⚽ UEFA Nations League ⚽ - Discussion Thread

[ASloveapg]

It seems no one really expected Greece to temporarily top Group B. But that’s just how soccer goes. I was even surprised when Germany was defeated by Greece right in front of its own fans.

And to be honest, if Greece manages to beat Germany on German soil, it feels like Greece will have a better chance in the next match since they’ll be the home team. But if Germany wins, it’ll be a pretty sweet revenge.
But I wouldn’t dare bet on that match, especially on Germany. I’m starting to have my doubts about this team, even though I think they have better players than Greece.

Greece is looking very strong, though Germany dominated the first leg, but Greece managed to win despite recording only a single shot on target. While Greece defended well, a stroke of luck also played a part in their victory. Since even a draw would suffice for Greece in the return leg, I expect them to stick to the same defensive tactics. And for Germany only victory will be needed, and I think they should win this match.

Greece basically got points against this strong team with their defense, look at Greece's previous match, their ball possession against Germany was that much? They had only 24% ball possession in the whole match, but they won 1-0, they did not give Germany any chance to score with their strong defense. And similarly look at their status from yesterday's match, only 29% ball possession, but they were very determined to keep their counterattack very strong and effective, and so despite having so little ball possession, they drew the match with a score of 2-2. They really surprised in both these matches, they did not give even the strong teams any chance to score with their strong defense, in the next match they will face Germany again but it will be at their home ground, and so their performance will be stronger than the previous match, but Germany must win this time, no matter what.

[Out of mind]

Despite what Ronaldo has done for Portugal, there are people who believe Portugal is better without Ronaldo, and are using yesterday’s game as evidence. This narrative is being pushed by the media with headlines like “Ronaldo-less Portugal Prospers” e.t.c.

Neymar is washed but still went to the World Cup. The fans wanted him there because they felt they owe him that for the many years Neymar served the national team. As far as I can remember, Ronaldo carried Portugal for the longest, and now that they have good players, Ronaldo is suddenly the one holding the team back.

Ignore them, those Portugal players don't know what they have done because it clear they planned the whole thing. I mean right from the world cup it was glaring and obvious I mean why the hate? Why the jealousy? They should be glad they have a player like Cristiano in their midst, they will surely regret this disgusting act of theirs especially Bruno because to me he is the architect of this whole issue.

The most impressive thing for me was the goal scored by Denmark's attacking player Mikkel Damsgaard in the match against Portugal. He was enjoying the goal by making gestures like Cristiano Ronaldo. However, I have not seen any Portuguese player imitating this legendary player's gestures. Ronaldo knows how high he is, so some people are jealous of him. He is going to create a record for the first time in the world to reach the milestone of 1k goals. Even if he retires from the national team, he will be able to fulfill his expected target by playing in the Saudi Pro League.

If any player in the Portuguese national team has made a mistake, he should pay a high price because those who cannot respect their seniors may themselves be disrespected by others in the future. Ronaldo needs to maintain his best performance.

There are many Portuguese players who do not make gestures like Ronaldo and speak disrespectfully to him, this is certainly not a good sign of the players' behavior. Ronaldo is a great player and at the level he is at now, he will soon reach the 1000th goal milestone, which is the first in the history of world football. And I think that the current players in Portugal do not know how to respect their seniors at all, which is one of the reasons why they have no sense of morality. A legendary player is very well known for a country, so it is the responsibility of every player to respect him. A player in the Portuguese team who disrespects a legendary player like Ronaldo will definitely have to pay the price in the future. However, we are constantly seeing that Ronaldo is a hard-working player, despite his age, who maintains his performance and takes care of his body.  And I don't think the current players will be fully fit for so many years, and other players may not be able to survive at Ronaldo's age.

[AmaGold70]

Despite what Ronaldo has done for Portugal, there are people who believe Portugal is better without Ronaldo, and are using yesterday’s game as evidence. This narrative is being pushed by the media with headlines like “Ronaldo-less Portugal Prospers” e.t.c.

Neymar is washed but still went to the World Cup. The fans wanted him there because they felt they owe him that for the many years Neymar served the national team. As far as I can remember, Ronaldo carried Portugal for the longest, and now that they have good players, Ronaldo is suddenly the one holding the team back.

Am not happy with the Portugal coach and Ronaldo, both of them haven’t showed good leadership qualities, first the coach should realize that Ronaldo is an extremely big player that always wants to break new records of number of appearance, goals scored etc, and Ronaldo is someone that lots of fans wants to see, not playing him isn’t so nice, even if you won’t play him full time there is a way the coach would have played him for some minutes and substituted him or bring him in the second half, all this falls back to maturity and understanding, as a coach you must manage your team so that no player will feel neglected, Ronaldo has sacrificed almost all his life for Portugal, hence, since he hasn’t fully retired from national football it is for the coach to give him some playing time.

On the other hand Ronaldo didn’t show maturity by working out of the Portugal team simply because the coach benched him, it doesn’t show sportsmanship at all, especially for someone of his pedigree, what example is he giving to the upcoming generation, i wasn’t happy with his display at all.

Lastly one bad characteristic of humans is that regardless of the efforts you have put in the past, they will still feel like they can do without you simply because you are no longer in top form, there is a way legends are supposed to be treated and at this point i think Portugal isn’t getting it correctly, even though they won the match without Ronaldo on the pitch doesn’t mean they should start saying it out, the Portugal team seems to have forgotten when Ronaldo helped them countlessly in the past.

You have really made some vital points here which I feel you are not far from the truth. When Christiano Ronaldo was in top form, the Portuguese team could not do without him, and he has also brought victory, and honour to Portugal as a country. There is no doubt that the legend because of age is no longer in form compared to his prime, and more also he has been very supportive to the Portuguese team, that respect would have been giving to him. Christiano Ronaldo is still respected in his present club despite his age , and performance. So he felt neglected, and the Portuguese team should not take this so simple because is a player that they could not do without, and I feel the coach, and few other players should look for a way to resolve this.

[Majestic-milf]

 Moldova were able to secure their first win in over a year and half of playing in this competition and honestly I'm not surprised because if it hadn't been the fact that they played against another weak country like Kazakhstan, I doubt they would have broken this deadlock. At a point I thought there would have been late drama because towards the dying stages, Kazakhstan became serious as it they wanted to secure a point but Moldova were ready as well to defend with their life so to speak.

[Jewan420]

Greece basically got points against this strong team with their defense, look at Greece's previous match, their ball possession against Germany was that much? They had only 24% ball possession in the whole match, but they won 1-0, they did not give Germany any chance to score with their strong defense. And similarly look at their status from yesterday's match, only 29% ball possession, but they were very determined to keep their counterattack very strong and effective, and so despite having so little ball possession, they drew the match with a score of 2-2. They really surprised in both these matches, they did not give even the strong teams any chance to score with their strong defense, in the next match they will face Germany again but it will be at their home ground, and so their performance will be stronger than the previous match, but Germany must win this time, no matter what.

They are really surprising me. I wasn't really surprised by the 1-0 win against Germany, because Germany's position is so unstable right now. But the Netherlands are in a good position and their form is also great, yet Greece's avoidance of defeat against such a strong team is really surprising. Their counterattack is very good, and they are even showing their skills in defense.

Yesterday's Wales vs Norway match was also unexpected, I thought Norway might win the match, but they were really under pressure on their opponent's home ground.

[LUCKMCFLY]

No, he doesn't have the skills because he barely does anything for the team, he just waits for the ball and then he shoots, no matter the position, no matter the teammates. There is a reason if he ended up in Saudi Arabia and nobody in Europe wanted him.
Everything comes to an end, and Ronaldo career with the national team should have ended years ago but because of who he is, they kept calling him anyway so he could beat the records. He should have left after the World Cup, just like Messi did. But he's too stubborn and too selfish to understand that. And now he potentially ended he Portugal's career walking away like a spoiled kid in the middle of the several matches showing zero respect for everyone.

 You're right on some points, but no one can decide when another player's career ends. Even so, Jorge Jesus and the Federation called him up.


If they thought his level wasn't good enough, they shouldn't have called him up in the first place. The real problem isn't that he didn't play, but how they handled it. Why? Jorge Jesus told him he wouldn't start against Norway and Denmark, but that he could come on if needed, and CR7 accepted that.


Then he made him warm up for 30 minutes and never played him. That's disrespectful. But even after Jorge Jesus realized his mistake, he even sought out CR7 privately after the match... only to go on at the press conference acting tough, saying that no player tells him what to do. That's the problem. You don't treat any player like that, especially the captain and all-time leading scorer. If you're not going to use him, simply don't call him up.

[PhilosopherKing]

You have really made some vital points here which I feel you are not far from the truth. When Christiano Ronaldo was in top form, the Portuguese team could not do without him, and he has also brought victory, and honour to Portugal as a country. There is no doubt that the legend because of age is no longer in form compared to his prime, and more also he has been very supportive to the Portuguese team, that respect would have been giving to him. Christiano Ronaldo is still respected in his present club despite his age , and performance. So he felt neglected, and the Portuguese team should not take this so simple because is a player that they could not do without, and I feel the coach, and few other players should look for a way to resolve this.

Yes the man was good when he was in his prime I would give him that, but the way he talks and carry himself, it makes other player feel very useless. They still respect him in that his club because he hasn't openly come out to say that Al-Nassr was nothing before he came. Dude is still at fault because he is the one that left the training camp which is very disrespectful to the coach. I have said it before that man is very old, he should have retired by now, instead of making a fool of himself and making people to hate him the more. Because that is what is happening with all this stunts he is displaying.

Imo, all he gives a fuck about is completing that 1000 goals and that is why he even wants to having playing time, even when he is isn't adding value to the team. The games he was absent from favoured Portugal, he could just have been the heavy baggage holding Portugal down.

Don't know what he is teaching is child. Maybe his child too will start walking out form camp because the manger didn't put him to play in a few matches.

[Somto9Light]

Yesterday's Wales vs Norway match was also unexpected, I thought Norway might win the match, but they were really under pressure on their opponent's home ground.

One thing about football fans is that when a prominent player comes from a particular team, we automatically place that team above the way they are. Norway became relevant because of Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard. If not for those two players, Norway is just an average team. Losing to Wales was surprising because of the idea that Erling Haaland will dismantle them by scoring goals but he couldn't even score. Wales is not an easy team, especially during the time of Gareth Bale so I'm not too doubtful about them winning Norway. After all Norway got a red card which destabilise the team and gave Wales an edge to win comfortably.

[SatoPrincess]

So Cristiano Ronaldo's place will remain empty in the Portugal team, maybe other players can perform well but very few players have the ability to take the team to a high level.

Portugal FA didn’t wait a day before giving the number 7 jersey to Leao. That move suggests that the team has moved on without Ronaldo. I would have loved to see a proper send-off but at this rate I doubt that’s going to happen.

His attention in the Portugal national team is undeniable, so it is foolish to want to see him in the team for the rest of his life.

Ronaldo would have retired from international football after the World Cup. According to what was said in the press, the President and Jorge Jesus convinced him that he had a place on the team and could still contribute on the pitch. I think that’s why Ronaldo feels betrayed that he is not getting what was promised.

[ndutndut]

You're right on some points, but no one can decide when another player's career ends. Even so, Jorge Jesus and the Federation called him up.


If they thought his level wasn't good enough, they shouldn't have called him up in the first place. The real problem isn't that he didn't play, but how they handled it. Why? Jorge Jesus told him he wouldn't start against Norway and Denmark, but that he could come on if needed, and CR7 accepted that.


Then he made him warm up for 30 minutes and never played him. That's disrespectful. But even after Jorge Jesus realized his mistake, he even sought out CR7 privately after the match... only to go on at the press conference acting tough, saying that no player tells him what to do. That's the problem. You don't treat any player like that, especially the captain and all-time leading scorer. If you're not going to use him, simply don't call him up.

The problem does seem trivial, but Ronaldo is still Ronaldo even though he doesn’t contribute to the team as much as he did when he was younger because he’s not that young anymore. Jorge Jesus should understand one thing: Ronaldo isn’t just a player you can call up, make warm up and then just let sit until the final whistle. If Portugal still wants him respect him. If they don’t need him anymore say it honestly from the start. Actually, maybe it would be better if he didn’t warm up and didn’t play at all. Maybe Ronaldo felt offended being asked to warm up but then not being played.

Ronaldo is the ambitious type of player, if he promises something he'll do it, but if a promise to him is broken then it's over. Jorge's mistake was just promising him, and Ronaldo's mistake was deciding too quickly when emotional. But whatever it is, it's really about time Ronaldo retires.

[Adbitco]

Despite what Ronaldo has done for Portugal, there are people who believe Portugal is better without Ronaldo, and are using yesterday’s game as evidence. This narrative is being pushed by the media with headlines like “Ronaldo-less Portugal Prospers” e.t.c.

Neymar is washed but still went to the World Cup. The fans wanted him there because they felt they owe him that for the many years Neymar served the national team. As far as I can remember, Ronaldo carried Portugal for the longest, and now that they have good players, Ronaldo is suddenly the one holding the team back.

Of course that has always been the  media agenda for the longest I can remember, it's how they have always wanted to constantly cancel him and his achievements but the records are there for all to see. This has always been the way the media responds to Ronaldo and I already knew it would be like this after so I'm not surprised. It takes an alien to have the mentality of Ronaldo because tell me why all these years his not been broken despite the media hate all these years on him. This guy's mentality needs to be studied. After England lost to Argentina and Spain beat Argentina in the finals, that's was the first in history both Spanish and English media houses trolled Messi and in just one week of trolling, certain big names and even the Argentine FA had to talk of it and claimed it was too much on him. Now imagine Ronaldo who has been receiving it for donkey years. Even when his done something good, they still turn it around to change the headlines to something else.

[Alonso_]

Despite what Ronaldo has done for Portugal, there are people who believe Portugal is better without Ronaldo, and are using yesterday’s game as evidence. This narrative is being pushed by the media with headlines like “Ronaldo-less Portugal Prospers” e.t.c.

Neymar is washed but still went to the World Cup. The fans wanted him there because they felt they owe him that for the many years Neymar served the national team. As far as I can remember, Ronaldo carried Portugal for the longest, and now that they have good players, Ronaldo is suddenly the one holding the team back.

Of course that has always been the  media agenda for the longest I can remember, it's how they have always wanted to constantly cancel him and his achievements but the records are there for all to see. This has always been the way the media responds to Ronaldo and I already knew it would be like this after so I'm not surprised. It takes an alien to have the mentality of Ronaldo because tell me why all these years his not been broken despite the media hate all these years on him. This guy's mentality needs to be studied. After England lost to Argentina and Spain beat Argentina in the finals, that's was the first in history both Spanish and English media houses trolled Messi and in just one week of trolling, certain big names and even the Argentine FA had to talk of it and claimed it was too much on him. Now imagine Ronaldo who has been receiving it for donkey years. Even when his done something good, they still turn it around to change the headlines to something else.

Ronaldo should save himself this embarrassment and retire from International Football, I was expecting him to have announced his retirement from international football after leaving the teams camp, Ronaldo should just accept that he can’t win the World Cup, personally I’m not undermining his achievements, because he is one of the best player of his generation, it’s better to leave on a high instead of leaving on a bad note, all this stories on social media isn’t good for a footballer in the Caliber of Ronaldo, he should leave the game before the game leaves him and football have left Ronaldo already he should go and take a well deserved rest, spend time with his family and stay away from International football, he is a grate player.

[tiCeR]

-

Many will say, "but he's 41 years old..." Yes, he is, but he still has the skills, and if they call him up it's because they have to rely on him. He's not a lucky charm; he's a player, he's the captain. For God's sake, Jorge Jesus is nobody next to CR7. There are levels, there are hierarchies to respect.

No, he doesn't have the skills because he barely does anything for the team, he just waits for the ball and then he shoots, no matter the position, no matter the teammates. There is a reason if he ended up in Saudi Arabia and nobody in Europe wanted him.
Everything comes to an end, and Ronaldo career with the national team should have ended years ago but because of who he is, they kept calling him anyway so he could beat the records. He should have left after the World Cup, just like Messi did. But he's too stubborn and too selfish to understand that. And now he potentially ended he Portugal's career walking away like a spoiled kid in the middle of the several matches showing zero respect for everyone.

I don't want to respond to all the paragraphs you wrote, but let me sum it up, you are right! All these voices here sound as if Ronaldo is a victim. Seriously guys, this guy had all the privileges you can imagine. Special treatment wherever he goes. Hundreds of millions of people following and supporting him, making him earn a fortune every breath he takes, every second he lives and yet most here think it is not enough, he deserves better.

Ronaldo has always been a controversial character but not because the media made him that, but because he chooses to be controversial.

There is a good example that shows how all of you twist the truth. At the European Championship when he literally took over the role of the coach on the sideline, do you think that was respectful toward his coach? Or was it disrespectful? What does he think who he is? His numbers, his goals made him big, but what he doesn't understand is that once he doesn't score as much anymore, he could still be a great person by accepting the new role and wishing every other player the best in his very own interest. He doesn't.

See the World Cup matches again, it was one of his poorest performance in his whole career. He was by far the worst striker there while everyone else was scoring goal after goal. Mbappe, Haaland, Messi, Kane, all of them were scoring. Ronaldo didn't no matter how weak the opponents were. He stood there and waited while the aforementioned strikers picked up balls in their own half and pushed for it.

Ronaldo is a victimg, of course. Making $21 million per monthl in salaries alone. Poor guy.

[Unsoldier]

Less than an hour is left until the main Nations League game of the day, France vs. Italy. After two rounds, the French have six points and have looked much more consistent than their opponents so far. Italy can certainly cause problems, but after losing to Belgium and then beating Turkey convincingly, it’s difficult to say that the team have shown much consistency. France, on the other hand, have won both matches and looked particularly good in attack against Belgium, where they could have scored much more. I don’t think Italy should expect to win this game, and a draw would already be a great result for them. But I expect the French to control the game from the start and create enough chances to win. I think Zidane’s team will come out on top.

[Pablo-wood]

Less than an hour is left until the main Nations League game of the day, France vs. Italy. After two rounds, the French have six points and have looked much more consistent than their opponents so far. Italy can certainly cause problems, but after losing to Belgium and then beating Turkey convincingly, it’s difficult to say that the team have shown much consistency. France, on the other hand, have won both matches and looked particularly good in attack against Belgium, where they could have scored much more. I don’t think Italy should expect to win this game, and a draw would already be a great result for them. But I expect the French to control the game from the start and create enough chances to win. I think Zidane’s team will come out on top.

My concern in this fixtures between France and Italy is the likelihood of France completing their 9 points standing. France haven't scored many goals in Nations League which gives me serious concern to how their outcome will be against Italy. Turkiye and Belgium win were just with one goal difference. Italy can't be underrated as they have scored a total of 4 goals despite having 3 points which they won against Turkiye in the 1-4 away victory .France will have to put in the work if they will scale through this else they will be pushed to second place on the table.

[Ruttoshi]

Less than an hour is left until the main Nations League game of the day, France vs. Italy. After two rounds, the French have six points and have looked much more consistent than their opponents so far. Italy can certainly cause problems, but after losing to Belgium and then beating Turkey convincingly, it’s difficult to say that the team have shown much consistency. France, on the other hand, have won both matches and looked particularly good in attack against Belgium, where they could have scored much more. I don’t think Italy should expect to win this game, and a draw would already be a great result for them. But I expect the French to control the game from the start and create enough chances to win. I think Zidane’s team will come out on top.

France is the best team in this group and I don't see how it will be possible for Italy to win them. You know how France plays when it comes to a competition like this. They always put in their best and they have all the qualities to win Italy.

Italy hasn't been in their best performance or will I say that they're not in their best form and that makes me doubt their strength in this game. It's 20 minutes more to kickoff time.

[karabiber]

No team managed by Montella who once again fielded a scandalous lineup and employed questionable tactics against Italy can be trusted in any match. I don’t think Montella who has yet to achieve a single success in his career will make a difference in the away game against Belgium either. That said, I can’t say Belgium will put on a spectacular performance either. In their matches against Italy and France, the permeability of their midfields was striking. In a match between two teams struggling with defensive issues, we’ll see goals scored by both sides.

[xzone]

Less than an hour is left until the main Nations League game of the day, France vs. Italy. After two rounds, the French have six points and have looked much more consistent than their opponents so far. Italy can certainly cause problems, but after losing to Belgium and then beating Turkey convincingly, it’s difficult to say that the team have shown much consistency. France, on the other hand, have won both matches and looked particularly good in attack against Belgium, where they could have scored much more. I don’t think Italy should expect to win this game, and a draw would already be a great result for them. But I expect the French to control the game from the start and create enough chances to win. I think Zidane’s team will come out on top.

The reason Italy beat Türkiye wasn't because Italy is a good team, but because Türkiye played very badly. I still don't like Italy's playing style; they're not a successful team, and I don't think they have any chance of winning or getting points against France.
Tonight's match will result in France winning once again, and by beating every team in the group, they will show the whole world once more how formidable a team they are

[Zoomic]

Less than an hour is left until the main Nations League game of the day, France vs. Italy. After two rounds, the French have six points and have looked much more consistent than their opponents so far. Italy can certainly cause problems, but after losing to Belgium and then beating Turkey convincingly, it’s difficult to say that the team have shown much consistency. France, on the other hand, have won both matches and looked particularly good in attack against Belgium, where they could have scored much more. I don’t think Italy should expect to win this game, and a draw would already be a great result for them. But I expect the French to control the game from the start and create enough chances to win. I think Zidane’s team will come out on top.

I would've probably given Italy a chance to get something out of this game if they were the home team but since the venue is Stade de France, France's fortress, I'll be extremely surprised if France doesn't win convincingly this evening.

Kylian Mbappe is absent yet France is starting with a front three of Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue. There's no way the Italian defense I'm seeing in the line up is stopping them from scoring.

Italy's chances are f winning will be to outscore France, not to stop them from scoring and that looks like a huge mountain they probably can't climb

[LFC_Bitcoin]

France vs Italy is the most interesting game tonight. Italy are not the team they once were but it is still a really intriguing game.

19 minutes gone and France are marginally the better team but there has been very few clear cut chances so far. I guess that will change as the match goes on.