UEFA Nations League preview: 3 storylines to follow

The second edition of the UEFA Nations League starts up again on Thursday. Here are some of the biggest storylines to watch for.

Following a 10-month hiatus because of the pandemic, national teams across Europe will be back in action starting this Thursday with the start of the 2020-21 UEFA Nations League.

The tournament, the group stage played over the next three months with the finals contested next year, features all of Europe’s 55 member associations broken down into four leagues.

The leagues, similar to club competitions, features promotion and relegation. League A breaks down as follows:

Group 1: Netherlands, Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Poland
Group 2: England, Belgium, Denmark and Iceland
Group 3: Portugal, France, Sweden and Croatia
Group 4: Switzerland, Spain, Ukraine and Germany

The winner of each group, following six matchdays, advance to the semifinals. The winners meet in the final. Here are three storylines to watch for starting this week.

France need to channel 2018 to replicate success

The defending World Cup champions come into the Nations League as one of the favorites to win it. Placed in League A’s Group 3 with reigning Nations League winners Portugal, 2018 World Cup runners up Croatia and Sweden, Les Blues have the players to go on a serious run.

Coach Didier Deschamps enter the competition without midfielder Paul Pogba, who recently tested positive for the coronavirus, but do have defender Lucas Hernandez, fresh off his Champions League win with Bayern Munich and Tottenham midfielder Moussa Sissoko.

In attack, the formidable trio of Oliver Giroud, Kylian Mbappe and Anthony Martial will make opposing defenses tremble. That’s not all. The team can also rely on Antoine Griezmann up front, meaning France could very well have the deepest attacking pool of any national team in Europe.

Croatia need to prove they are for real

Croatia are in the same group as France, meaning the sides will meet next Tuesday in a rematch of the 2018 World Cup final. At that World Cup, Croatia were the Cinderella side that were able, with both determination and a team ethic, to reach the championship game.

This time, Croatia are a known entity. Midfielder maestro Luka Modric, now 34 and two years older compared to Russia 2018, has fallen off the pace for Real Madrid compared to his showing at the World Cup. Nonetheless, he has the talent to help his team both defensively and in attack, qualities opponents should not overlook.

Croatia is also a team featuring other big-name players. Bayern’s Ivan Perisic is great on the wings as is AC Milan’s Ante Rebic. These two players will need to be at the top of their game if Croatia hopes to garner any success over the next few months.

Germany need to rebuild off of Bayern’s success

German soccer has reached its pinnacle this season thanks largely to Bayern Munich’s success and popularity of the Bundesliga. Can Germany channel any of that success? It remains to be seen.

The four-time World Cup champions have always had the physical and mental toughness to succeed at the highest level. Coach Joachim Low, who has had the position since 2006, is the longest-tenured national team manager in the world at the moment. He will need success in order to stay in the job following the team’s embarrassing first-round exit at the 2018 World Cup.

As far as channeling Bayern? That’s not going to happen when Germany play fellow 4 opponent Spain on Friday. Low has opted to rest Manuel Neuer, Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka and Serge Gnabry. Instead, Low will start off the tournament on the shoulders of Timo Werner and Antonio Rudiger, meaning the Bayern influence will have to wait for now.

As usual, the club schedule, with Europe’s major domestic leagues starting up again this month, will influence what national team managers can do. While the virus paused soccer for much of the spring, the late summer will see a surge in matches. It’s something we have all been waiting for, especially national team coaches who’ve been ready to get back on the sidelines.