UEFA Nations League & Euro 2020 Qualification

[Deutsch Wolf]

Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Jack Butland (Stoke City), Dele (Tottenham Hotspur), Fabian Delph (Manchester City), Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), Adam Lallana (Liverpool), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea), Harry Maguire (Leicester City), Alex McCarthy (Southampton), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), John Stones (Manchester City), James Tarkowski (Burnley), Kieran Trippier (Tottenham Hotspur), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Danny Welbeck (Arsenal).

Welbeck, Christ. Why? How?

 

[Tony Towner]

9 of those aren't first choice at their clubs currently

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I mean I suppose it's all fairly straightforward in as much as Young was the obvious weak link in the World Cup team, he's gone now hopefully never to return and we carry on building. But Welbeck sticks out like a sore thumb. Doesn't really play at club level, hasn't had a good season for years, doesn't play as a main striker or where Raheem "worse international strike rate than Martin Keown" Sterling plays for England so who exactly is he covering...it's just weird. I'm convinced that they just keep forgetting to delete him off the list because his name's at the bottom.

 

[Tredman]

No Coady? Pfft.

 

[Law's Bus]

Didn't Southgate make a big thing about having to play in the Premier League last season when he was asked about Coady? Interesting that it doesn't apply to Butland then.

 

[Tredman]

If the rule were having to play in the premier league a good proportion of these bench warmers are fecked.

 

[east-coast-wolves]

Not many keeping options tbf. I thought about questioning Butland but he'll be third choice keeper, so no danger of playing, and will be dropped again once Heaton has played a few more games for Burnley. I would hope.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Fact of the day: If Danny Welbeck appears in both of these two games, he'll have as many England caps as he does Premier League goals (42, PL debut in Nov 2008).

 

[White Wolf]

He decided to call up Solanke before he had even been given his first start in English league football, let alone scored a goal so there's another one.

Surprised he has called RLC up considering he has barely played and seems to be behind even Barkley in the pecking order. Would have called up Maddison over RLC, he needs to get gametime and he isn't going to get that at Chelsea so unless he leaves shouldn't be in the team.

Otherwise, no major complaints. Young is gone, thankfully and as Rose is fit left-back shouldn't be too much of an issue. We are rid of Cahill and have improved there with Gomez. I find his love for Lallana a bit strange and again think Maddison would have been a better choice but he can be okay on his day so not complaining too much. The squad is decent, what you would expect. Only one who I don't think should be anywhere near the squad is Welbeck.

 

[jd1981]

No real complaints with that squad, won’t lose sleep over how many first team appearances someone has made either. International football is changing to a point that the quality level at times is lower than a good PLgame.

 

[Trips]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45360558

Southgate has changed his mind on Championship players now

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Sterling out of these two games.

 

[Johnny75]

Lallana gone back to Liverpool (presumably to be turned into glue) and Marcus Bettinelli called up. Four 'keepers now in the squad. Top work Gareth. I know he's riding a high right now but the way he chooses his squad leaves a lot to be desired.

I still think he's a poor manager.

 

[White Wolf]

That's two outfielders who have dropped out and one goalkeeper up to replace them. Strange decision, I would have liked to see Maddison called up with Lallana out.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

So it seems that the competitive nature of the Nations League isn't going to exactly cut the number of withdrawals through niggles.

 

[Jinky]

Does someone fancy explaining how this 'Nations Cup' works then? I've tried reading the rules twice now and I still have no idea.

 

[Tony Towner]

I think the summary is if we win our Group with Croatia and Spain we automatically qualify for the Euros. If we don't, we qualify in the usual way, by beating San Marino and lots of teams from the Balkans.

 

[PuntsWolf]

I think the summary is if we win our Group with Croatia and Spain we automatically qualify for the Euros. If we don't, we qualify in the usual way, by beating San Marino and lots of teams from the Balkans.

That’s not my understanding but I may be wrong. I understand it as the Nations league provides four spots to Euros. One from each of A, B, C and D. So if we win our group we play the Semis and then final. Of which the winner gets the spot. The same happens in all the other groups. So basically one of the shit munchers in group D is guaranteed a spot in the Euros. The majority of A and B will get in the Euros (either from nations league or qualification) and some of C. So the Euros will be filled with even worse teams than it was last time.

Edit -Also qualification playoffs are scrapped and replaced by these nations league play offs. So 3rd place in your group is irrelevant. You need to have done well in you nations league group.

The bit I don’t understand is where if you’ve already qualified for the Euros, then your nations league playoff spot is given to next best record. And as group A will all qualify automatically then it says group B are promoted to fill berths and so on. This doesn’t seem right? Let’s say Holland don’t qualify, and they are the only team in Pot A in play offs as everyone else did. Slovakia win group B but didn’t make it in euros. Do they then have the disadvantage of having to play Holland in the group A play offs instead of some other weaker group B nation.

 

[Tom Hark]

Does someone fancy explaining how this 'Nations Cup' works then? I've tried reading the rules twice now and I still have no idea.

If they can't be arsed to put it on real telly then I can't be arsed to care, to be honest.

 

[Johnny75]

If they can't be arsed to put it on real telly then I can't be arsed to care, to be honest.

Absolutely this. They want to increase interest in a competition but the FA stick it behind a paywall. Fucking idiots.