The international break is just as bad as heartbreak, if not worse. And this international break descended upon us at the worst time. The title race is heating up, teams are in the do-or-die mode, and players are getting their final flex in before showdown time.
With the creation of the Nations League, at least the international break doesn’t seem completely futile now. There is an edge of competitiveness out there and, whisper it, but there is a feeling of patriotism out there, too. Here are a couple of things we learned from these EURO qualifiers in the international break:
- Southgate’s boys are special
England will go into EURO 2020 as favorites if they keep up this level of performance. And it’s not just the English press saying that. In a year’s time, players such as Jadon Sancho, Declan Rice and Callum Hudson-Odoi will have only grown in stature.
Regular outings for the national team will only help them garner more experience at this stage. Southgate’s mantra of picking teams based on form, and not reputation has served him incredibly well so far.
- New chapter for Germany off to a good start
After their ignominious exit from the World Cup and poor showing in the Nations League, it was back to square one for Joachim Loew and his side. The German coach effectively retired the backbone of his old team, with Mats Hummels, Thomas Muller and Jérôme Boateng all told they won’t be picked any more.
It was a new look for the German team that went up against the resurgent Dutch and came out on top in Amsterdam with their two youngsters, Serge Gnabry and Nico Schulz getting on the score sheet. Gnabry and Schulz between them have only 10 international appearances.
- Same old, same old France
France, fashioning their new jerseys commemorating their World Cup win, once again looked impervious in their win against Iceland. Didier Deschamps is sticking with the team that has served him well, and every player in the starting XI was a part of the Russian operation.
The unlikely trio of Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappé once again clicked beautifully, with all three of them getting on the score sheet.
- Sticky start for Portugal
The defending champions kick-started their defense of the trophy with two draws against Ukraine and Serbia. Goals have been tough to come by for Portugal, and they’ve scored only two goals in their last four outings.
The pressure of playing on a club and international level is catching up with their talisman Cristiano Ronaldo — while his recent injury isn’t a big worry, Portugal must know they can’t depend on him for too much longer.
