So pissed that United have all this mish mashed talent that doesn't play well together - and has redundancy all over but lack creativity. And their most creative passer turns the ball over like he is playing for the other team half the time....meanwhile probably the best talent on the team can't even get on the pitch to start - I mean you have Pogba - wtf are you doing starting him on the bench? DD
North freakin Macedonia AGAIN! How many times have they beaten big teams (well, Germany anyway) lately. Now they end Italy's World Cup qualification run and they'll miss for the 2nd consecutive year. While I don't think they're going to beat Portugal (especially as good as they looked today), it's amazing to see this tiny country keep taking down giants.
I had a thought (and then the eventual headache that went with it). What would the reaction be to having the confederations reconfigure, to an extent, their continental championships to all be in the 2nd year after every Cup and have their champions be given automatic World Cup invites? Italy absolutely did not perform when they needed to in the competition to get in. But it seems strange to me that the defending European champions will not be able to play in the World Cup. With it going to 48, why not? Tell CONCACAF that the Gold Cup will be every 4 years only. Forces teams like the USMNT and Mexico to actually play their players. Instead of Wenger's idiotic idea to have the WC every 2 years, this would make every 2 years huge. A year full of confederation tourney's that lead up to the World Cup 2 years later. Would also lighten the calendar for those winning teams. Just a thought...maybe a stupid one.
Damn, so Italy will be heavy favorites for the EURO 2024. Disagree, cause that's another part of the beauty of football. Former accomplishments grant you nothing. The Azzurris had it all in their own hands but failed to come on top out of a group with Switzerland, Northern Ireland, Bulgaria and Lithuania. If you can't handle them and then fail in a decisive match versus North fn Macedonia, you simply don't deserve one of Europe's 13 spots. Your idea is interesting, but would be hard to implement, because then the contentinal Championships in Europe, South America, Asia, etc. would have to be played around the same time.
They kind of are now. I don't think it would take a major restructuring of the calendar (assuming FIFA doesn't do something stupid like put a World Cup in a f***ing desert). It's really more of telling CONCACAF to stop having the Gold Cup every 2 years. Maybe means UEFA has to dump the dumb Nation's League, too. I get what you're saying, though. Just seems like the confederation champions should be in the world championship tournament. It's not really a former accomplishment. Italy is the current reigning champion of Europe. The USA is the current reigning champion of CONCACAF.
I like Italy but I would also be against any help due to former accomplishments. The truth is only dynasties could win both the WC and the European championship. This Italy team is dangerous but not unbeatable, England and Spain could have beaten them. I am no expert of what is going on in the Concacaf but I am sure it is easier than UEFA as top teams will be missing out, there is too much quality in quantity.
There are two years between the tournaments, football is too short-lived to guarantee a European champion one of 13 spots for a tourney two years later, as we just witnessed. Italy wasn't good enough, so Switzerland and North Macedonia or Portgual will earn their ticket. Also, this guaranteed spot would degrade the continental championships to some sort of qualification tournament for the World Cup - and that's undeserving, at least when it comes to Europe. Before these vultures in the executive positions enlarged the Euros to 24 teams, the quality was ahead of most World Cups (but no worries, the FIFA vultues already have measured up with a 48 nations World Cup, so I guess the old ratio will return soon enough). FIFA calendar is really messed up, mainly because of all the needless games due to the dwarf nations all having the same voting rights as the major one's. San Marino, Andorra, Gibraltar, Malta and Liechtenstein won't voluntarily waive their bi-annual meeting with one of the heavyweights, hence a lot of meaningless games. That's why I actually like the Nations League. You get competition on a somewhat equal level and smaller nations can still move up, if they're good enough.
Lord please, wanted him since that Ajax CL run, amazing player. Gravenberch is also really promising and would give us more creativity in central midfield, very mature and good vision for his age.