Who's ready for some Nation's League action, chaps? Let's hope our England boys. They start their campaign against European powerhouse Spain this evening at Wemberley. I've had the first lie in for a month or so, so I'm well rested and ready to enjoy some footie today. There are also some undercard matches on at noon. And if that isn't enough for you, there is an enticing US friendly with Brazil tonight at 6:30.
The Nation's League action is on our new favorite - ESPN+. The US friendly is on Fox Sports. My dear Kate has just left for a couple of weeks in Virginia, so I hope you'll keep me company on the blog today.
345 Comments:
Sorry Bob...you're 24hours late
US lost to Brazil 2-0 last night
Sorry that you're running solo for a few weeks!
I will be around for the first half but have to coach for Siena later on
Northern Ireland lost to Bosnia 2-1 at home in the Nations League
Hmmmm....that's too bad. What's the match on FS1 tonight? A repeat, I suppose. No matter - I'm looking forward to seeing the England boys this afternoon.
Pompey get an 88th minute equalizing penalty at Fratton Park
Good morning chaps. I will be around for the next 15 minutes. Then have to leave to go to tutoring. Will be around for the England match.
The Switzerland v. Iceland match has started on the Plus now.
Glad Pompey got something out of the match. Sorry it wasn't a win but better than nothing. Posh still top with a 2-3 win at Southend.
Switzerland take the lead
Switzerland 2-0 up as we near half-time.
Embolo should have put them 3-0 up.
Bloody hell - the Swiss are running riot over the Icelanders. 6-0. Why couldn't England do that in Euro 2016?
I thought that these matchings were supposed to be more even?
So, can anyone explain the promotion/relegation feature of this nonsense? If, say, Switzerland keep doing this match after match, does that mean that they have the chance of rising into League A. Or if England tank in this competition, could they drop down to League B?
The team news is in for tonight's clash:
England (3-5-2): Pickford; Maguire, Stones, Gomez; Trippier, Henderson, Alli, Shaw, Lingard; Rashford, Kane
Subs: Butland, Walker, Alexander-Arnold, Rose, Tarkowski, Dier, Loftus-Cheek, Delph, Welbeck, McCarthy, Bettinelli
Spain (4-3-3): De Gea; Carvajal, Nacho, Ramos, Alonso; Busquets, Saúl, Thiago, Isco, Aspas, Rodrigo
Subs: Arrizabalaga, Pau, Albiol, Martinez, Morata, Suso, Azpilicueta, Rodri, Gaya, Roberto, Asensio, Ceballos
Referee: Danny Makkelie (Netherlands)
Very interesting England side. Pickford's in again as #1. The backline is unchanged apart from Joe Gomez taking the place of Kyle Walker from the Russia 2018 side. Luke Shaw makes a long awaited return after injury. And Marcus Rashford is in for Raheem Sterling's position in the WC side.
Luis Enrique's squad looks a lot like Chelsea's first team, with four regulars including Marcos Alonso.
Good afternoon, Bob. Here to join you for the match from Wembley.
Dialing up the link on ESPN+ for the match now.
Send Ramos back to Real in an ambulance! I'm switching to the Moldova - Luxembourg if he has a good day out.
Afternoon, MUR - great to have you around this afternoon.
LOL! Welcome, Gooner!
The results from this competition affect the draw for the Euros in December . If the Swiss win their group then they will be a top seeded team . If England finish last then they will be a second tier team when the draw is made. If England win the group then they will be in a four nation tournament in June. Hope this helps.
I tried earlier to get the match up on the telly using my Apple TV unit, but couldn't manage it. They were asking for an "Access Code." Not sure what they mean by that. I'm on the laptop instead.
So, if England are the second ranked team, they stay in the top pool, MUR?
Good Afternoon, Gonner. LOL too. Lots of options available. That 6-0 result sure was a surprise.
That is correct, but they will miss out on the four team tournament in June. Boo Hoo!
Wahay! The link is up and running.
The second place teams in each group are neither promoted nor relegated. Mid table mediocrity?
We're all watching the sneaky Bob link. It's on in Spanish too but it's a lot of loud chatter.
Pundits keep talking about how these are replacing "meaningless friendlies." I don't see that at all. It appears to be replacing very meaningful matches against inferior opposition. If England weren't playing Spain tonight, for example, they'd likely be playing Hungary or Finland.
I think this Nations League will be good
Surprised to see that some of the old guard of Spanish players such as Busquets and Ramos haven't been put out to pasture yet.
It is replacing Friendlies.
Against teams at your level
Here they come
COME ON ENGLAND
Is that you posting as "Unknown," UWS?
Teams out on the p[itch with Peter Dreary as the mouthpiece.
Love the link....thank's mate!
Just hope the sound gets better
Harry going to get his Golden Boot
So why do commentators keep on making the argument that they're replacing friendlies? England never played friendlies at this point in the calendar. They played European Championship qualifiers.
Great to get it a Wembley!!
It must be. Good Afternoon, UWS. How was your week?
Kane gets his Golden Boot award. Let's hope that he scores a brace tonight.
The matches against inferior opposition resume in March.
That would be fantastic.
Estonia vs Greece is on ESPN3.
It was either a Friendly or a Euro Qualifier but they take place later.... a time where friendlies would take place. There are only so many International breaks so the NL will take up the spots that aren't for qualifiers
Were you ever fussed about meaningless friendlies? I never was. I'm more fussed about 3rd place tournament matches and those last matches in the group stages of the CL and the Europa League.
The phrase meaningless friendlies is the same disengenous BS and double speak that put phrases like deep state and fake news in our lexicon. Just more focus grouped corporate speak to get UEFA suits objectives met.
Week was good... only teaching from Thursday. Haven't had a full schedule because I haven't pushed in yet. Just had my two advanced classes
Joe Gomez Addams in for Kyle Walker and Luke Shaw in for Yash. The main change for Spain is Marcos Alonso for Jordi Alba..
I didn't like them especially with the full team substitutions... that will start that
Glad you had a great week. Sure you will do well this year
They're off from Wembley
Away we go
COME ON ENGLAND
COME ON ENGLAND
COME ON ENGLAND
Do England have a favorite end?
And we're away at Wembley. The Nation's League process starts in earnest.
I'm not sure that there is a favorite end at Wemberley.
I like the picture on the IMAC because I feel like I'm actually on the pitch
Next summer... a great tournament.
I think all the semis and finals of each group... all in one country...one of the Group A sides
Sergio Ramos getting heartily booed from the off.
I have it going on my TV thru Apple TV... I love it
Thanks again Bob
Not sure about the New Wembley .
Thiago is a mile offside there as the through ball was played.
Not sure they had an end in the old one either
Correct, UWS about the tournament. Spot on. Agreed. Thanks very much, Bob.
Ref shouldn't have played on there... England could only go back to Pickford
I didn't notice a favorite end when attending matches at the Old Wembley. Always got stuck next to someone who smelled like they hadn't bathed in a yar
Spain with a player named Ass Pass. Does that mean he will always back pass to De Gea? Just wondering
I know why they're doing it but I still don't like how England are putting Pickford under pressure with back passes. Didn't they see what happened to Alisson last weekend?
Gomez Addams more like Morticia with that poor pass.
Still don't like all the playing at the back!
Did you see the highlights of Scotland Belgium
At least THREE of the FOUR Belgian goals were because of Scotland phaffing around with the ball in the back and lost possession
Agreed. They need to be careful with the back passes.
I didn't see the highlights, but I don't doubt it. Sometimes you have to clear your lines.
Whomever this is commentating has had a deep drink of UEFA Koolaid.
It was comical
Gomez Addams more like Lurch with that foul on Saul Niguez.
Alonso swings in the free kick but after some head tennis it's collected by Pickers.
Head tennis off the free kick and Picked off the air.
Peter Dreary the announcer and sure living up to his name early doors.
Wonder why I am "unknown"
At the old Wembley, the favorite end was the one where Gazza mugged Hendrie and the squad celebrated with the dentist's chair display. My favorite end anyway.
Is Pickers the pick of the keepers?
Great clearing header from Shaw.
who are you.
GOAL! A lovely Man Utd inspired break there finished by Rash!
1-0 England!
Terrible there by Maguire and Stones...well done Shaw.
GOAL!!!
MADE BY Man U!!!
Shaw to Rashford!!
Wahey! And at the unfavorite end!
YESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!! THE THREE LIONS TAKE THE LEAD. TWO MAN YOO PLAYERS COMBINED TO FINISH PAST THE MAN YOO KEEPER. HARRY KANE WAS ABEL TO FIND SHAW AND HIS PASS WAS SURE PUT AWAY BY RASH PAST DE GEA.
You probably just logged out of your account without knowing it, mate. Just try logging in again.
Spain going in pot 2 for the Euro draw. That's where they belong.
WOW! That didn't last long. Saul equalizes after a crisp break through Rodrigo.
We're in a proper football match here, gents.
BLOODY HELL!!! SPAIN TIE IT UP . CARVAJAL PASSED TO RODRIGO AND HE CUT IT BACK FOR SAUL NIGUEZ WHO FINISHED PAST PICKFORD AT THE NEAR POST.
Too easy. That's terrible from England.
England caught ball watching , but great first time passing by Spain, playing to their strength
I like to see that Rash is playing through the center forward channel and isn't confined to the wing tonight, as he often is for United.
Agreed . A great and proper match for sure.
He should have played more in the WC instead of Sterling
Wish United would play him more centrally. I mean Little Joe.
Great atmosphere in the place tonight.
Agreed, UWS. Rash would have dome more for England than Sterling , who did not live up to his name.
Lingard laid that back...Kane was slow to react there
Nice ball in from Trippier flicked on by Lindy. Shame that Kane couldn't get to it.
Agreed, mystery man. Even though Sterling busies the other side's defenders, he's positively Andy Cole with his shot-goal ratio.
I still think that Kane is carrying a bit of a knock since Russia. He doesn't seem as sharp as usual to me.
Hendo is the first into the book after a tug back on Alonso.
Hendo booked for a foul on Marcos Alonso.
Sterling a poor version of Cashley if you take into account all the misplaced passes.
I still can't sign into account
Louis Henry should be pleased during his first match in charge of Spain.
I still think that Sterling when fit again has the ability to unnerve a lot of sides, as he did Croatia in that first half of the semi.
Are you Able to reset your password?
The other issue that might be a problem, UWS, is if you're not signed in to your primary email account that is linked to the LOB account. Try that?
You don't think Rashford does?
Long possession by Spain , but poor finish from Rodrigo.
Kane is poleaxed there by Nacho. England will set up a set piece now.
I sure do think Rash does,.
Whomever this unknown bloke is, he's very moany. Makes you almost miss David Nocito.
Great free kick routine there with Shaw to Maguire. Kane again slow to pounce on the chance. Still - might have been a pen.
Maguire heads on a long free kick and Kane is not Abel to get a shot off then an England foul is called.Was Kane tripped by Carvajal?
England almost create a chance there... Great header back... I think that wasn't a foul
Trapper with another free kick now that Kane does get a head onto. It runs to De Gea.
Next free kick from Trippier is headed by club teammate, Kane straight to De Gea.
Look like Tom's account is default
I think I sign in... It takes you to the page you post thread... I then go back to home page and it still says sign in
That unknown is a mystery , but Shaw does seem like Dave.
No worries, mate - you can post as "Anonymous" all you want. Did you also pen that NYT op ed that's been keeping Trump up at night all week?
Pass from Lindy too long for Kane off a nice solo run.
Oh - Alli tried to find Kane straight down the middle but his teammate didn't anticipate it.
England almost in... Dele's pass wasn't as good as Shaw's
I'M BACK
Lots of possession from England now and some real chances. I like what I see so far.
Great tackle by Maguire on Rodrigo.
England try to break but Rash was marginally on side.
Hendo loses ball in midfield
Tackle By Moore by Maguire
Rash offside
Wahay! Welcome back, mate!
Welcome back, UWS.
That would be hilarious if UWS wrote that article , especially since it would be from one of us.
You should create a new account unkknown guy. Prawn Sandwich Brigade is an untaken name if you need a suggestion.
More danger now from Spain.
There were exactly 120 seconds between the two goals.
You are at your most vulnerable when...
An Ass Pass of a shot cannons off Stone''s face a stone's throw from that shot.
LOL, Gooner!
Talk about a two minute warning!
A prawn sandwich sounds like a great idea.
Bugger
2-1
Another decent finish
Dangerous free kick now for the Spanish.
And Rodrigo scores from it at the near post!
Buggrt! England 1-2 down.
Another really terrible goal to give up. Rodrigo all alone
Too much ball watching there - poor stuff from us.
Trippier trips Alonso.
BUGGER! FREE KICK FROM THIAGO DIVERTED IN BY RODRIGO FOR HIS SECOND NEAR POST GOAL OF THE MATCH AS SPAIN HAVE COME FROM BEHIND.
Harry Maguire kept everyone onside.
England now in a relegation spot.
Chris Waddle
Ex-England winger on BBC Radio 5 live
I like this Nations League. From the games I have watched so far it has been very competitive. I don't like friendlies and I think this is a good idea.
I've actually thought that England were the marginally better side in this first half but we're down due to two defensive lapses.
Shaw could have done better with that cross
Almost in for Kane...he looks slow!
But surely England should be playing a qualifier tonight against a side like Hungary or Finland? This wouldn't be a friendly night - I don't get that argument.
Great save by De Gea against his teammate!
So close!
Carvajal heads out a teasing cross from Trippier after Kane missed the cross. OH!!! Man Yoo saves from Man Yoo. Brilliant save from De Gea off a Rash header from the corner.
Oh - Rash nearly in for a second goal.
I think it's been a fairly even match. Agreed about the poor defending for the two Spain goals.
Spain playing it about for fun now. Someone put a foot in!
Oh - Saul has a chance but Pickers does well.
I agree too. The matches against Spain and Croatia should be in the knockout stages of the Euros, not now.
Every year... there are International breaks... some of those matches are qualifying... some are friendlies... the amount of breaks haven't changed
These matches will take the place of the friendlies!
Those matches in the Spring that would have been friendlies are now qualifiers because they aren't being played today!
I don't get it that you don't get it. The qualifiers haven't started and come the Spring... all the breaks will be qualifiers
These matches could qualify you for the tourney.... all the group champs are in the Euros
So what's England's qualifying group this fall and what qualifying matches will they be playing?
I do get it - I just don't like it. I like the old system of qualifying. I don't mind England playing the likes of San Marino now and again.
Don't they sometimes play qualifiers in March? The tradeoff is that Euro qualifying will end in November next year instead of October. Is that correct?
All these NL will be over in November... so every break will have important games
Shaw goes into the book now after a late one.
That Shaw is a booking for a trip on the Isco Kid.
Next. Waddle will say "Angel Maria Vilar is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life."
I don't remember a lot of friendlies - I remember qualifiers in the fall.
I still like the idea of top sides playing each other in the actual tournament instead of pre qualifying. It's probably a money maker for greedy UEFA.
The top teams aren't in the Euros. They're just in Pot 1 for the Euro draw as they would have been under the old system. The exception is that last in the group will be in pot 2.
I agree with you, MUR. And occasionally England get placed in a group that has another biggish side. But playing competitive matches against the big sides now just takes away from the big tournaments.
Halftime with no stoppage time as Spain lead 1-2 at the half.
Half time
Great start but....
So, England troop in 1-2 down after having taken the lead through Rashford. Still - I think there are a lot of positives to be taken from a very competitive match.
The changes to UEFA EURO qualifying will make it more streamlined. The equation is now simple: ten groups with the top two teams in each group qualifying automatically, and the other four places being awarded to European Qualifiers play-off winners, in which the 16 group winners of the UEFA Nations League will be in contention.
The UEFA EURO 2020 qualifying draw will be made after the completion of the UEFA Nations League and allow for the four UEFA Nations League Finals participants to be drawn into groups of five teams.
But the key principle of the qualifiers remains: that every team can play every team.
Little Joe in attendance with Aitar Karanka.
The European Qualifiers for UEFA EURO 2020 commence in March 2019. There will be two matchdays in each of March, June, September, October and November 2019. In total, there will be five groups of five teams and five groups of six teams (ten groups in all) playing over ten matchdays (the same number as now). The winner and runner-up in each of the ten groups will qualify automatically for the UEFA EURO 2020 final tournament (June 2020).
The last four EURO places will be won through the European Qualifiers play-offs, which will take place in March 2020 and which will be contested by the 16 UEFA Nations League group winners.
If a group winner has already qualified via the European Qualifiers, then their spot will go to the next best-ranked team in their league. If a league does not have four teams to compete, the remaining slots are allocated to teams from another league, according to the overall UEFA Nations League ranking.
Each league will have a path of its own and each path will feature two single-leg semi-finals and one single-leg final. The winner of each path will win a ticket to UEFA EURO 2020.
I like the replays of the goals and chances from EVERY angle!!
The one move...Lingard cross, Rashford header, De Gea save
Kane has been disappointing in my book
He let the runner pass him for the second goal
All these angles show what happened
The UEFA Nations League creates more meaningful and competitive matches for teams and a dedicated calendar and structure for national team football.
Top teams can also aspire to take part in the UEFA Nations League Finals, a new top-level event.
For middle-ranking and smaller nations, the UEFA Nations League will offer an extra way to qualify for UEFA EURO final tournaments. Lower-tier countries – the bottom 16 in the rankings – are now guaranteed one of the 24 qualifying slots for UEFA EURO.
Lower-ranking teams who have struggled against sides ranked considerably higher than them will now get the chance to take part in balanced matches. Teams do not learn and progress by repeatedly losing; now some sides will start winning.
While the UEFA Nations League will replace most friendly internationals, there will still be space in the calendar for friendlies, especially for top teams who may want to face opposition from outside Europe as they will be in groups of three teams.
Associations and teams benefit from clarity of the fixture calendar, and there is now a clear buffer between the end of the UEFA EURO and FIFA World Cup, and vice versa, as well as stability of income.
Luxembourg one up at the half vs Moldova in League D while Greece one up at the half in Estonia in League C. Great stuff!
Luxembourg could be in the Euros from League D? That doesn't make sense. The above matches seem like utter nonsense.
Do we want lower tier countries in the Euros? Sounds good on paper, but it will lower the quality of the tournament, which became more diluted by increasing to 24 teams . Look what happened last Euros. Do we really want the likes of Luxembourg at the Euros?
I gave you plenty of reading for the half time break
Teams in the tunnel heading out on to the pitch for the second half.
Teams coming back out for this second half now. We need some goals.
Scotland can make it
Yes you did and great reading at that. The one thing I will give the Nation's League is that this is an exciting match, but qualifying is a process and the old system is the first step in that process.
Away we go... the red seat brigade out in force
Second half underway
No - I'd prefer to have 24 teams if not 16 teams in the Euros.
IS Scotland in League C? If so they have a decent chance.
Shaw goes down awkwardly there. That doesn't look good at all.
The teams that are successful against teams are the one that say...let's give it a go!
Oh No... Shaw was crushed there
Hope he's ok
Jose not pleased
Danny Rose being readied as a sub.
Shaw down off a challenge from Carvajal.Not looking good for England or United. Danny Rose the natural replacement.
What did he hurt? Did he get knocked out?
Stretcher... DAMN IT
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