It sounds like you want some sort of European Super League that serves to benefit the biggest teams.
It sounds like you want some sort of European Super League that serves to benefit the biggest teams.The Nations League pyramid should be the basis of UEFA’s qualification to major tournaments. One of the fundamental reasons the international break is ridiculed is because there’s not enough games that are exciting. I wanna England play Germany, France, Portugal, Spain and so on.
There’s a real possibility that our highest ranked opponents between now and the World Cup will be Senegal. How can Tuchel figure out how to beat the elite teams when we’re playing such mid-level teams?
That will never work.It sounds like you want some sort of European Super League that serves to benefit the biggest teams.
It sounds like you want some sort of European Super League that serves to benefit the biggest teams.
It is what it is. Otherwise you're asking the world governing body to create an 'underling' tournament - A bit like an international checkatrade.There’s a massive need for reform to the international qualifying process. We’re not getting anything out of playing teams like Albania who just want to sit back and defend with 11 people all game. The question is more often ‘how much will we win by’ as opposed to ‘will we win’.
We playing Serbia, Albania, Andorra and Latvia to qualify… is anyone interested in those games? I’ll be going to most of the games but frankly, it’s for the caps so I can get tickets for the World Cup.
The Nations League pyramid should be the basis of UEFA’s qualification to major tournaments. One of the fundamental reasons the international break is ridiculed is because there’s not enough games that are exciting. I wanna England play Germany, France, Portugal, Spain and so on.
There’s a real possibility that our highest ranked opponents between now and the World Cup will be Senegal. How can Tuchel figure out how to beat the elite teams when we’re playing such mid-level teams?
It is what it is. Otherwise you're asking the world governing body to create an 'underling' tournament - A bit like an international checkatrade.
Although they were never going to win, that Albanian side last night were the most organised I've ever seen.It’s no different, in principle, to how the FA Cup has staged entrance. When we played Maidstone, they earned the right to play us despite it being a complete mismatch. In international football, we’re forced to play against teams that aren’t fit to play against us or the other elite of European football.
Although they were never going to win, that Albanian side last night were the most organised I've ever seen.
They're the same with their drug gangs.Although they were never going to win, that Albanian side last night were the most organised I've ever seen.
Some of those teams that you deem not worthy of playing England have won a trophy since 1966.It’s no different, in principle, to how the FA Cup has staged entrance. When we played Maidstone, they earned the right to play us despite it being a complete mismatch. In international football, we’re forced to play against teams that aren’t fit to play against us or the other elite of European football.
Some of those teams that you deem not worthy of playing England have won a trophy since 1966.
Greece and Denmark for starters.Like who?
My point isn’t just about England. Malta should not be playing Spain/Netherlands or the Faroe Islands playing France/Croatia.
Why not have 2-3 stages of qualification where highest ranked teams enter qualification at a later stage?
Spot the odd one out here. Why should England be automatically entitled to play them, despite not winning anything for going on 60 years?I wanna England play Germany, France, Portugal, Spain and so on.
Greece and Denmark for starters.
Spot the odd one out here. Why should England be automatically entitled to play them, despite not winning anything for going on 60 years?
You were talking about certain teams not being worthy to play against England, which is why I'm talking about them.Why are you fixated on England? I said highest ranked teams and/or Nations League Group A teams. Which includes Denmark, Scotland and Hungary. If England were 20, 30 and 40th (and so on) in the world rankings, we’d have to play more qualification games.
It’s inherently meritocratic and the best teams play one another.
Fair play for just openly admitting you don’t give a shit about the competitive element of international football and you just want the whole thing to be governed by TV ratings.We want to see big games like:
Spain v Portugal
France v Italy
Germany v Netherlands
You were talking about certain teams not being worthy to play against England, which is why I'm talking about them.
Fair play for just openly admitting you don’t give a shit about the competitive element of international football and you just want the whole thing to be governed by TV ratings.
Firstly, not what I said. Second, the point was the ‘lesser teams’ should earn the right to play the mid and top tier nations.
So this applies to the semi-pro teams like San Marino and Andorra… not Denmark who are a top tier nation in Europe!
I’m not sure I’d describe a team that hasn’t won anything in nearly 60 years as part of the elite, or having an automatic right to anything.In international football, we’re forced to play against teams that aren’t fit to play against us or the other elite of European football.
No, it isn’t, but English football is set up as a pyramid, whereas international football isn’t. Some kind of seeding makes sense but your suggestion essentially creates a closed shop based on nothing more than self-professed ‘big’ teams playing each other on an endless loop simply because that’s what “we want to see”. That’s not competition, that’s marketing.If we’re following your logic, is it anti-competitive that the Prem and Championship enter the 3rd round of the FA Cup? If not, why?
Who gives a shit? Why should the entire international system be overhauled to make things more convenient for Thomas Tuchel?There’s a real possibility that our highest ranked opponents between now and the World Cup will be Senegal. How can Tuchel figure out how to beat the elite teams when we’re playing such mid-level teams?
I’m not sure I’d describe a team that hasn’t won anything in nearly 60 years as part of the elite, or having an automatic right to anything.
Yes of course they should do.This is a dumb argument.
Should Germany, France, Spain and Italy have to play the likes of Andorra, Gibraltar, Lichtenstein and San Marino?
My answer is no because these fixtures are as mismatched as anything you’d see. If they made it through 2-3 rounds of prelims, fair enough but otherwise they have no right to play the elite.
UEFA is in the minority of confederations that has open qualification.
No, it isn’t, but English football is set up as a pyramid, whereas international football isn’t. Some kind of seeding makes sense but your suggestion essentially creates a closed shop based on nothing more than self-professed ‘big’ teams playing each other on an endless loop simply because that’s what “we want to see”. That’s not competition, that’s marketing.
To go back to one of your earlier points:
Who gives a shit? Why should the entire international system be overhauled to make things more convenient for Thomas Tuchel?
Yes of course they should do.
“No right to play the elite”
It wasn’t along that one of the elite you’ve described above lost to North Macedonia - and it was only a year after they’d won the Euros.
Not really, you’ve been going on about certain sides not being fit to play the elite, which is just nonsense. Presumably you’d also support Man City and Liverpool if they decided they deserved to enter the FA Cup at the last 16 or quarter final stage.It’s got nothing to do with convenience. The international game is no longer the pinnacle of football and a large part of this is because there’s too many dead rubber games.
There’s also the wider issue of player welfare over the amount of games they play. So it makes sense for a shorter international calendar but with more competitive games.
Terrible example to use because North Macedonia earned that playoff-spot via the Nations League because they won their Group in the C league rather than the traditional qualification process. Unwittingly, you’ve supported my point that the qualification process isn’t really fit for purpose as it creates dead rubbers. Therefore, expanding the nations league makes sense because it gives teams opportunities they would be locked out of via the status quo.
Not really, you’ve been going on about certain sides not being fit to play the elite, which is just nonsense. Presumably you’d also support Man City and Liverpool if they decided they deserved to enter the FA Cup at the last 16 or quarter final stage.
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