⚽ UEFA Nations League ⚽ - Discussion Thread

[IceLincoln]

The Croatian FA needs to step in and save their national team, because it has fallen badly in terms of performance and some old players. They were totally brutalized by England last week now there losing streak continues. I couldn't believe that this was the Croatian team. When they first scored Spain I was having the feeling that Croatian might actually win this game because of how bad Spain was in the second half.
~snip~

They won't do anything because they are the ones who appointed Bilic, and he is a man without face and honor, because when you lose 7-0 at home, you should at least offer your resignation, and not blame everyone but yourself. Spain was extremely bad last night, but even so they managed to win.

~snip~
Croatia's next match will be against England. I think it has the potential to be an exciting match because Croatia put up a good fight against Spain, so England shouldn't underestimate Croatia Who do you think will win the next match, England or Croatia? In my opinion, England has a great chance of winning, and I hope I win when I bet on that match

I think that the chances of Croatia getting a positive result in that match are very small. To make matters worse, Perisic, who received a red card, will not be there, and when he is one of the best at 37, one has to wonder what all those young players are doing.

How bad Croatia is at the moment is perhaps best illustrated by the fact that they have conceded 14 goals in 4 games, and the only team that has conceded more is San Marino. Even the Czech Republic conceded only 10 goals, and played against the same opponents.

The Coach has not put up his best squad for these games, his downfall came from his choice of players and the combinations he chose to play at Midfield, those guys have aged and are not as efficient and effective as before. He would probably have used a different set up.
For me Ivan Perisic have been a great and influential player for Croatia than Luka Modric but Luka takes the credit most of the time, that man is a hard worker and baller.

[Joy- maker]

@Silence Scream never said Ronaldo should not retire from the Portuguese national team yet, he was hoping that Ronaldo has not retired yet because of the recent incident that happened with the national team. I'm also on his side, it doesn't make sense if he retires without a proper farewell match, come on, that dude is a legend for crying loud.  Retiring in such manner would be a disappointing way for such a legendary career to end. Ronaldo deserve a proper farewell and the chance to say goodbye to the Portuguese fans on his own terms.

Look at what Ronaldo is still doing to keep playing. And the truth is, he deserves to play a player of his legendary status who remains so hardworking and driven needs to be given playing time. According to him, the manager made a promise but failed to keep it it is simply not right to lie to such a legendary player. He is physically fit, and even just 10 or 20 minutes of playing time would satisfy him.

Before now, I already knew there was an agreement between Jorge Jesus and Cristiano Ronaldo, which later he failed to keep.  I understand that he is the coach and every player is under his authority, and he can make decisions and those decisions stand.  But, there was an agreement, and Ronaldo is not just an ordinary player he is a legend and every young player is looking up to him as a role model.   Also, Ronaldo is the captain and the most experienced player on the team. If there was an agreement, I believe it should been respected or at least properly communicated before making such a decision.

[coinlary]

Ronaldo wants to ensure that he keeps a different record than what Lionel Messi has done, which is reaching 1000 career cap goals, and that of Pele. It's clear that this is a goal that he has set for himself to achieve before his retirement day, so he knows if he retires from the national team now that his chances of reaching 1000 career goals will reduce.

He has a better chance at reaching that 1000 goal with his club Al nasser than his Nation Portugal. He's close to achieving at the same time so I don't see any reason why he shouldn't retire from his national team but its a personal choice that can not be questioed .

Also, 1000 goals isn't something his rival can not achieve. Messi is also close to that same 1000 goals, I don't  think it will be any outstanding record unless Messi decides to retire before he also archive  the 1000 goals record

[pawel7777]

It's hard to stay on top of the whole Ronaldo Vs Jorge Jesus situation, but if I understand correctly, Ronaldo admitted he overreacted and that he deserves a punishment, despite feeling like Jorge Jesus broke his promise. It's good that he's able to self-reflect and is not stubborn.
This probably means we will see Ronaldo playing for Portugal again. It could be his last "farewell" game, or he might stay with the team for the duration of the UEFA Nations League. If he decides not to retire just yet, he will have to accept being a bench player more and more often.

Meanwhile, Lionel Messi, considered by some to be Ronaldo's biggest rival in football, officially retired from international football yesterday, after Argentina scored a 3-0 friendly win against Benin in Buenos Aires.

[LGD2Business]

Today reports surfaced in the media that Montella is being fired, but there's still no official statement. A head coach this unsuccessful should have been fired long ago, but for some reason he's still in that seat. Apparently he'll be paid 5 months of salary as compensation. It's money well spent to get rid of him. Türkiye doesn't have any more time to waste on this. Our run in League A of the Nations League was very short. We're immediately going back down to League B. Before this failure, there was also the World Cup fiasco. Montella should have been fired back then. The federation president made a huge mistake. He has to resign too.

[Zoomic]

It's hard to stay on top of the whole Ronaldo Vs Jorge Jesus situation, but if I understand correctly, Ronaldo admitted he overreacted and that he deserves a punishment, despite feeling like Jorge Jesus broke his promise. It's good that he's able to self-reflect and is not stubborn.
This probably means we will see Ronaldo playing for Portugal again. It could be his last "farewell" game, or he might stay with the team for the duration of the UEFA Nations League. If he decides not to retire just yet, he will have to accept being a bench player more and more often.

Meanwhile, Lionel Messi, considered by some to be Ronaldo's biggest rival in football, officially retired from international football yesterday, after Argentina scored a 3-0 friendly win against Benin in Buenos Aires.

He clearly took responsibility for his own shortcoming during the heat of the incident, that's to tell you that he's a no a stranger when it comes to taking accountability. From the reports so far, it's obvious that he was unfairly disrespected by Jorge Jesus who coincidentally won the Saudi Pro League title with him last season.

He's open to rejoining the national team in the next international break and if every bad energy is eliminated, he might continue playing international football till mid next year.

[Pandorak]

He has a better chance at reaching that 1000 goal with his club Al nasser than his Nation Portugal. He's close to achieving at the same time so I don't see any reason why he shouldn't retire from his national team but its a personal choice that can not be questioed .

Also, 1000 goals isn't something his rival can achieve. Messi is also close to that same what 1000 goals, I don't  think it will be any outstanding record unless Messi decides to retire before he also gets to the 1000 goals

Cristiano Ronaldo is more appreciated at Al-Nassr, there’s no doubt about that. After seeing how he was so disrespected by the national team he’d fought for over roughly 23 years, continuing to play to elevate Portugal name in the world of soccer, retirement is the best decision. I can say that most Portuguese fans are there because of Cristiano Ronaldo, i personally even support this country in the World Cup solely because of this extraordinary figure, not purely out of love for Portugal.

So it would be better for him to score 1000 goals with his club, you can see how much more he’s valued there. It’s clearly evident from the passes he receives, they understand that at Cristiano current age, still having great finishing and precise accuracy is something extraordinary. Unlike with the national team, the young players who are supposedly the "golden generation" today can’t do that or more accurately they don’t want to.

[JiiBs]

Cristiano Ronaldo is more appreciated at Al-Nassr, there’s no doubt about that. After seeing how he was so disrespected by the national team he’d fought for over roughly 23 years, continuing to play to elevate Portugal name in the world of soccer, retirement is the best decision. I can say that most Portuguese fans are there because of Cristiano Ronaldo, i personally even support this country in the World Cup solely because of this extraordinary figure, not purely out of love for Portugal.

Which do you think is better:

Leaving the team when you are just about fading off from your peak? or
Leaving the team when you’re completely out?

It’s no doubt Ronaldo receives a different kind of treatment than Messi does on the national team. Let’s not pretended to be blind to the reason why that is. Look at Ronaldo’s performance at the World Cup for example, it clearly showed an elite player at the state of decline, fine he wasn’t getting all the balls like he would have liked to but, that’s because his team doesn’t feel him anymore unlike Messi for the Argentines.

The Nations League was a different story for Ronaldo, where the team did better with him not on the pitch as opposed to to when they had him fielded. It’s all signs that, he’s got to retire from playing with the national team. We know his heart is with the team and he has built this team but, it’s time to take other roles off the pitch possibly.

[nelson4lov]

Cristiano Ronaldo is more appreciated at Al-Nassr, there’s no doubt about that. After seeing how he was so disrespected by the national team he’d fought for over roughly 23 years, continuing to play to elevate Portugal name in the world of soccer, retirement is the best decision. I can say that most Portuguese fans are there because of Cristiano Ronaldo, i personally even support this country in the World Cup solely because of this extraordinary figure, not purely out of love for Portugal.

So it would be better for him to score 1000 goals with his club, you can see how much more he’s valued there. It’s clearly evident from the passes he receives, they understand that at Cristiano current age, still having great finishing and precise accuracy is something extraordinary. Unlike with the national team, the young players who are supposedly the "golden generation" today can’t do that or more accurately they don’t want to.

It would be so much better if he doesn't go back to the national team. I think this is a better place to end his international career. The disrespect from the players already started during the world cup so there is nothing new about it.

It's almost as if the squad players don't want him so they put little to no efforts into their games. He should quit the game at this top level just like Jamie Carragher said.

[As-Soon-As]

Cristiano Ronaldo is more appreciated at Al-Nassr, there’s no doubt about that. After seeing how he was so disrespected by the national team he’d fought for over roughly 23 years, continuing to play to elevate Portugal name in the world of soccer, retirement is the best decision. I can say that most Portuguese fans are there because of Cristiano Ronaldo, i personally even support this country in the World Cup solely because of this extraordinary figure, not purely out of love for Portugal.

It is true that I support Portugal only because Cristiano Ronaldo is in the team, because if Cristiano Ronaldo was not in the team, many would consider the Portugal team as ordinary and most people would stay away from supporting it. The great performance he is still doing is enough for them, because he has lost due to age but he is the most aggressive performer on the field of play. However, the players of the Portugal team will only remember when they perform on the field without Ronaldo and lose to weaker teams.

So it would be better for him to score 1000 goals with his club, you can see how much more he’s valued there. It’s clearly evident from the passes he receives, they understand that at Cristiano current age, still having great finishing and precise accuracy is something extraordinary. Unlike with the national team, the young players who are supposedly the "golden generation" today can’t do that or more accurately they don’t want to.

In the current situation, he is still performing like a youth for Al Nasser team, but it is very easy for him to complete the milestone of 1000 goals and only a few goals are left. So if he can complete this milestone of 1000 goals, he and Ronaldo will become even more valuable, but his performance will be remembered by the whole world. He is writing his name in golden letters in history, I support Cristiano Ronaldo as the only player.

[laspol65]

The Coach has not put up his best squad for these games, his downfall came from his choice of players and the combinations he chose to play at Midfield, those guys have aged and are not as efficient and effective as before. He would probably have used a different set up.
For me Ivan Perisic have been a great and influential player for Croatia than Luka Modric but Luka takes the credit most of the time, that man is a hard worker and baller.

Look, Luka Modric can no longer perform like he used to, he is a skilled and experienced player, you have to admit that, but if he is a hardworking player, but due to his age, he can now attack normally, so he should have been rested at important times. In the current situation, look at the performance of the Croatian team against the English team, they performed better than they did against the Spanish team.
I thought that the result might have been more different with the Spanish team, but it didn't, because the men's team was able to correct their mistakes and perform. However, the Croatian team is still very strong, so if they correct their common mistakes and perform, they can win even against strong teams.

[Ale88]

The Croatian FA needs to step in and save their national team, because it has fallen badly in terms of performance and some old players. They were totally brutalized by England last week now there losing streak continues. I couldn't believe that this was the Croatian team. When they first scored Spain I was having the feeling that Croatian might actually win this game because of how bad Spain was in the second half.
~snip~

They won't do anything because they are the ones who appointed Bilic, and he is a man without face and honor, because when you lose 7-0 at home, you should at least offer your resignation, and not blame everyone but yourself. Spain was extremely bad last night, but even so they managed to win.

~snip~
Croatia's next match will be against England. I think it has the potential to be an exciting match because Croatia put up a good fight against Spain, so England shouldn't underestimate Croatia Who do you think will win the next match, England or Croatia? In my opinion, England has a great chance of winning, and I hope I win when I bet on that match

I think that the chances of Croatia getting a positive result in that match are very small. To make matters worse, Perisic, who received a red card, will not be there, and when he is one of the best at 37, one has to wonder what all those young players are doing.

How bad Croatia is at the moment is perhaps best illustrated by the fact that they have conceded 14 goals in 4 games, and the only team that has conceded more is San Marino. Even the Czech Republic conceded only 10 goals, and played against the same opponents.

The Coach has not put up his best squad for these games, his downfall came from his choice of players and the combinations he chose to play at Midfield, those guys have aged and are not as efficient and effective as before. He would probably have used a different set up.
For me Ivan Perisic have been a great and influential player for Croatia than Luka Modric but Luka takes the credit most of the time, that man is a hard worker and baller.

I think you guys are oversimplifying the Croatia situation: what is the Croatian FA supposed to do? These are the players they currently have available. They had a kind of golden generation thanks to some incredible players that now got old, and the new ones are not as good as them. It happens all the time. Take a look to Italy, Germany, Brazil, the Netherlands, Uruguay, Chile, South Korea, Mexico, and many others: 10-15 years ago they were much better. Why? Because football goes in cycles. Right now we have Spain and France that are incredibly good, we saw Croatia obtaining great results, we had Portugal winning a Euro Cup and two Nations League. We've also seen the best Belgium ever, but unfortunately they never managed to win any competition.

[Plutomanian]

I think you guys are oversimplifying the Croatia situation: what is the Croatian FA supposed to do? These are the players they currently have available. They had a kind of golden generation thanks to some incredible players that now got old, and the new ones are not as good as them. It happens all the time. Take a look to Italy, Germany, Brazil, the Netherlands, Uruguay, Chile, South Korea, Mexico, and many others: 10-15 years ago they were much better. Why? Because football goes in cycles. Right now we have Spain and France that are incredibly good, we saw Croatia obtaining great results, we had Portugal winning a Euro Cup and two Nations League. We've also seen the best Belgium ever, but unfortunately they never managed to win any competition.

Croatia have been better all these years but alot have changed when they played on the pitch. What's that vulnerable spot in the team? The barely hold the ball and they have to struggle in other to win games and they're yet to accumulate 3 solid points. How are these countries not filling the shoes of their legends? Because I'm damn sure legendary players did their best to enchanced the virtue of their country but the younger generation are not just serious, they're not making any improvement.

Now only the strong will survive and if a team doesn't meet the required standards, its consider to be kicked out when they face elite sides like Spain, France or Portugal. I'm talking about countries that have enchanced their duke of style of play, they are not afraid and will always come out to play football that's all well entertained.

[Bigjoe33]

Ronaldo wants to ensure that he keeps a different record than what Lionel Messi has done, which is reaching 1000 career cap goals, and that of Pele. It's clear that this is a goal that he has set for himself to achieve before his retirement day, so he knows if he retires from the national team now that his chances of reaching 1000 career goals will reduce.

He has a better chance at reaching that 1000 goal with his club Al nasser than his Nation Portugal. He's close to achieving at the same time so I don't see any reason why he shouldn't retire from his national team but its a personal choice that can not be questioed .

Also, 1000 goals isn't something his rival can not achieve. Messi is also close to that same 1000 goals, I don't  think it will be any outstanding record unless Messi decides to retire before he also archive  the 1000 goals record

You are right, there is a very slim chance of scoring much goals in the country games. He is not that active anymore, and sometimes, he doesn't start. Even is he starts, he doesn't get the ball as usual, perhaps, his strength is failing slowly, so there isn't much trust on what he can do with the ball. For me, I think it's best he leaves totally already. He has given a lot for the team, and it's time he lets go. Let him focus on club side football. If he is fit and a regular starter, am sure he can achieve his 1000 goal record.

As for his rival, Messi, am sure he would reach that and even surpass it. He is still very much active and playing far better. For me, there is no competition, because for now, the two are the football we have till they retire, and we can give a chance to the upcoming talents

[meser#]

I think you guys are oversimplifying the Croatia situation: what is the Croatian FA supposed to do? These are the players they currently have available. They had a kind of golden generation thanks to some incredible players that now got old, and the new ones are not as good as them. It happens all the time. Take a look to Italy, Germany, Brazil, the Netherlands, Uruguay, Chile, South Korea, Mexico, and many others: 10-15 years ago they were much better. Why? Because football goes in cycles. Right now we have Spain and France that are incredibly good, we saw Croatia obtaining great results, we had Portugal winning a Euro Cup and two Nations League. We've also seen the best Belgium ever, but unfortunately they never managed to win any competition.

Croatia have been better all these years but alot have changed when they played on the pitch. What's that vulnerable spot in the team? The barely hold the ball and they have to struggle in other to win games and they're yet to accumulate 3 solid points. How are these countries not filling the shoes of their legends? Because I'm damn sure legendary players did their best to enchanced the virtue of their country but the younger generation are not just serious, they're not making any improvement.

Now only the strong will survive and if a team doesn't meet the required standards, its consider to be kicked out when they face elite sides like Spain, France or Portugal. I'm talking about countries that have enchanced their duke of style of play, they are not afraid and will always come out to play football that's all well entertained.

Croatia had a "golden generation," but the window for that group is gradually closing. I do not believe there is a strong youth development system in place in Croatia. Consequently, we are unlikely to see a highly competitive Croatian team in the future. Spain is currently the only global example of this; they consistently produce quality players from their youth ranks, whereas Croatia does not.
They are set to play in the relegation play-offs. I do not think they will be relegated from League A, but League A is not where they truly belong.

[Daniel91]

The Coach has not put up his best squad for these games, his downfall came from his choice of players and the combinations he chose to play at Midfield, those guys have aged and are not as efficient and effective as before. He would probably have used a different set up.
For me Ivan Perisic have been a great and influential player for Croatia than Luka Modric but Luka takes the credit most of the time, that man is a hard worker and baller.

Look, Luka Modric can no longer perform like he used to, he is a skilled and experienced player, you have to admit that, but if he is a hardworking player, but due to his age, he can now attack normally, so he should have been rested at important times. In the current situation, look at the performance of the Croatian team against the English team, they performed better than they did against the Spanish team.
I thought that the result might have been more different with the Spanish team, but it didn't, because the men's team was able to correct their mistakes and perform. However, the Croatian team is still very strong, so if they correct their common mistakes and perform, they can win even against strong teams.

I think it is obvious that Croatia, as a small country, has a very limited ''pool'' in which to look for footballers of sufficient quality to play for the national team.
A generation of players like Modric, Perisic, Mandjukic, Brozovic, Kovacic, etc. is born probably once every 30-40 years.
What can Croatian coach Bilic do? He cannot invent new players, and Modric and Perisic, although very old players, are still the best in their positions and Croatia has no replacement for them.
Considering its size and very limited number of footballers, it can be said that Croatia has performed a miracle in recent years, with 2 medals at the World Championships, and they have even been more successful than some other football powers like Brazil or Italy.
The defeat against England was simply a ''blockout of the entire team'', but against Spain they played much better and lost undeservedly.
Former Croatian coach Dalic recently stated that Croatians need to return to reality and understand that Croatia's medals were a miracle and that Croatia's realistic place in the top 10-15 national teams in the world.

[Chilwell]

 Before now, I already knew there was an agreement between Jorge Jesus and Cristiano Ronaldo, which later he failed to keep.  I understand that he is the coach and every player is under his authority, and he can make decisions and those decisions stand.  But, there was an agreement, and Ronaldo is not just an ordinary player he is a legend and every young player is looking up to him as a role model.   Also, Ronaldo is the captain and the most experienced player on the team. If there was an agreement, I believe it should been respected or at least properly communicated before making such a decision.

Immediately this issue started I put myself in a position of honesty that I will not say anything or blame anyone unless I can be able to see more facts before I can judge properly. I don't want to say anything before I start accusing wrongly, but now that the statement is out and now it is also more than 24 hours and there is no any statement that is out to disagree with what you he have said. Honestly he was treated badly and anyone on his shoes will absolutely do the same thing, I blame the coach now for making this wrong decision of deceiving a player like Cristiano Ronaldo, there's no any point here for a coach to make that decision, at least respect him because he has contributed a lot to the team and that was why you guys don't want him to retire.

[Davidloki]

Today reports surfaced in the media that Montella is being fired, but there's still no official statement. A head coach this unsuccessful should have been fired long ago, but for some reason he's still in that seat. Apparently he'll be paid 5 months of salary as compensation. It's money well spent to get rid of him. Türkiye doesn't have any more time to waste on this. Our run in League A of the Nations League was very short. We're immediately going back down to League B. Before this failure, there was also the World Cup fiasco. Montella should have been fired back then. The federation president made a huge mistake. He has to resign too.

Turkish was just unlucky to be in that group in yhe Nations league because thwre is no way they are winning Belgium, France or Italy, so it's not a total loss. But with the world cup performance, that is enough to know that the coach does not utilize the players to their best because there are still a few big names in the Turkish team that could chamge the game for them.

Arda Guler is one outstanding player that was all over the place for Turkyie with Belgium and Turkey, but his efforts was not enough to secure the win.

[Obim34]

It would be so much better if he doesn't go back to the national team. I think this is a better place to end his international career. The disrespect from the players already started during the world cup so there is nothing new about it.

Ronaldo cannot end his career like this. Even if there is a bit of an issue between him and his teammates, including the coach, what about the Portugal fans who love the player and would want to see him retire, the way Messi did? I'm not making up a comparison, I'm saying that Ronaldo deserves a celebration for his retirement and not leaving the national team with grudges.

All of these shouldn't have come to this if Ronaldo had retired immediately he noticed his performance dropped, and less expected the squad to play for him and carry him into the 1000-goal record, Ronaldo should come back on terms of retiring soon and a proper farewell.

[cxtreenal]

It would be so much better if he doesn't go back to the national team. I think this is a better place to end his international career. The disrespect from the players already started during the world cup so there is nothing new about it.

Ronaldo cannot end his career like this. Even if there is a bit of an issue between him and his teammates, including the coach, what about the Portugal fans who love the player and would want to see him retire, the way Messi did? I'm not making up a comparison, I'm saying that Ronaldo deserves a celebration for his retirement and not leaving the national team with grudges.

All of these shouldn't have come to this if Ronaldo had retired immediately he noticed his performance dropped, and less expected the squad to play for him and carry him into the 1000-goal record, Ronaldo should come back on terms of retiring soon and a proper farewell.

You are right, the current manager Jorge Jesus took charge of the national team this year, and maybe there was a disagreement with Ronaldo on some issue, and although not much is known about it, this issue came to the fore in the UEFA Nations League. Although the exact issue is not known in detail, Ronaldo said that Jorge Jesus did not keep his promise. This misunderstanding may be resolved very soon and I think Ronaldo may return to the national team very soon.

His long career and outstanding contribution to the country will definitely be remembered by his countrymen forever. Ronaldo's achievements so far cannot be underestimated by some arrogant person and he will remain a legend. Once his goal is achieved he will retire from football like a living and best legend, but it must be after completing 1k goals.