UEFA Nations League living up to pre-tournament billing

The UEFA Nations League has been a welcome ray of light in the usually joyless international break.

UEFA came up with the idea of the Nations League in order to replace useless friendlies by providing some meaning to international breaks, aside from the tournament qualifiers, while also trying to change the sterile reputation of international soccer.

Pot A, which contains the heavyweights, is crucial to the success of the tournament, but the equal nature of competition, with similarly skilled sides being grouped together, is pivotal for the teams in the lower pots.

This week’s Pot A matches have produced some particularly memorable matches. On Friday night in Amsterdam, a Netherlands side undergoing transition after years of disappointment hosted a Germany side in disarray after a disastrous World Cup. The match proved to be a thriller as the tournament provided a platform for the heated rivalry to flourish in a competitive setting.

The Dutch came away with a memorable 3-0 victory against Die Mannschaft which is sure to do their preparations for the 2020 qualifiers a world of good. England’s match against Croatia at the same time lacked the excitement of the other match, but the lack of a crowd due to punishment from UEFA played a large part in that. There was also a thriller between Poland and Portugal on Thursday night, which ended 3-2 to Fernando Santos’ men.

On Monday night, Spain and England played out arguably the best match of the break. England raced to a 3-0 halftime lead with some clinical counter-attacking play, before Spain rallied and dominated the second half, ultimately losing 3-2. The second half saw some heated moments and it certainly wasn’t lacking a competitive edge, as friendlies so often do. A win for Spain could have secured the top spot while it helped England pull away from Croatia.

There have been other exciting storylines, such as Gibraltar securing their first ever competitive win, Luxembourg flexing their muscles against fellow minnows, Finland dominating their group in Pot C and Wales beating local rivals Ireland in Pot B. These encounters are rare in a competitive, non-tournament matches, especially for the lesser sides, who usually have little to play for with no real chance of qualification.

The most important point is that the teams are mostly fielding their best sides with the occasional player brought in as the various managers experiment. Overall, the quality of play has been really high for an international break. Only six sides across the entire competition haven’t picked up any points as of yet.

The Nations League’s lack of status as a major tournament may mean teams are more willing to take risks and less inclined to nerves. This has led to matches that have the intensity of a competitive clash without the caginess we often see in major tournaments. That may change as we head toward the final for, but the early evidence is that the Nations League has done exactly what it was designed to do: bring some excitement to the international break.