⚽ UEFA Nations League ⚽ - Discussion Thread

[mv1986]

For the Italian teams, it's probably because they operate with significantly lower budgets, and they also can't entrust their faith in young players as compared to other teams in Europe and that's a big drawback for them. To this day, not saying this to talk down on any player and whatnot but why did Milan choose to sign Luka and they even made a contract extension for him?

As for France, why should that even be a debate if they're lucky or not? We're witnessing the product of hard work and sheer determination on display and luck has nothing to do with that. Fwiw, most key players in the France national team don't play in the league 1.

No, I wasn't saying that France's recent success is luck. What I meant is that you probably have to have some luck as a nation to bring out so many exceptional players at once. Having Mbappe, Dembele and Olise is like a lottery jackpot, Barcola being a standard bench player. It is not always like that and who knows what the French team looks like in 10 - 15 years from now. Just see how Germany declined when once they had players like Neuer (prime), Lahm, Kroos, Hummels, Schweinsteiger, Özil, Müller, Klose etc. Now they are in serious trouble because no good strikers, not enough great midfielders, defense sucks. So I think there is some luck involved when you literally have 15 star players at once.

[Sandra_hakeem]

For the Italian teams, it's probably because they operate with significantly lower budgets, and they also can't entrust their faith in young players as compared to other teams in Europe and that's a big drawback for them. To this day, not saying this to talk down on any player and whatnot but why did Milan choose to sign Luka and they even made a contract extension for him?

As for France, why should that even be a debate if they're lucky or not? We're witnessing the product of hard work and sheer determination on display and luck has nothing to do with that. Fwiw, most key players in the France national team don't play in the league 1.

No, I wasn't saying that France's recent success is luck. What I meant is that you probably have to have some luck as a nation to bring out so many exceptional players at once. Having Mbappe, Dembele and Olise is like a lottery jackpot, Barcola being a standard bench player. It is not always like that and who knows what the French team looks like in 10 - 15 years from now. Just see how Germany declined when once they had players like Neuer (prime), Lahm, Kroos, Hummels, Schweinsteiger, Özil, Müller, Klose etc. Now they are in serious trouble because no good strikers, not enough great midfielders, defense sucks. So I think there is some luck involved when you literally have 15 star players at once.

I see what you mean.
Germany was indestructible with so many stars in their prime and the memories are still fresh. England was great, Argentina can't left out. I'm even more concerned about the overall decrease in performance for a team like Belgium (and it doesn't date as far back as the rest). They had players that held top FIFA world ranking spots from 2018-2021, but that era of terrifying players slowly dissolved, and their major break out was the FIFA 2022 WC. Now they suck at every phase of all competition.

Perhaps in 10-15 years, If France loses all their stars and proper replacements are not made on time, they may suffer the same fate. Let's not forget that the coaches matter too--- Zidane has a load of experience both as a player and a manager so that counts.

[LUCKMCFLY]

Is it really? I don’t see a Portugal in disaster all because Ronaldo isn’t featured in the team the way he would have hoped to. It isn’t betrayal, it’s more of forcing the hand of time to come to terms with a passing era. Ronaldo has indeed put the face of Portugal on the map and for that, his legacy would always remain. There isn’t a need to soil it further by pushing the narrative of being disrespected, even though that’s what it looks like and that is so because he isn’t ready to leave the scene just yet even though, his international performance is declining.

The Legend of Cristiano can’t be killed, that’s a fact in football history and even more so, to Portugal as a nation. In others to be a Legend, you’ve got to step out of the scene and become history.

In as much as I like Cristiano, I do feel it’s about that time, to leave when you are winning rather than be the reason why there is some discrepancies in the team.

Well, CR7 already made his statement to the world explaining what really happened, and you know what? He wasn't far from the truth. The problem was that they made him warm up and then didn't put him in.

On a very personal note, I know many don't understand, but I know that some of us on the forum who have played and currently play futbol know that the fact that they make you warm up and then don't put you in when you're already an experienced player, a veteran, a seasoned veteran, the fact that they do that to you is disrespectful. Because if they're not going to put you in, they shouldn't call you up, and that's fine. For example, if that happened to me, I'd leave the team immediately, especially if I saw them putting in people who are less skilled than me. Now, if I feel that way, and many of the players surely feel that way, you can't do that to someone like him.

CR7 has already left the door open for the national team, but I believe it won't be the same anymore. Jorge Jesus and the entire Portuguese team have shown that they don't accept CR7, even though Portugal became more well known thanks to him.

And I say this with certainty, Eusébio did something great for Portugal, but then? Did they win more tournaments? Very difficult. Yes, there were good players like Figo, Nuno Gomes, but when CR7 was there, the team's transformation was evident, the magic. That's what I mean. It's no lie that Portugal has had many stars, but there is only one CR7.

[Lillominato89]

Well, I’ve waited four matches to give my first thoughts on Roberto Mancini’s Italy.
We’ve picked up 7 points out of a possible 12, which is obviously a good result. But if we take a closer look at the situation, it’s not quite as rosy as it seems.
Six out of seven points came from victories against Turkey, whilst one point came from the draw against France and the defeat against Belgium – to me, this is a terrible result. Although we drew against the strongest side, we played a dreadful match against Belgium, who are our direct rivals for second place.
As things stand, I don’t think the Azzurri have achieved a great result – unless we beat Belgium, but I reckon that’ll be very tough.

It was indeed strange to draw against the strongest team in the group & then lose by such an embarrassing score against Belgium. IMO, Italy was fortunate to play the match against Turkey early on, as it allowed them to approach subsequent matches with clear motivation. Being second in the table doesn't really make them safe, things could go bad when they lose again to Belgium.

It makes me wonder, can Italy win the second match when they lost the first one, even with the home advantage?

At the moment, I don’t hold the Italian national team in high regard; we’ve really hit rock bottom in recent years and I don’t see any room for improvement. Beating a team like Turkey certainly hasn’t erased the problems the national team is currently facing.
I hope the return leg against Belgium will be a better match than the first leg, but I’m not sure we’ll manage to beat them

[Wake Up]

Well, I’ve waited four matches to give my first thoughts on Roberto Mancini’s Italy.
We’ve picked up 7 points out of a possible 12, which is obviously a good result. But if we take a closer look at the situation, it’s not quite as rosy as it seems.
Six out of seven points came from victories against Turkey, whilst one point came from the draw against France and the defeat against Belgium – to me, this is a terrible result. Although we drew against the strongest side, we played a dreadful match against Belgium, who are our direct rivals for second place.
As things stand, I don’t think the Azzurri have achieved a great result – unless we beat Belgium, but I reckon that’ll be very tough.

It was indeed strange to draw against the strongest team in the group & then lose by such an embarrassing score against Belgium. IMO, Italy was fortunate to play the match against Turkey early on, as it allowed them to approach subsequent matches with clear motivation. Being second in the table doesn't really make them safe, things could go bad when they lose again to Belgium.

It makes me wonder, can Italy win the second match when they lost the first one, even with the home advantage?

At the moment, I don’t hold the Italian national team in high regard; we’ve really hit rock bottom in recent years and I don’t see any room for improvement. Beating a team like Turkey certainly hasn’t erased the problems the national team is currently facing.
I hope the return leg against Belgium will be a better match than the first leg, but I’m not sure we’ll manage to beat them

The Italian national team has recently demonstrated its trademark high-quality play in the two matches against Turkey. They scored seven goals across these two games, which is invaluable for Italy, as they needed a morale boost. Although they didn't achieve the results they hoped for against France and Belgium, I believe they could be on the upswing following the Turkey match. Their upcoming game against Belgium will be crucial, as the winner will gain a significant advantage in the race for second place. As for us, we might be able to beat Belgium once our injured players return. I am certain that Italy is very keen for Turkey to defeat Belgium.

[kizilhare]

Well, I’ve waited four matches to give my first thoughts on Roberto Mancini’s Italy.
We’ve picked up 7 points out of a possible 12, which is obviously a good result. But if we take a closer look at the situation, it’s not quite as rosy as it seems.
Six out of seven points came from victories against Turkey, whilst one point came from the draw against France and the defeat against Belgium – to me, this is a terrible result. Although we drew against the strongest side, we played a dreadful match against Belgium, who are our direct rivals for second place.
As things stand, I don’t think the Azzurri have achieved a great result – unless we beat Belgium, but I reckon that’ll be very tough.

It was indeed strange to draw against the strongest team in the group & then lose by such an embarrassing score against Belgium. IMO, Italy was fortunate to play the match against Turkey early on, as it allowed them to approach subsequent matches with clear motivation. Being second in the table doesn't really make them safe, things could go bad when they lose again to Belgium.

It makes me wonder, can Italy win the second match when they lost the first one, even with the home advantage?

At the moment, I don’t hold the Italian national team in high regard; we’ve really hit rock bottom in recent years and I don’t see any room for improvement. Beating a team like Turkey certainly hasn’t erased the problems the national team is currently facing.
I hope the return leg against Belgium will be a better match than the first leg, but I’m not sure we’ll manage to beat them

Italy has 7 points, and six of them came from matches against Türkiye.
In the first match, Belgium defeated Italy 2-0 on Italian soil.
Italy's final match is an away game against Belgium, and Belgium will likely defeat them.
I had the chance to watch Italy play again after a long time—specifically, in the match against Turkey.
This team bears no resemblance to the Italy of years past; the squad I saw recently struck me as very soft. There is no Gattuso in midfield, nor an Inzaghi up front.
There is a lack of quality players coming through the youth ranks.

[Ruttoshi]

Honestly I expected way less from them but the results I saw from them this international break was good especially from what I expected, the reason for keeping the Italian team low is because of the huge decline in there domestic league, especially when they perform in Europe, except Inter Milan it feels like the rest of the teams are struggling and they are only standing on the back of there already built dynasty and it doesn't help in the development of the players

Honestly I expected way less from them but the results I saw from them this international break was good especially from what I expected, the reason for keeping the Italian team low is because of the huge decline in there domestic league, especially when they perform in Europe, except Inter Milan it feels like the rest of the teams are struggling and they are only standing on the back of there already built dynasty and it doesn't help in the development of the players

Change is always constant. I believe that the Italian players have woken up from their slumber this time and have decided to go hold the bull by the horn in this international break Euro Nations League. No one expected to see them standing up to fight with the fire of the Italian football burning in them. If they can continue like this and improve their performance, they will return to their glorious days.

[Daniel91]

For the Italian teams, it's probably because they operate with significantly lower budgets, and they also can't entrust their faith in young players as compared to other teams in Europe and that's a big drawback for them. To this day, not saying this to talk down on any player and whatnot but why did Milan choose to sign Luka and they even made a contract extension for him?

As for France, why should that even be a debate if they're lucky or not? We're witnessing the product of hard work and sheer determination on display and luck has nothing to do with that. Fwiw, most key players in the France national team don't play in the league 1.

No, I wasn't saying that France's recent success is luck. What I meant is that you probably have to have some luck as a nation to bring out so many exceptional players at once. Having Mbappe, Dembele and Olise is like a lottery jackpot, Barcola being a standard bench player. It is not always like that and who knows what the French team looks like in 10 - 15 years from now. Just see how Germany declined when once they had players like Neuer (prime), Lahm, Kroos, Hummels, Schweinsteiger, Özil, Müller, Klose etc. Now they are in serious trouble because no good strikers, not enough great midfielders, defense sucks. So I think there is some luck involved when you literally have 15 star players at once.

I don't think it's just luck.
French football didn't start with Mbappe, they've always had fantastic players, from Fontaine who was the top scorer of the World Cup with 13 goals in 1958, to Platini who excelled in the 1980s, and to Zidane who led France to their first World Cup title in 1998 and the final in 2006.
The Zidane and Mbappe families, as far as I've heard, have African roots and I think that's perhaps one fact that has helped French football, the large pool of players from their former colonies in Africa.
Of course, the very good system and organization in French football and the great work with young footballers have also helped.
Germany used to have that too, but apparently their system no longer works and since 2014, when they were last world champions, German football has been in a crisis of play and results.

[Black Mbaye]

Well, I’ve waited four matches to give my first thoughts on Roberto Mancini’s Italy.
We’ve picked up 7 points out of a possible 12, which is obviously a good result. But if we take a closer look at the situation, it’s not quite as rosy as it seems.
Six out of seven points came from victories against Turkey, whilst one point came from the draw against France and the defeat against Belgium – to me, this is a terrible result. Although we drew against the strongest side, we played a dreadful match against Belgium, who are our direct rivals for second place.
As things stand, I don’t think the Azzurri have achieved a great result – unless we beat Belgium, but I reckon that’ll be very tough.

It was indeed strange to draw against the strongest team in the group & then lose by such an embarrassing score against Belgium. IMO, Italy was fortunate to play the match against Turkey early on, as it allowed them to approach subsequent matches with clear motivation. Being second in the table doesn't really make them safe, things could go bad when they lose again to Belgium.

It makes me wonder, can Italy win the second match when they lost the first one, even with the home advantage?

At the moment, I don’t hold the Italian national team in high regard; we’ve really hit rock bottom in recent years and I don’t see any room for improvement. Beating a team like Turkey certainly hasn’t erased the problems the national team is currently facing.
I hope the return leg against Belgium will be a better match than the first leg, but I’m not sure we’ll manage to beat them

Italy has 7 points, and six of them came from matches against Türkiye.
In the first match, Belgium defeated Italy 2-0 on Italian soil.
Italy's final match is an away game against Belgium, and Belgium will likely defeat them.
I had the chance to watch Italy play again after a long time—specifically, in the match against Turkey.
This team bears no resemblance to the Italy of years past; the squad I saw recently struck me as very soft. There is no Gattuso in midfield, nor an Inzaghi up front.
There is a lack of quality players coming through the youth ranks.

Even so, you know they absolutely destroy our team apart, my friend. As Turkey, we couldn't hold our own against them. Italy secured easy victories over us in both matches. They might even win away against Belgium you never know. We shouldn't forget that anything is possible in football if Belgium won in Italy, Italy could win in Belgium.

[mv1986]

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I don't think it's just luck.
French football didn't start with Mbappe, they've always had fantastic players, from Fontaine who was the top scorer of the World Cup with 13 goals in 1958, to Platini who excelled in the 1980s, and to Zidane who led France to their first World Cup title in 1998 and the final in 2006.
The Zidane and Mbappe families, as far as I've heard, have African roots and I think that's perhaps one fact that has helped French football, the large pool of players from their former colonies in Africa.
Of course, the very good system and organization in French football and the great work with young footballers have also helped.
Germany used to have that too, but apparently their system no longer works and since 2014, when they were last world champions, German football has been in a crisis of play and results.

I wonder if you guys read posts in full or not I never said it is "just luck". But what you can see is how successful streaks can vary. Brazil used to be an absolute powerhouse for a decade, 1994- till the early 2000s. Before that, before that 24 years of nothing and after that, well, I think most of us here agree that Brazil is no serious competitor anymore. Hard to believe because from time to time they have exceptional players, but can't manage to put together a super strong team.

I have never checked the details thoroughly, but I think France gets the positive elements of many nations because if you go through all the players, many of them have origins outside of France and it is mind-blowing how many good players they have year after year, most of them playing outside of France.

Of course, the very good system and organization in French football and the great work with young footballers have also helped.

Now this is what I can't really verify. Does France have a special reputation for raising talents? I know Spain does, but France? When you watch Spain play their style, it has been the same for decades, you can literally observe that they follow a very disciplined system, all of their players know what to do to exactly fit into that system for so many years.

Having some luck as a nation can't be ignored because just see how Haaland alone transformed Norway into a serious competitor. It is usually a one man show and I think Norway has never been as good in the international standings as they are now. Take Haaland out of the equation and I bet they would drop in the rankings within no time again. Or what are the chances that France will have the next Mbappe in the next five years? Pretty much zero.

[9ja Amaka]

For the Italian teams, it's probably because they operate with significantly lower budgets, and they also can't entrust their faith in young players as compared to other teams in Europe and that's a big drawback for them. To this day, not saying this to talk down on any player and whatnot but why did Milan choose to sign Luka and they even made a contract extension for him?

As for France, why should that even be a debate if they're lucky or not? We're witnessing the product of hard work and sheer determination on display and luck has nothing to do with that. Fwiw, most key players in the France national team don't play in the league 1.

No, I wasn't saying that France's recent success is luck. What I meant is that you probably have to have some luck as a nation to bring out so many exceptional players at once. Having Mbappe, Dembele and Olise is like a lottery jackpot, Barcola being a standard bench player. It is not always like that and who knows what the French team looks like in 10 - 15 years from now. Just see how Germany declined when once they had players like Neuer (prime), Lahm, Kroos, Hummels, Schweinsteiger, Özil, Müller, Klose etc. Now they are in serious trouble because no good strikers, not enough great midfielders, defense sucks. So I think there is some luck involved when you literally have 15 star players at once.

I get what you mean. Well understood.

The French team has arguably the best attack in current football. Both the starting players and the substitute players are of equal quality. Barcola for Doue or Dembele, Michael Olise, Cherki, and Mbappe. The most interesting part of this team is that all the attacking players have the ability to play in different positions.

When all of them retire, and age becomes a hindrance to how they perform, France may suffer a setback just as the Germans are suffering, unless lots of young talent keep coming from France.

[MAAManda]

At the moment, I don’t hold the Italian national team in high regard; we’ve really hit rock bottom in recent years and I don’t see any room for improvement. Beating a team like Turkey certainly hasn’t erased the problems the national team is currently facing.
I hope the return leg against Belgium will be a better match than the first leg, but I’m not sure we’ll manage to beat them

As of now there's no odds information about that match, There's only estimates from observers, as you can see in the image below:

Image Source: OddsCalendar

The blue line shows the probability of Belgium winning & the yellow line shows the probability of Italy winning. I think that prediction is reasonble, given that Belgium will be playing at home & will be fully motivated in front of their own supporters. Italy has a big reputation in football, I still believe they will achieve something in their remaining 2 matches.

[Adbitco]

The French team has arguably the best attack in current football. Both the starting players and the substitute players are of equal quality. Barcola for Doue or Dembele, Michael Olise, Cherki, and Mbappe. The most interesting part of this team is that all the attacking players have the ability to play in different positions.

When all of them retire, and age becomes a hindrance to how they perform, France may suffer a setback just as the Germans are suffering, unless lots of young talent keep coming from France.

Correct, and that's where their biggest strength is, shaky midfield and a weak defence. The team is not balanced, this would have been the best time for a player of Ngolo Kante's calibre to be in the French midfield to give them that balance in the defensive line. Oh how I miss that guy on the pitch. Definitely, there will come a time when they too will decline in performance for other teams to take over as well, it happens to all teams. Brazil is suffering it now despite their star players, Germany as you mentioned is suffering now as well, same thing for Italy. But I believe since Zidane is the coach, he knows how to nurture and maintain talents, besides these top players are still young and can play effectively for the next 10 years or more while other are being brought up.

[Solodoski]

At the moment, I don’t hold the Italian national team in high regard; we’ve really hit rock bottom in recent years and I don’t see any room for improvement. Beating a team like Turkey certainly hasn’t erased the problems the national team is currently facing.
I hope the return leg against Belgium will be a better match than the first leg, but I’m not sure we’ll manage to beat them

The Italian team are not at their best right now and I think they have been poor lately. They might have won the game against Turkey,  but I don't think they are at their best level. Belgium are doing well right now and I think they are better than Italy right now, so I don't think the Italian team stand a chance against them. I really think Belgium will win and also believe that the odd will be in their favor,  despite the fact that the odd is not out right now. Let's just watch out for the match and see what happens after the game.

[Lillominato89]

At the moment, I don’t hold the Italian national team in high regard; we’ve really hit rock bottom in recent years and I don’t see any room for improvement. Beating a team like Turkey certainly hasn’t erased the problems the national team is currently facing.
I hope the return leg against Belgium will be a better match than the first leg, but I’m not sure we’ll manage to beat them

As of now there's no odds information about that match, There's only estimates from observers, as you can see in the image below:

Image Source: OddsCalendar

The blue line shows the probability of Belgium winning & the yellow line shows the probability of Italy winning. I think that prediction is reasonble, given that Belgium will be playing at home & will be fully motivated in front of their own supporters. Italy has a big reputation in football, I still believe they will achieve something in their remaining 2 matches.

I really do hope that, in these last two matches, Italy can achieve great results – or at the very least secure a place in the final round. But unfortunately, the two matches are really tough and we’re not up against just any opponents, and our hopes also hinge on the results Turkey might achieve, though I doubt they’ll be able to pull off anything spectacular.

[katanic97]

For the Italian teams, it's probably because they operate with significantly lower budgets, and they also can't entrust their faith in young players as compared to other teams in Europe and that's a big drawback for them. To this day, not saying this to talk down on any player and whatnot but why did Milan choose to sign Luka and they even made a contract extension for him?

As for France, why should that even be a debate if they're lucky or not? We're witnessing the product of hard work and sheer determination on display and luck has nothing to do with that. Fwiw, most key players in the France national team don't play in the league 1.

No, I wasn't saying that France's recent success is luck. What I meant is that you probably have to have some luck as a nation to bring out so many exceptional players at once. Having Mbappe, Dembele and Olise is like a lottery jackpot, Barcola being a standard bench player. It is not always like that and who knows what the French team looks like in 10 - 15 years from now. Just see how Germany declined when once they had players like Neuer (prime), Lahm, Kroos, Hummels, Schweinsteiger, Özil, Müller, Klose etc. Now they are in serious trouble because no good strikers, not enough great midfielders, defense sucks. So I think there is some luck involved when you literally have 15 star players at once.

I don't think it's just luck.
French football didn't start with Mbappe, they've always had fantastic players, from Fontaine who was the top scorer of the World Cup with 13 goals in 1958, to Platini who excelled in the 1980s, and to Zidane who led France to their first World Cup title in 1998 and the final in 2006.
The Zidane and Mbappe families, as far as I've heard, have African roots and I think that's perhaps one fact that has helped French football, the large pool of players from their former colonies in Africa.
Of course, the very good system and organization in French football and the great work with young footballers have also helped.
Germany used to have that too, but apparently their system no longer works and since 2014, when they were last world champions, German football has been in a crisis of play and results.

There was talk about Mbappe having to play for Cameroon because his father is from Cameroon. Both Zidane and Mbappe have Algerian roots, Mbappe through his mother, and Zidane through both of his parents. In general, France has always had good players, you forgot to mention Henry when talking about those big stars

[Tongley]

For the Italian teams, it's probably because they operate with significantly lower budgets, and they also can't entrust their faith in young players as compared to other teams in Europe and that's a big drawback for them. To this day, not saying this to talk down on any player and whatnot but why did Milan choose to sign Luka and they even made a contract extension for him?

As for France, why should that even be a debate if they're lucky or not? We're witnessing the product of hard work and sheer determination on display and luck has nothing to do with that. Fwiw, most key players in the France national team don't play in the league 1.

No, I wasn't saying that France's recent success is luck. What I meant is that you probably have to have some luck as a nation to bring out so many exceptional players at once. Having Mbappe, Dembele and Olise is like a lottery jackpot, Barcola being a standard bench player. It is not always like that and who knows what the French team looks like in 10 - 15 years from now. Just see how Germany declined when once they had players like Neuer (prime), Lahm, Kroos, Hummels, Schweinsteiger, Özil, Müller, Klose etc. Now they are in serious trouble because no good strikers, not enough great midfielders, defense sucks. So I think there is some luck involved when you literally have 15 star players at once.

I get what you mean. Well understood.

The French team has arguably the best attack in current football. Both the starting players and the substitute players are of equal quality. Barcola for Doue or Dembele, Michael Olise, Cherki, and Mbappe. The most interesting part of this team is that all the attacking players have the ability to play in different positions.

When all of them retire, and age becomes a hindrance to how they perform, France may suffer a setback just as the Germans are suffering, unless lots of young talent keep coming from France.

In the case of France, we will see this, France will be able to maintain this continuity of their team's improvement over time and they will never let this continuity be lost. France's attacking part is very strong and their attacking part is much stronger than any other team in my opinion. The only reason I have watched their matches during this World Cup is to see some surprises from their attacking part.

[Shineup]

Is it really? I don’t see a Portugal in disaster all because Ronaldo isn’t featured in the team the way he would have hoped to. It isn’t betrayal, it’s more of forcing the hand of time to come to terms with a passing era. Ronaldo has indeed put the face of Portugal on the map and for that, his legacy would always remain. There isn’t a need to soil it further by pushing the narrative of being disrespected, even though that’s what it looks like and that is so because he isn’t ready to leave the scene just yet even though, his international performance is declining.

The Legend of Cristiano can’t be killed, that’s a fact in football history and even more so, to Portugal as a nation. In others to be a Legend, you’ve got to step out of the scene and become history.

In as much as I like Cristiano, I do feel it’s about that time, to leave when you are winning rather than be the reason why there is some discrepancies in the team.

Well, CR7 already made his statement to the world explaining what really happened, and you know what? He wasn't far from the truth. The problem was that they made him warm up and then didn't put him in.

On a very personal note, I know many don't understand, but I know that some of us on the forum who have played and currently play futbol know that the fact that they make you warm up and then don't put you in when you're already an experienced player, a veteran, a seasoned veteran, the fact that they do that to you is disrespectful. Because if they're not going to put you in, they shouldn't call you up, and that's fine. For example, if that happened to me, I'd leave the team immediately, especially if I saw them putting in people who are less skilled than me. Now, if I feel that way, and many of the players surely feel that way, you can't do that to someone like him.

CR7 has already left the door open for the national team, but I believe it won't be the same anymore. Jorge Jesus and the entire Portuguese team have shown that they don't accept CR7, even though Portugal became more well known thanks to him.

And I say this with certainty, Eusébio did something great for Portugal, but then? Did they win more tournaments? Very difficult. Yes, there were good players like Figo, Nuno Gomes, but when CR7 was there, the team's transformation was evident, the magic. That's what I mean. It's no lie that Portugal has had many stars, but there is only one CR7.

If you talk about Portugal having star players, I strongly believe they are having it now that Cristiano Ronaldo has already made the team and Portugal as a country well known all over the nations of the world, so he still deserve that respect, take a look at the players that was present when Portugal won their first international trophy and take a look of the current squad now, it's not what it used to be, so therefore because they has have this squad now they choose to disrespect him, the thing there is Cristiano Ronaldo is too kindhearted, some players won't even give them a listening ear not after all that has happened, now if he decides to go back to the Portuguese National team, what then happened to the number 7 that was given to Rafael?

[tiCeR]

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If you talk about Portugal having star players, I strongly believe they are having it now that Cristiano Ronaldo has already made the team and Portugal as a country well known all over the nations of the world, so he still deserve that respect, take a look at the players that was present when Portugal won their first international trophy and take a look of the current squad now, it's not what it used to be, so therefore because they has have this squad now they choose to disrespect him, the thing there is Cristiano Ronaldo is too kindhearted, some players won't even give them a listening ear not after all that has happened, now if he decides to go back to the Portuguese National team, what then happened to the number 7 that was given to Rafael?

Will this discussion about respect and disrespect ever end? With due respect, football, the sport itself, the fans, the broader community, the clubs, have given Ronaldo so much respect, so much acceptance and appreciation for him as a player that I can't see how there could be any more respect than he got. When he receives criticism, it has nothing to do with disrespect. You can't let a player who performs bad play because he performed well in the past. Do that with a boxer and the boxer gets knocked out perhaps with sustained brain damage. Ronaldo is aging and he could have chosen to provide his team with other things on and off the field. Instead he behaves like a 9 year old kid, making billions with the sport and ask for more and more privileges.

Controversies and great performances is what made him have an unbelievably good life. When he keeps pushing for controversies, but stops performing well, what does he think the result will look like? More respect?

[LGD2Business]

We finally got rid of Montella. There had been talks about it for a few days, but the official announcement came today. If Montella had been fired after the World Cup, perhaps the new manager would have fielded a better team in these 4 Nations League matches. Türkiye wouldn't have left with 0 points. At worst, they would have gotten 1 point. Montella did the worst possible thing. In other countries national teams, he would have resigned long ago, but he waited until he received his compensation.

There are no expectations for the remaining 2 matches, but we hope to see a refreshed team. Even if there were just more fair player selections, that alone would be an improvement.