⚽ UEFA Nations League ⚽ - Discussion Thread

[letteredhub]

England is strong team and you can't expect Spain visiting England and have an easy win. The scores is level again, I was also sure Spain was going to do something about it and not lose easily. England has a very good squad but somehow they are not able to play as good as they should and that's why they are not able to win any competition yet. I still expect more goals in this game.

Edit: it's now 2-3 in favor of Spain.

It was an interesting comeback by Spain after losing their early lead to England. I knew it was going to be a hard game because the two teams are filled with quality players at all departments. England couldn't hold the game and not because they weren't good but because they ain't better than Spain. It takes only a possession controlling team to do what Spain did against the Three Lions.

With this first game played in the group A3 standings Croatia and Spain are already with 3 points respectively leaving England and Czech with zero points, this gonna put much pressure on Thomas Tuchel should he fail to qualify to the next round from this group stage.

[Jessie2121]

Someone said England would've beaten Spain in the FIFA World Cup final of they had progressed to the final but today's result I think has shown that Spain didn't win the World Cup by chance, they won because they were the best team in the world and remain the best as of today.

Even when they were trailing, Spain still were playing with so much confidence, that's what you get when you're sure of the quality of players in your team and what they can do. Good performance from both sides but as expected Spain deservedly won.

I can't even lie, Spain decorated football in today's match, if not for the fact that it was Spain England played against I believe the game would have ended in a 1nil win or 2nil victory for England. England needed a very hard push to bring out the best in them and that was what Spain did but unfortunately they lost the game. I always feel bad to see the number of good players England have to make their opposition struggle no matter the national team they play against but yet they find it hard to dominate, like are they even serious? I can't even remember the last time I saw Spain losing any of their games, friendly or a competitive game, they always come out victorious, the only upset that can happen is a draw and tonight I was expecting England to get a draw not even a win because I know how weak they are in all their games, they can only score more goals against San Marin, that is the only country they score more goals that I have seen, they need to work more on that midfield.

[BIT-BENDER]

I can't even lie, Spain decorated football in today's match, if not for the fact that it was Spain England played against I believe the game would have ended in a 1nil win or 2nil victory for England. England needed a very hard push to bring out the best in them and that was what Spain did but unfortunately they lost the game. I always feel bad to see the number of good players England have to make their opposition struggle no matter the national team they play against but yet they find it hard to dominate, like are they even serious? I can't even remember the last time I saw Spain losing any of their games, friendly or a competitive game, they always come out victorious, the only upset that can happen is a draw and tonight I was expecting England to get a draw not even a win because I know how weak they are in all their games, they can only score more goals against San Marin, that is the only country they score more goals that I have seen, they need to work more on that midfield.

Every time Ferran Torres is proving that he need half a dozen of chances to score one goal, I don't understand how he could score some incredible goals and miss lots of clear goals, I think Barcelona is the foundation of Spain and it will be hard to beat them, the union between these players in their country and club is actually very beneficial for both club and country

The English team may not win any major trophy even though I believe they will always go very far in every competition but they don't have what it takes to finish strong.

[DYOR+BTC]

I often say that one of the reasons why I don't like the Nations League is because teams don't give their all, but look at Spain fighting hard to do a comeback in their first Nations League game. It's not even a critical stage or knockout stage, and they still won at England's home stadium.

I watched the last 30 minutes of the game, and this Spain team played the best class of football as they have always done, but I'd still commend England because even Argentina went to extra time against this Spain team without a single shot in the full 90 minutes.

I agree with you about the spectacle in Spain, but also that I don’t like the Nations League because it’s a sort of forced initiative that UEFA is pushing to oversell the game of football rather than treating it as a passion. In football, the physical demands are incredibly high, so players struggle to keep up with the pace of 50 or more matches a year simply because UEFA keeps adding cups and tournaments.

This idea of adding more tournaments yearly needs to be deliberated on because this players are not machines and needs to rest themselves to get back there body. With all the introduction in football now, it will.be very difficult for most players to keep fit except for those that have limited tournaments to play but something needs to be done about this constant introduction of tournament so players can have some days of rest as there body needs rest as well. The football of before has limited tournaments which was why players where always fit but now it has changed.

[Agbam]

Someone said England would've beaten Spain in the FIFA World Cup final of they had progressed to the final but today's result I think has shown that Spain didn't win the World Cup by chance, they won because they were the best team in the world and remain the best as of today.

Even when they were trailing, Spain still were playing with so much confidence, that's what you get when you're sure of the quality of players in your team and what they can do. Good performance from both sides but as expected Spain deservedly won.

I can't even lie, Spain decorated football in today's match, if not for the fact that it was Spain England played against I believe the game would have ended in a 1nil win or 2nil victory for England. England needed a very hard push to bring out the best in them and that was what Spain did but unfortunately they lost the game. I always feel bad to see the number of good players England have to make their opposition struggle no matter the national team they play against but yet they find it hard to dominate, like are they even serious? I can't even remember the last time I saw Spain losing any of their games, friendly or a competitive game, they always come out victorious, the only upset that can happen is a draw and tonight I was expecting England to get a draw not even a win because I know how weak they are in all their games, they can only score more goals against San Marin, that is the only country they score more goals that I have seen, they need to work more on that midfield.

Don’t be belittling England like that, San Marino isn’t the only team they score many goals against, you saw this team at the world cup, they were the third best team at the just concluded World Cup.

Yes, they have their faults in the way they deliver their performances in most games but tonight against Spain wasn’t a bad performance. They were up against the best team in the world and it ended 3:2 that’s not a bad performance but it was a lucky escape for Spain after being gifted with that early goal by Marc Guehi to Lamine.

[Sticky Bomb]

England is strong team and you can't expect Spain visiting England and have an easy win. The scores is level again, I was also sure Spain was going to do something about it and not lose easily. England has a very good squad but somehow they are not able to play as good as they should and that's why they are not able to win any competition yet. I still expect more goals in this game.

Edit: it's now 2-3 in favor of Spain.

It was an interesting comeback by Spain after losing their early lead to England. I knew it was going to be a hard game because the two teams are filled with quality players at all departments. England couldn't hold the game and not because they weren't good but because they ain't better than Spain. It takes only a possession controlling team to do what Spain did against the Three Lions.

The Spain coach is a very smart guy, he was very quick to identify those whose performances was giving England some sort of advantage and removed them as second half began. Ferran Torres and Nico Williams were spoiling their ball earlier and the introduction of Oyzerbal and Alex Baena early in the second half changed the game and their goals gave Spain the lead. Yamal missed a lot of opportunities today, it wasn't just his day. From my perspective, the penalty was a dive, but it was given and fate gave Spain justice immediately as Kane missed. The match was a good display from both teams, but someone had to take the 3 points home.

[GbitG]

England's mistakes are still the same as at the World Cup where they seemed to want to secure the points after they took the lead and the midfield they were aiming for but instead it had an impact on their attack.
Some of their midfielders could not keep up with Spain's dominance and tiki taka scheme which made England's ball possession a little weaker.

If Harry Kane had scored the penalty, it could have been another story by now because they will try to defend the game the same way Thomas Tuchel did in the World Cup against Argentina and they lost, but this time, if they had gotten the goal, they might win this game because they seems to have corrected some mistakes they made in the World Cup.

However, we need to admit the fact that the Spain team has really improved, these young talented players has done well in making the team proud, they are very good and are playing the game with so much confidence, they win the World Cup and now they are doing good job to make sure they win any match they play. I think they have the best national team in the world right now.

Exactly if Harry Kane didn't miss the penalty then definitely something else would be seen to experience like maybe England could it finish it up with a draw or win too because in first half they were 2-1 up and even if Harry Kane had scored that penalty then probably England could have taken a 3–1 lead. But unfortunately he missed it and to be honest this that turning point led England to defeat......

However, congratulations to Spain for big victory like they took are very bright start and probably this is the clear indication that they are hunger for one more title after the World Cup. Now they are on the top of the table and their upcoming matches will be against Croatia which I think will not be too challenging core.

[Dreadboost]

I can't even lie, Spain decorated football in today's match, if not for the fact that it was Spain England played against I believe the game would have ended in a 1nil win or 2nil victory for England. England needed a very hard push to bring out the best in them and that was what Spain did but unfortunately they lost the game. I always feel bad to see the number of good players England have to make their opposition struggle no matter the national team they play against but yet they find it hard to dominate, like are they even serious? I can't even remember the last time I saw Spain losing any of their games, friendly or a competitive game, they always come out victorious, the only upset that can happen is a draw and tonight I was expecting England to get a draw not even a win because I know how weak they are in all their games, they can only score more goals against San Marin, that is the only country they score more goals that I have seen, they need to work more on that midfield.

Every time Ferran Torres is proving that he need half a dozen of chances to score one goal, I don't understand how he could score some incredible goals and miss lots of clear goals, I think Barcelona is the foundation of Spain and it will be hard to beat them, the union between these players in their country and club is actually very beneficial for both club and country

The English team may not win any major trophy even though I believe they will always go very far in every competition but they don't have what it takes to finish strong.

Hehehe  , I don't need someone who tells the future to know you're a Barcelona fan. As usual, Barcelona fans will want to take the credit for Spain's victory. Meanwhile, Unai Simon plays for Athletic Bilbao, Nico Williams for Athletic Club, Cucurella for Real Madrid, Ferran Torres for P.S.G., M.Pubill for Atletico Madrid, Aymeric Laporte for Athletic Bilbao, Fabian Ruiz for P.S.G. Yet, Barcelona fans want the praise. F..k my ribs. I just can't stop laughing at them. Eventually, no one cares about the fact that Spain has Barcelona players.

[nelson4lov]

Every time Ferran Torres is proving that he need half a dozen of chances to score one goal, I don't understand how he could score some incredible goals and miss lots of clear goals, I think Barcelona is the foundation of Spain and it will be hard to beat them, the union between these players in their country and club is actually very beneficial for both club and country

The English team may not win any major trophy even though I believe they will always go very far in every competition but they don't have what it takes to finish strong.

You are right about that. Rodri and Pedri are teammates, and even though he just joined Barcelona a few weeks ago, their chemistry in that Barcelona and Spain midfield has been beautiful to watch. The fact that most of the players play together for both club and country means that they already understand how their teammates play and want their passes, balls, etc so it helps a lot with their game.

As for Ferran, I believe he still has potential. He just needs to learn how to be more critical in front of goal; otherwise, he would have a lot of bench time, just like at the World Cup, where he started only the opening fixture and played the remaining 7, including the final as a substitute.

[Accardo]

Don’t be belittling England like that, San Marino isn’t the only team they score many goals against, you saw this team at the world cup, they were the third best team at the just concluded World Cup.

Yes, they have their faults in the way they deliver their performances in most games but tonight against Spain wasn’t a bad performance. They were up against the best team in the world and it ended 3:2 that’s not a bad performance but it was a lucky escape for Spain after being gifted with that early goal by Marc Guehi to Lamine.

I watched down till the end of the first half and could say that England performed well in the first half against Spain, the only surprising thing about the Spanish team I noticed is Cucurella, he has lost too many efforts playing in the back, that wasn't the Cucurrela that played in the world cup, the own goal he caused that brought the 2:1 for England was just unusual, even Madrid fans countlessly say that they're not impressed with his low level kind of defensive football, did he actually move out of English football to underperform?

[Qhunman]

Honestly, in my opinion, England didn't do anything wrong in this match, in terms of tactical shifts and even in terms of in game plays, Spain were just too good and that's the problem, there are some minutes left but I don't think England will equalize, us the introduction of Pedri has really turned the tide  for Spain and bringing him in when the England's midfield and defense are weak doesn't really help matters. England might lose to Spain because they are just inferior

England were not inferior,this is because they have quality players like spain does, only that spain play better than them in the match.
Honestly england had the advantage and they should have defeated spain his match because they were leading 2-1 in the first half. However,  i think the only fault by England was that their defence wasn't as solid as Spain defence,I believe that was why spain was able to equalise the game back to 2-3 and later win.
England attack were good and their defence was solid but it wasn't as strong as spain.  If England had strengthen their defence while they were still leading 2-1, I think they might have won the match.