't really mind their style because after all, in the video the result is successful and not failed.

[KTChampions]

It seems that it doesn't really matter how and in what way they take the penalty kick, because what matters is whether they score a penalty kick or miss it. Because, even though they do it in a standard way or don't have strange movements before kicking, but if they fail in the end the player is said to be bad because he failed to score a goal from the penalty spot. So yes, I personally don't really mind their style because after all, in the video the result is successful and not failed.

Lewandowski has a decent amount of failed penalty attempts, but efficiency isn't the issue. The fact is that it looks like cheating - for some reason, the goalkeeper does not have the right to take a single step forward before hitting and is generally limited in rights as much as possible, and the attacker can jump as much as he wants, stop even after he has run up. It would be good to somehow equalize their rights - either forbid the attacker to slow down, or allow the goalkeeper to run out from the goal ribbon (reducing the angle of shott and significantly increasing their chances) - in this case, the attacker would strike at the highest possible speed.

[shogun47]

It seems that it doesn't really matter how and in what way they take the penalty kick, because what matters is whether they score a penalty kick or miss it. Because, even though they do it in a standard way or don't have strange movements before kicking, but if they fail in the end the player is said to be bad because he failed to score a goal from the penalty spot. So yes, I personally don't really mind their style because after all, in the video the result is successful and not failed.

Lewandowski has a decent amount of failed penalty attempts, but efficiency isn't the issue. The fact is that it looks like cheating - for some reason, the goalkeeper does not have the right to take a single step forward before hitting and is generally limited in rights as much as possible, and the attacker can jump as much as he wants, stop even after he has run up. It would be good to somehow equalize their rights - either forbid the attacker to slow down, or allow the goalkeeper to run out from the goal ribbon (reducing the angle of shott and significantly increasing their chances) - in this case, the attacker would strike at the highest possible speed.

This is a question of taste of course and I agree that efficiency counts in the first place, but I still don't like it when they behave like clowns. It almost looks disrespectful sometimes to the opponent when they are jumping like some weird animal and dancing some weird voodoo moves when taking a penalty kick. I sometimes thought that perhaps they are forced to use these signature moves from video game companies because then they can build some sequences into their games that keeps the audience and users more excited...

As for the advantage, that is of course the second issue. There is no red line anymore in terms of slowing down and accelerating before the penalty was shot and that is indeed kind of unfair. But when you try to draw a line in the rules, how would that be done? What pace is allowed? Who says whether there was an obvious delay or slowdown or not? It's already complicated enough with these absolutely outrageous handballs that are sometimes penalized...

[rdluffy]

Life is made up of victories and defeats, and this defeat should still be viewed as one transient thing that will quickly become a matter of past. I have no doubt that Croatia will be on the Euro 2024 and that it will show good games there, but if it wants to make a good result again, it will need something more than luck.

That is the charm of soccer. Many other excellent teams during history ended up not winning titles in a period of time.
But surely it is a matter of time.

The fact is that we are missing something that can push us to the end, and it is up to the coach and the expert staff to analyze the team and try to maybe introduce some new players into the game. Croatia must prepare for the fact that in the future they will play without some very important players, and it is still unknown whether Luka Modric will continue to play for the national team.

If I have to bet, I bet Modric will still want to keep playing until Euro 2024, because he still has his contract with Real Madrid and has everything to continue at a high level
But even without Modric, I think Croatia already has enough experience with the players that will continue and will be able to start a "new phase" with a good and competitive team, both for Euro 2024 and the 2026 World Cup.

I just read the news that Modrić rejected a very rich offer from Saudi Arabia and a salary of several hundred million dollars, and that instead he decided to play another year at Real, and he wants to play for the national team at the EURO and try to win the first historic trophy with the national team.

This is good for everyone but the Saudi Arabians hehe.
Keep playing in La Liga and the Champions League is extremely important for a player who wants to keep his level of soccer as high as possible.

As for the national team, what we miss the most, since Mandzukic left in 2018, is a real and deadly striker.

You reminded me of Davor Šuker, and it may be that what was really missing was a striker at that level, I can't say for sure
Maybe a reference in the area like Haaland or Harry Kane would help a lot, but it is very difficult to know if it would be enough or not, after all none of these players, even scoring many goals managed to take the national team very far.

[tusandii]

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Croatia has been endless in recent years and it has proven that they are very consistent compared to other strong countries in reaching the finals of the nation's league. However, even though there is a lot of talent available now, it will not last long and indeed Croatia must find the next successor so they can win trophies in the next competition. On the other hand, teams like Spain and Belgium are also in the current regeneration stage. It's just that Spain was able to top them first because it had a fairly long process since 2010 and if you look at the depth of the current Spanish squad it will certainly be a threat to other European teams in the nation's league.

Yes, Croatia in recent years has always provided good development and has some reliable players in it, but that doesn't guarantee they can compete with other big countries.
As you have said that Croatia is still far behind Spain and if in the future Croatia does not make some improvements or improve playing performance then I believe it will be difficult for them to be close to the championship trophy.

But I was amazed by Croatia's game because they were able to survive Full-time without conceding any goals until the match ended in a penalty shootout.

[rendravolt]

Croatia has been endless in recent years and it has proven that they are very consistent compared to other strong countries in reaching the finals of the nation's league. However, even though there is a lot of talent available now, it will not last long and indeed Croatia must find the next successor so they can win trophies in the next competition. On the other hand, teams like Spain and Belgium are also in the current regeneration stage. It's just that Spain was able to top them first because it had a fairly long process since 2010 and if you look at the depth of the current Spanish squad it will certainly be a threat to other European teams in the nation's league.

Yes, Croatia in recent years has always provided good development and has some reliable players in it, but that doesn't guarantee they can compete with other big countries.
As you have said that Croatia is still far behind Spain and if in the future Croatia does not make some improvements or improve playing performance then I believe it will be difficult for them to be close to the championship trophy.

But I was amazed by Croatia's game because they were able to survive Full-time without conceding any goals until the match ended in a penalty shootout.

Even though in the end Croatia still couldn't win the international competition trophy but being able to move on to the final round is certainly a very good achievement. Croatia will continue to shine in the next few years and when they are more mature I think they will win the title for the first time. Actually I wasn't surprised by what Croatia showed in the final match of the nation's league because the depth of the squad is very even and the possibility of conceding is very small even though Spain has a squad depth that is slightly above Croatia. However, Croatia managed to perform consistently even during extra time, but it was quite painful to lose on penalties, maybe the only thing they didn't want.

[Sakanwa]

 I wasn't opportuned to follow up all the activities in the just concluded UEFA Nations league but I watched some few games and I think the Croatian team did very well and played fantastic football with the likes of modric leading the team to victory against other nations and qualifying I final stages of the tournament tournament.
 Though they couldn't lift the cup and were held to a draw against Spain which later lead to a penalty shoot out loosing 4 - 5 to the Spanish nation after a fine safe from unai Simon the Spanish goalkeeper the Croatian team did great and I was impressed with their performance, it would had been their first international trophy anyways congratulations to Spain for lifting the 2022/2023 UEFA Nations League Trophy.

[Blitzboy]

It seems that it doesn't really matter how and in what way they take the penalty kick, because what matters is whether they score a penalty kick or miss it. Because, even though they do it in a standard way or don't have strange movements before kicking, but if they fail in the end the player is said to be bad because he failed to score a goal from the penalty spot. So yes, I personally don't really mind their style because after all, in the video the result is successful and not failed.

Lewandowski has a decent amount of failed penalty attempts, but efficiency isn't the issue. The fact is that it looks like cheating - for some reason, the goalkeeper does not have the right to take a single step forward before hitting and is generally limited in rights as much as possible, and the attacker can jump as much as he wants, stop even after he has run up. It would be good to somehow equalize their rights - either forbid the attacker to slow down, or allow the goalkeeper to run out from the goal ribbon (reducing the angle of shott and significantly increasing their chances) - in this case, the attacker would strike at the highest possible speed.

I get why penalty masters like Lewandowski, with their elaborate techniques, might rub you the wrong way. The jumping jacks and freeze-frames smack of video game antics, right?

Meanwhile, goalies are hemmed in by strict rules, curtailing their action. The imbalance is stark. However, delineating 'usual speed' or 'excessive pause' in the run-up can be controversial, reminiscent of handball disputes. Football authorities need to confront these matters for the spirit of fair play.

[fzkto]

Spain also has a nice class at the moment. They have had bad years since the last time they became European and World champions. 2008-2010-2012, all became champions. They didn't show much after that. So in that respect it is nice for Spain to win another title. Croatia was close, but again no gold won. It must be frustrating somehow if you've been close to it a few times. But many players are not happy at all playing this Nations League tournament.

Yes, probably many national teams do not consider this tournament as important as the World Cup or the European Cup. The UEFA Nations League was created to replace the friendly matches which were never taken seriously. That's probably why sensations like Luxembourg's win against Bosnia can happen. But all the same, I believe that this cup format motivates the countries to play good football.

[KTChampions]

Lewandowski has a decent amount of failed penalty attempts, but efficiency isn't the issue. The fact is that it looks like cheating - for some reason, the goalkeeper does not have the right to take a single step forward before hitting and is generally limited in rights as much as possible, and the attacker can jump as much as he wants, stop even after he has run up. It would be good to somehow equalize their rights - either forbid the attacker to slow down, or allow the goalkeeper to run out from the goal ribbon (reducing the angle of shott and significantly increasing their chances) - in this case, the attacker would strike at the highest possible speed.

This is a question of taste of course and I agree that efficiency counts in the first place, but I still don't like it when they behave like clowns. It almost looks disrespectful sometimes to the opponent when they are jumping like some weird animal and dancing some weird voodoo moves when taking a penalty kick. I sometimes thought that perhaps they are forced to use these signature moves from video game companies because then they can build some sequences into their games that keeps the audience and users more excited...

As for the advantage, that is of course the second issue. There is no red line anymore in terms of slowing down and accelerating before the penalty was shot and that is indeed kind of unfair. But when you try to draw a line in the rules, how would that be done? What pace is allowed? Who says whether there was an obvious delay or slowdown or not? It's already complicated enough with these absolutely outrageous handballs that are sometimes penalized...

It is difficult for me to talk about this because, technically, slowing down is prohibited even now. The player who takes the penalty must not slow down, but he can perform feints (previously feints were allowed even after the run-up - that is, he could run up, stop and feint seeing where the goalkeeper fell). Players take advantage of this opportunity and what they do is actually slow down (although it's called feinting). Maybe we should just completely ban feints when taking a penalty? That is, the player must strictly not slow down to strike. It would remove all questions.

[tusandii]

Croatia has been endless in recent years and it has proven that they are very consistent compared to other strong countries in reaching the finals of the nation's league. However, even though there is a lot of talent available now, it will not last long and indeed Croatia must find the next successor so they can win trophies in the next competition. On the other hand, teams like Spain and Belgium are also in the current regeneration stage. It's just that Spain was able to top them first because it had a fairly long process since 2010 and if you look at the depth of the current Spanish squad it will certainly be a threat to other European teams in the nation's league.

Yes, Croatia in recent years has always provided good development and has some reliable players in it, but that doesn't guarantee they can compete with other big countries.
As you have said that Croatia is still far behind Spain and if in the future Croatia does not make some improvements or improve playing performance then I believe it will be difficult for them to be close to the championship trophy.

But I was amazed by Croatia's game because they were able to survive Full-time without conceding any goals until the match ended in a penalty shootout.

Even though in the end Croatia still couldn't win the international competition trophy but being able to move on to the final round is certainly a very good achievement. Croatia will continue to shine in the next few years and when they are more mature I think they will win the title for the first time. Actually I wasn't surprised by what Croatia showed in the final match of the nation's league because the depth of the squad is very even and the possibility of conceding is very small even though Spain has a squad depth that is slightly above Croatia. However, Croatia managed to perform consistently even during extra time, but it was quite painful to lose on penalties, maybe the only thing they didn't want.

Yes, it has become a matter of pride for Croatia because it finished runners-up in this year's match when it had to accept defeat against Spain in a penalty shootout.
But in the penalty shoot-out, Croatia is only 2 points away from winning and this proves that Croatian players are stable enough and can be relied on.
If the way they play can continue to be improved, it is possible that next season they can bring home the championship trophy.

After all they can still have a chance at the Euro Cup which is currently still in the qualifying round.

[Sim_card]

Croatia has been endless in recent years and it has proven that they are very consistent compared to other strong countries in reaching the finals of the nation's league. However, even though there is a lot of talent available now, it will not last long and indeed Croatia must find the next successor so they can win trophies in the next competition. On the other hand, teams like Spain and Belgium are also in the current regeneration stage. It's just that Spain was able to top them first because it had a fairly long process since 2010 and if you look at the depth of the current Spanish squad it will certainly be a threat to other European teams in the nation's league.

Yes, Croatia in recent years has always provided good development and has some reliable players in it, but that doesn't guarantee they can compete with other big countries.
As you have said that Croatia is still far behind Spain and if in the future Croatia does not make some improvements or improve playing performance then I believe it will be difficult for them to be close to the championship trophy.

But I was amazed by Croatia's game because they were able to survive Full-time without conceding any goals until the match ended in a penalty shootout.

Even though in the end Croatia still couldn't win the international competition trophy but being able to move on to the final round is certainly a very good achievement. Croatia will continue to shine in the next few years and when they are more mature I think they will win the title for the first time. Actually I wasn't surprised by what Croatia showed in the final match of the nation's league because the depth of the squad is very even and the possibility of conceding is very small even though Spain has a squad depth that is slightly above Croatia. However, Croatia managed to perform consistently even during extra time, but it was quite painful to lose on penalties, maybe the only thing they didn't want.

Yes, it has become a matter of pride for Croatia because it finished runners-up in this year's match when it had to accept defeat against Spain in a penalty shootout.
But in the penalty shoot-out, Croatia is only 2 points away from winning and this proves that Croatian players are stable enough and can be relied on.
If the way they play can continue to be improved, it is possible that next season they can bring home the championship trophy.

After all they can still have a chance at the Euro Cup which is currently still in the qualifying round.

Croatia still have hope to win this cup next year because from the way they played Spain in the finals,if it wasn't that they couldn't score any goal that led to penalty shoot out,I think that Croatia would have won the game. Spain was well organized and prepared for whatever outcome the match will led to,this was the reason why Spain concentrated on their penalties and won the game.  Croatia in the past was better in Penalty shoot out but from my own understanding,I see that penalty is just like gambling whereby the probability of winning is 50-50. They can perform brilliantly in the ongoing Euro qualifier to make up their lost in the finals against Spain.

[Daniel91]

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Croatia has been endless in recent years and it has proven that they are very consistent compared to other strong countries in reaching the finals of the nation's league. However, even though there is a lot of talent available now, it will not last long and indeed Croatia must find the next successor so they can win trophies in the next competition. On the other hand, teams like Spain and Belgium are also in the current regeneration stage. It's just that Spain was able to top them first because it had a fairly long process since 2010 and if you look at the depth of the current Spanish squad it will certainly be a threat to other European teams in the nation's league.

Yes, Croatia in recent years has always provided good development and has some reliable players in it, but that doesn't guarantee they can compete with other big countries.
As you have said that Croatia is still far behind Spain and if in the future Croatia does not make some improvements or improve playing performance then I believe it will be difficult for them to be close to the championship trophy.

But I was amazed by Croatia's game because they were able to survive Full-time without conceding any goals until the match ended in a penalty shootout.

Croatia has achieved great results in recent years, and today is a difficult opponent for any team in the world. Croatia no longer has to prove itself to anyone because it has been playing at the top level for 5 years, regularly winning medals at world competitions (2 world cups and UEFA Nations League) and regularly defeating the best national teams in the world such as Argentina, England, France, Brazil and the Netherlands.
Why are you surprised that Croatia lasted until the penalty shootout without conceding a goal? Well, Croatia regularly defeats all its opponents in such a way and very rarely loses in extra time and penalties.
Croatia did not manage to win on penalties this time, but I think the next time will be different 

[tusandii]

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Croatia has been endless in recent years and it has proven that they are very consistent compared to other strong countries in reaching the finals of the nation's league. However, even though there is a lot of talent available now, it will not last long and indeed Croatia must find the next successor so they can win trophies in the next competition. On the other hand, teams like Spain and Belgium are also in the current regeneration stage. It's just that Spain was able to top them first because it had a fairly long process since 2010 and if you look at the depth of the current Spanish squad it will certainly be a threat to other European teams in the nation's league.

Yes, Croatia in recent years has always provided good development and has some reliable players in it, but that doesn't guarantee they can compete with other big countries.
As you have said that Croatia is still far behind Spain and if in the future Croatia does not make some improvements or improve playing performance then I believe it will be difficult for them to be close to the championship trophy.

But I was amazed by Croatia's game because they were able to survive Full-time without conceding any goals until the match ended in a penalty shootout.

Croatia has achieved great results in recent years, and today is a difficult opponent for any team in the world. Croatia no longer has to prove itself to anyone because it has been playing at the top level for 5 years, regularly winning medals at world competitions (2 world cups and UEFA Nations League) and regularly defeating the best national teams in the world such as Argentina, England, France, Brazil and the Netherlands.
Why are you surprised that Croatia lasted until the penalty shootout without conceding a goal? Well, Croatia regularly defeats all its opponents in such a way and very rarely loses in extra time and penalties.
Croatia did not manage to win on penalties this time, but I think the next time will be different 

Yes, and that is an extraordinary achievement where teams from other countries cannot get it.
Croatia always surprises the unimaginable and they often make their opponents feel anxious when on the counter attack.
It's true that Croatia have got it all and their job is to prepare for the Euro Cup and also the upcoming World Cup.

I was surprised because usually they defend by conceding goals but in this match not a single goal could penetrate their net.
I watched Croatia's matches several times which ended in penalties and it was very impressive.

[Daniel91]

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Croatia has been endless in recent years and it has proven that they are very consistent compared to other strong countries in reaching the finals of the nation's league. However, even though there is a lot of talent available now, it will not last long and indeed Croatia must find the next successor so they can win trophies in the next competition. On the other hand, teams like Spain and Belgium are also in the current regeneration stage. It's just that Spain was able to top them first because it had a fairly long process since 2010 and if you look at the depth of the current Spanish squad it will certainly be a threat to other European teams in the nation's league.

Yes, Croatia in recent years has always provided good development and has some reliable players in it, but that doesn't guarantee they can compete with other big countries.
As you have said that Croatia is still far behind Spain and if in the future Croatia does not make some improvements or improve playing performance then I believe it will be difficult for them to be close to the championship trophy.

But I was amazed by Croatia's game because they were able to survive Full-time without conceding any goals until the match ended in a penalty shootout.

Croatia has achieved great results in recent years, and today is a difficult opponent for any team in the world. Croatia no longer has to prove itself to anyone because it has been playing at the top level for 5 years, regularly winning medals at world competitions (2 world cups and UEFA Nations League) and regularly defeating the best national teams in the world such as Argentina, England, France, Brazil and the Netherlands.
Why are you surprised that Croatia lasted until the penalty shootout without conceding a goal? Well, Croatia regularly defeats all its opponents in such a way and very rarely loses in extra time and penalties.
Croatia did not manage to win on penalties this time, but I think the next time will be different 

Yes, and that is an extraordinary achievement where teams from other countries cannot get it.
Croatia always surprises the unimaginable and they often make their opponents feel anxious when on the counter attack.
It's true that Croatia have got it all and their job is to prepare for the Euro Cup and also the upcoming World Cup.

I was surprised because usually they defend by conceding goals but in this match not a single goal could penetrate their net.
I watched Croatia's matches several times which ended in penalties and it was very impressive.

In fact, Croatia used to have a better attack than defense, just think of Šuker or Mandžukić, but after the retirement of Mandžukić, Croatia no longer has a killer striker, but that's why today they have a better defense than in previous major competitions.
The best Croatian defensive footballer, Guardiol has just signed a contract with Manchester City and moved to the best club in the world for 100 million euros, thus becoming the most expensive defensive footballer in the world.
Stanisic plays for Bayern, Barisic for Rangers, Sosa for Stuttgart, Juranovic for Union Berlin etc.
We have never had a better defense in history and we concede very few goals. Unfortunately, we lack a top striker and it is difficult for us to score goals as a team, which could be seen in this final against Spain.

[Bananington]

I am of the opinion that since the Nation's League ended some days ago, this board should be closed because almost all possible discussions about the Nation's league must have been discussed already.

@OP please consider closing this thread.

[tusandii]

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In fact, Croatia used to have a better attack than defense, just think of Šuker or Mandžukić, but after the retirement of Mandžukić, Croatia no longer has a killer striker, but that's why today they have a better defense than in previous major competitions.
The best Croatian defensive footballer, Guardiol has just signed a contract with Manchester City and moved to the best club in the world for 100 million euros, thus becoming the most expensive defensive footballer in the world.
Stanisic plays for Bayern, Barisic for Rangers, Sosa for Stuttgart, Juranovic for Union Berlin etc.
We have never had a better defense in history and we concede very few goals. Unfortunately, we lack a top striker and it is difficult for us to score goals as a team, which could be seen in this final against Spain.

It was then and it is much different now where Croatia's defense is much better than their attacking positions.
Maybe this will be the task of the Croatian management and coach to be able to make their team have a strong defensive line and sharper attack line.
Several players have left Croatia due to retirement and so far the Croatian attack line is still relatively empty because the person occupying that position is currently less significant.
I admit that Croatia has talented players, just not for the front line.