'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The UEFA Nations League is an initiative introduced by UEFA in a bid to improve competition among its member states and reduce the number of dead rubber friendlies, keeping nations’ competitive streak on ahead of the assault on qualifiers for major tournaments.
The format saw all 52 member countries grouped into four leagues by virtue of their FIFA ranking, with the strongest 12 nations making up League A, while the weakest 16 nations made up League D.
Each League was then further divided into groups, with each member of the various groups playing each other on a home and away basis, with points accrued normally for a win or draw as obtainable elsewhere.
To increase the stakes, UEFA introduced a relegation and promotion incentive, whereby the bottom-placed team in each group of the four leagues suffers relegation to the lower league when the next season starts, while the top placed teams in each group gain promotion, as well as got a shot at qualification to EURO 2020 through a play-off to decide the representative of all four leagues..
Another incentive was also the prospect of being crowned the first ever UEFA Nations League Champion, as all four group winners in League A advanced to a semi-final to be staged in June next year where they would be drawn in a knockout match to decide the finalists and concordantly the winner of the UEFA Nations League.
Even though a lot of people expressed scepticism at first, the seriousness exhibited by the teams and players gradually won the fans over, and on the conclusion of the Nations League, there were more supporters than sceptics, and the initiative has been widely praised as being a wonderful initiative.
As with any other tournament, there were favourites in every league who were expected to do well, as well as minnows that were expected to complete the numbers, but true to form, the Nations League offered us numerous shocks as unexpected teams topped their standings while favoured teams struggled to impress. In this piece, we take a look at three teams who flopped and those who starred.
FLOPS
Dishonourable mentions – Poland, Republic of Ireland, Albania, Slovenia,
Flop #5 Northern Ireland
The Green and White Army have made extremely tremendous progress in recent years, and achieved qualification to EURO 2016, making it to the second round where they were narrowly defeated by Wales due to an own goal.
They followed that up with a second place finish in their 2018 World Cup qualification group behind Germany and saw their hopes for a first World Cup appearance in almost three decades quashed by Switzerland in the UEFA play-offs.
They entered the Nations League draws as one of the highest ranked teams in League B, and were expected to challenge Bosnia-Herzegovina for the top spot in their group.
However, what followed was an utter disaster, as Northern Ireland finished rock bottom of their group, scoring just one goal, and finishing on zero points thereby suffering relegation to League C.
Manager Michael O’Neill was visibly disappointed upon completion of their last group match, as distraughtly told his Northern Irish compatriots to forget the Nations League was ever invented.
Northern Ireland came into the Nations League with a burgeoning reputation, and even though they largely matched their group opponents, their results left a lot to be desired from a team which is very much on the rise.
Flop #4 Belgium
Belgium are currently the joint-highest ranked team on the FIFA rankings, and were expected to top their group with relative ease.
The much vaunted ‘golden generation’ of players finally lived up to their billing in the summer when Eden Hazard and co. guided the country to her best ever finish at a World Cup, after dispatching England for the third spot in Russia.
The Red Devils have some of the best players in the world, world class in all departments who ply their trades at the biggest clubs in Europe, and thus were expected to make easy pickings of a group also containing Switzerland and Iceland.
Everything seemed to be going according to plan for The Red Devils as they won their opening three matches, and headed into their last match against Switzerland needing just a draw to progress to the final four of the Nations League as expected.
They raced into a two-goal lead curtsey Thorgan Hazard, and even the most sceptic Belgian would have been forgiven for already looking ahead to knowing their opponents for the last four clashes.
However, what followed was an entirely unbelievable tale, as Switzerland rallied back to record a 5-2 victory courtesy a Seferovic inspired hat-trick which consigned the Belgians to a 5-2 defeat, prompting a rant from Martinez who said that the Belgians forgot how to defend.
Belgium would have looked to use their World Cup performance as momentum, and built upon it with a credible showing at this inaugural Nations League tournament and all seemed to be going to plan until Switzerland spoiled the party.
Flop #3 Iceland
One of the biggest footballing fairytale stories in recent years – Iceland made the world stand up and take notice of them when they sealed their first ever qualification for a major tournament when they debuted at EURO 2016, which was more impressive considering the fact that they routed the Netherlands to achieve this feat.
They followed that up with some more breathtaking displays at the tournament proper, holding Portugal to a draw, and topping them in the group before dispatching England in the round of 16 courtesy a hard fought 2-1 victory.
They eventually bowed out to hosts France by a 5-2 scoreline in the quarter-final, but not before winning the world over with their display of courage and guts on the field, as well as the passion and camaraderie of their travelling contingent (about 10% of their entire population) in the stands.
Anybody who thought their performances in 2016 were a fluke got the shock of their lives, as the Nordic Nation made further history by becoming the smallest nation by population (just over 30,000) to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, and they did so by topping a star-studded Croatia in their qualification group.
Even though they underperformed at the Mundial, losing all three matches and finishing bottom of their group, the progress made by the Scandinavians in recent years meant a lot of people expected them to punch above their weights in the Nations League.
They were drawn alongside Switzerland and Belgium in Group 2 of League A, and even though no one quite expected them to top the group by virtue of the strength of their opponents, it was expected that they would give a good account of themselves owing to the impressiveness of their performances in recent years.
However, what followed was a total capitulation, as the Icelanders failed to muster a single point, losing all four of their group matches, which has seen them drop to 36th on the FIFA rankings 9which is sure to reduce by the next release), having recently enjoyed an all-time high of 18th position in the world as recently as March of 2018.
Iceland were expected to build on their successes of recent years by stamping their authority on the Nations League, but their performances which saw them relegated to League B left a whole lot to be desired.
Flop #2 Croatia
Another country which has had a ‘Golden Generation’ of players underperforming in recent years, The Chequered Army finally stamped their authority on a global tournament at the World Cup in Russia where they finished in second place.
Led by Modric’s Golden Ball winning performance, Croatia showed excellent technicality in topping their group, with their highlight performance being a 3-0 whopping of a spineless Argentina.
They won further admirers around the globe as they showed great determination and guts to overcome three knockout round matches in extra-time, despite falling behind in every one of them. They might have finished as runners-up, but Croatia left with their heads held high, and were winners in a lot of people’s minds.
They were handed what was arguably one of the toughest groups in the draws, as they were paired with Spain and fellow World Cup semi-finalists England, and even though it was expected to be tough, fans around the world believed that Croatia would build on their impressive showing at the Mundial.
They began their campaign with a debilitating performance in Spain where they were mauled 6-0 by the 2010 World Champions (less than three months on from their World Cup heroics), and followed that up with a dour display in a 0-0 stalemate with England at home.
They rallied back to defeat Spain 3-2 at the death in their penultimate match and headed to Wembley knowing that a victory over England would see them advance to the semi-final of the Nations League as group 4 winners.
Everything seemed to be falling in line courtesy Kramaric’s early deflected shot in the second half, and Croatia seemed set to top the group and condemn England to relegation. However, The Three Lions showed great defiance and came back to produce a stirring 2-1 victory with two goals in the final five minutes, exacting revenge for their World Cup semi-final loss, and advancing to the semi-final to be staged in Portugal next year.
Croatia suffered relegation, and as a consequence would play in League B when the next season of the Nations League commences in 2019, and this is a sad descent from the highs of the World Cup just five months ago.
Flop #1 Germany
There could really be only one contender for biggest flop of the Nations League right? Germany were world champions in 2014 and continued their impressive performances at tournaments with their semi-final run at EURO 2016.
They won the Confederations Cup in 2017 with a bunch of young players who displaced much more experienced opponents, as well as winning the UEFA EURO U21 Championship.
The future looked very bright for Die Mannschaft, and they were all set to retain the crown they won in Brazil at Russia 2018, with many earmarking them as favourites for the tournament.
What followed was a disaster of immense proportions. They failed to make it out of a relatively straightforward group which many expected them to top with ease, registering just three points from three matches and suffering a first-round exit for the first time at the World Cup since 1938.
From then on, it all went downhill for the four-time world champions. They continued their shambolic form into the Nations League and went on their longest run without a competitive victory or goal in many decades, which mounted pressure on long-serving manager Joachim Low.
The Germans had gotten relegated before the last round of matches in the Nations League, and were playing for pride when they squared off against the Netherlands at home.
Everything seemed in order, and it looked like Germany would end 2018 on a high when they raced into a two-goal first-half lead courtesy Timo Werner and Leroy Sane, but a host of missed chances (a recurring theme in recent months) came back to haunt them and provided inspiration for Netherlands to claw their way back with two late goals and salvage a draw, condemning Germany to bottom of the group where they failed to win a single match to cap off what is undoubtedly one of the worst performances in a calendar year in their illustrious history.
HITS
Honorable mentions – Portugal, Ukraine, Israel, Norway
Hit #5 Switzerland
The Swiss have been on a steady rise on the international scene in recent years - much of their success on the back of their U17 winning squad at the World Cup hosted in Nigeria in 2009, as well as the team that finished third at the same tournament four years later in UAE.
Under legendary manager Ottmar Hitzfield, the Swiss punched above their weights and reached the knockout stage of the 2006 World Cup (where they became the first side in World Cup history to be eliminated without conceding a single goal), before enjoying their most fruitful spell in recent years.
They have made it to the round of 16 in each of the last three tournaments they have participated in, and they have players like Xherdan Shaqiri, Stefan Seferovic and Granit Xhaka who are doing great things across Europe.
Entering the fray as one of the highly ranked nations, the Swiss were drawn in Group 2 of League A alongside favourites Belgium and fellow upstarts Iceland.
They got home and away victories over Iceland, but lost the reverse 2-1 to Belgium and headed into their last match knowing they had to better this results if they were to qualify ahead of Belgians.
Their task was made much harder when their neighbours ran into a 2 goal lead early in the first half meaning Switzerland had to score four unanswered goals to advance which would have been impossible to conceive even for the most optimistic fan.
As it turned out, Switzerland showed that impossible is nothing and rallied to produce one of the most incredible comeback victories in recent times, scoring five goals to advance into the last four of the Nations League.
Switzerland came into the Nations League with a reputation of a fast-rising football nation, and after their displays, they have further enhanced it and can build on this heading into EURO 2020.
Hit #4 Bosnia-Herzegovina
Totally ravaged by war as recently as 25 years ago, this Eastern European nation has risen above the ruins and destruction to forge one of the fastest rising countries on the international footballing scene.
Led by all-time record goalscorer and bonafide world-class striker Eden Dzeko and ably supported by Miralem Pjanic as well as Adama Llajic, The Dragons have firmly established themselves as a country to watch out for with their displays in recent years.
They qualified for the World Cup for the first time ever in 2014, but failed to make it beyond the group stages following a narrow defeat to Argentina and a controversial loss to Nigeria rendered their victory over Iran in the final match null.
Bosnia have seen their impressiveness in recent seasons rewarded, and they are currently ranked 32nd which saw them drawn in group 3 of League B alongside Austria and Northern Ireland.
They topped their group very comfortably, amassing 10 points from four matches, winning three and drawing one, with a goal difference of +4 to advance into League A of the Nations League and compete with the big boys which is where they belong.
Hit #3 Finland
Drawn alongside more established nations such as EURO 2004 winners Greece, alongside Hungary, not many people expected Finland to make much of an impact in group 2 of League C, but the Finns shocked everyone by finishing top of the group and being promoted to League B.
Currently ranked 56th in the world, the Eagle-Owls defied expectations by picking up 12 points from their opening four matches to seal their promotion, with their only dropped points coming in their last two matches which were essentially dead rubbers.
Under the management of Markku Kanerva, Finland have gained a reputation of being extremely pragmatic in their play, winning matches by narrow margins much like Atletico Madrid at club level, and the Eastern Europeans brought all of these qualities to the fore in the Nations League.
They opened their Nations League campaign with three consecutive 1-0 victories, before posting a 2-0 victory over Greece at home to send them through to League B.
The next season of the Nations League would see Finland competing against much superior opposition, but on the strength of their defensive performances in recent times, they would fancy their chances of causing further disruption in the European football hierarchy.
Hit #2 England
Possessing arguably the best league in Europe for the last two decades, and having a plethora of world-class performers in their ranks, many people always tipped England to make a major impact at each of the major tournaments over the last 20 years.
But it always ended in disappointment as a ‘Golden Generation’ of players continually flopped and made a mockery of themselves at successive tournaments, leading the general public to fall out of love with the Three Lions.
The 2018 World Cup marked a shift from the norm, as England headed in with a lot of scepticism chiefly because of the underperformances of their predecessors, as well as the fact that Gareth Southgate went to Russia with an extremely inexperienced squad (only three players had prior experience of playing a World Cup match).
That seemed to work in their favour as England defied all expectations with a semi-final run enacting chant of its coming home, in what was to be their best performance at a World Cup in almost 30 years.
Players like Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Raheem Sterling are leaders of the new frontier, and even though they are all extremely talented players in their own right, they are nowhere near matching the superstar levels attained by their predecessors such as Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, David Beckham to name a few.
Drawn alongside an ever-improving Spain as well as World Cup runners-up Croatia, it was expected to be a tough ride for The Three Lions in what was arguably the hardest draw they could get.
It was expected that they would struggle to make an impact in the group, and it seemed to be going according to predictions when England picked up just one point from their opening two matches and were staring relegation in the face.
They bounced back to inflict a 3-2 defeat on Spain, which was the first time the Spaniards had lost a home competitive match in over a decade. The victory was a morale booster, but The Three Lions still needed a victory in their final home match at Wembley to avoid being relegated.
The match had everything at stake, as both sides had their own destinies in their hands – win and qualify for the semi-final, lose and be relegated, but all the cards seemed to have been played into Croatia’s hands when they took the lead in the second half.
However, one key virtue of this team under Gareth Southgate has been their tenacity and mentality (which had been lacking in previous teams), and the English rallied back to inflict a 2-1 loss on Croatia, relegating them while gaining qualification and getting Wembley rocking in scenes which have not been seen in London when the national team played in a very long while.
England performed very well in their semi-final run at the World Cup, but many people believed it was a fluke, but with consecutive victories against the 2010 world champions as well as the current World Cup runners-up, England have shown that they are indeed here to stay and anyone who had been underrating them must stand up and take notice.
Hit #1 Netherlands
The proponents of total football and the nation that gave us illustrious names such as Cruyff and Marco van Basten, the Dutch failed to qualify for the last EURO and World Cups consecutively and had reached the nadir of its football just four years on from their impressive third-place finish at the 2014 World Cup.
The Oranje have changed multiple coaches in the last few years in a bid to get it right, and they struggled to replace ageing stars such as Huntelaar, Sneijder and Arjen Robben, which was a bit of an anomaly considering Holland’s traditional standing as a hub for producing young talents.
Ronald Koeman was appointed a manager in late 2017 after the debacles of their World Cup qualification, and the 55-year old has gone about his job very steadily, integrating a young side and slowly forging a solid side.
His tenure has seen the Netherlands depart from their usual free-flowing aesthetic style, instead focusing on pragmatism, and even though results were initially haphazard, they have greatly seen an upturn in fortunes in recent weeks., with improvements from Memphis Depay as well as Quincy Jones.
They were drawn alongside the last two world champions in Germany and France, and on account of their recent struggles, it was expected that the Netherlands would be the whipping boys of the group.
They kicked off their Nations League campaign with a 2-1 loss away to France but bounced back from that defeat to inflict a 3-0 defeat on a struggling Germany. They got a measure of revenge over France with a 2-0 victory over the reigning world champions at home and headed into their last match against Germany knowing all they needed was a draw to progress to the final four.
They went behind to a two-goal deficit in the first half, but rallied back with two goals deep in the match, as Quincy Jones was handed a goal before Virgil Van Dijk scored a stunning equalizer with an exquisite volley right at the end to send his nation to the semi-final of the inaugural Nations League.
Netherlands have fallen from their previous highs in recent years, but with Koeman at the helm and performances of Depay and Van Dijk on the field, there is genuine reason for optimism for the Dutch.
