June internationals (WC qualifiers and Nations League)

What a win from Denmark against France, perhaps the best international team in Europe, in Stade de France.

Best team since 1986 now, surely? Hjulmand is a very special coach and Denmark are very lucky to have him.
 
Best team since 1986 now, surely? Hjulmand is a very special coach and Denmark are very lucky to have him.
Can I be annoying here and say the 84 team was even better than the 86 team even if they lost Simonsen with a horrific injury in the first game of the tournament if I am not wrong on this one.

But I get your point regarding their performance in 86 on the group stage, and also that game in the qualifiers vs the Soviet Union was great.
 
Courtois certainly going to be Balon D'or winner if Belgium get to SF of world cup, they look a very tired team now with seemingly no young defenders coming through.

Can't remember what their group is like but they seem to fit the shock early exit team from top 6-7 favourites.
 
Would it be better if we just signed the Netherlands national team as a whole.
They are coached well, which is a rare thing in international football. Most national teams don't have a coach who is able to implement a system that isn't sit back, counter attack with individual ability. Spain, Netherlands with LvG, Germany with Flick now, Denmark, Italy (although they have gotten complacent since the euros) are pretty much the only others that have that. Not sure about south american sides, Brazil don't have it, Argentina I haven't seen enough of to say for sure.

Belgium, England, France, Portugal have the talent but don't have the coaches to actually be dominant teams. So they'll always come short against other top sides who are coached well.
 
Can I be annoying here and say the 84 team was even better than the 86 team even if they lost Simonsen with a horrific injury in the first game of the tournament if I am not wrong on this one.

But I get your point regarding their performance in 86 on the group stage, and also that game in the qualifiers vs the Soviet Union was great.

It's very close, and to be honest I'm not so knowledgeable on that period in Danish football history to compare 84 and 86 and confidently ascertain the better one. It was very similar squads from what I can tell with most of the key players being the same players. That said, the point would still stand, 84 or 86, that the current team is the best team of the last 30 years.
 
It's very close, and to be honest I'm not so knowledgeable on that period in Danish football history to compare 84 and 86 and confidently ascertain the better one. It was very similar squads from what I can tell with most of the key players being the same players. That said, the point would still stand, 84 or 86, that the current team is the best team of the last 30 years.
After watching that Denmark team in euro 84 compared to Mexico 86 even if the group of players were similar they looked maybe more focused in the knockout stages, even if it must be said the opponent was the same, Spain, who by the way was a better team in 86 with Michel and Butragueno, but in the group stages and on the qualifiers vs the Soviet Union they were regarded as one of the most spectacular teams in Europe, must be said Spain is their real kryptonite, also knocked them out of reaching USA 94.
 
They are coached well, which is a rare thing in international football. Most national teams don't have a coach who is able to implement a system that isn't sit back, counter attack with individual ability. Spain, Netherlands with LvG, Germany with Flick now, Denmark, Italy (although they have gotten complacent since the euros) are pretty much the only others that have that. Not sure about south american sides, Brazil don't have it, Argentina I haven't seen enough of to say for sure.

Belgium, England, France, Portugal have the talent but don't have the coaches to actually be dominant teams. So they'll always come short against other top sides who are coached well.

Hang on a minute may I just enquire here, are you trying to put forward the notion that Italy are coached well??

The same Italy that are not going to the World Cup, the same Italy that got beat very easily by Argentina........THAT Italy??!!
 
Hang on a minute may I just enquire here, are you trying to put forward the notion that Italy are coached well??

The same Italy that are not going to the World Cup, the same Italy that got beat very easily by Argentina........THAT Italy??!!
The same Italy that dominated the euros just last summer? Not the first time that a team gets complacent after a tournament win. But up until they won the euros (you know, achieved their main goal), they were magnificent for quite a while.
 
The same Italy that dominated the euros just last summer? Not the first time that a team gets complacent after a tournament win. But up until they won the euros (you know, achieved their main goal), they were magnificent for quite a while.

Yes they were good then, but where is the evidence since then, that they have been coached well??

Name me the last side that won the Euro's, then didn't play at the next or subsequent World Cup??

They have been coached unbelievably poorly.
 
Courtois certainly going to be Balon D'or winner if Belgium get to SF of world cup, they look a very tired team now with seemingly no young defenders coming through.

Can't remember what their group is like but they seem to fit the shock early exit team from top 6-7 favourites.
Ballon d'Or 2022 will be awarded before the WC.
 
Yes they were good then, but where is the evidence since then, that they have been coached well??

Name me the last side that won the Euro's, then didn't play at the next or subsequent World Cup??

They have been coached unbelievably poorly.
Sure, whatever has happened since the euros they've fallen off a cliff. Might inclination is to say it's complacency and lack of motivation maybe. Because you don't go from being as good as they were for multiple years, dominating the euros, to flopping like that with anything other than complacency.

Point is, Mancini is a very good coach, and coached his team really well, and that coaching quality made a difference in the euros that the others apart from Luis Enrique couldn't match with their coaching.
 
I know people are laughing at Cornelius in England because of his time in Cardiff. But he has scored at lot of goals in Turkey this season and is much older know. France - Denmark 1-1
Is always this good (like this game), the whole season?

Only catch up with France Denmark game now, and Cornelius sure looks impressive. I remembered him for his time in Serie A, but was not this good.
 
Sure, whatever has happened since the euros they've fallen off a cliff. Might inclination is to say it's complacency and lack of motivation maybe. Because you don't go from being as good as they were for multiple years, dominating the euros, to flopping like that with anything other than complacency.

Point is, Mancini is a very good coach, and coached his team really well, and that coaching quality made a difference in the euros that the others apart from Luis Enrique couldn't match with their coaching.

So he gets a free pass since the Euro's??

His coaching can't be questioned at all, it isn't his fault that Italy now are utterly pathetic?

No blame at all can be put at his door that they haven't qualified for the World Cup, despite all they had to with respect was to beat North Macedonia to get there.

It isn't as if they faced and lost to Germany, or Spain, an actual powerhouse nation, but North Macedonia.

Sorry, but there is no way anyone can legitimately call Italy well coached, they really are not.
 
Football on Channel 4, that's novel.

Unfortunately, Michael Owen involved. Are these people idiots? :wenger:

The last time C4 was relevant in football coverage, it was built on the charm and personality of James Richardson.

How the mighty have fallen.
 


I like Bowen, but benching Saka (and Grealish) and playing a back 3 against Hungary should be a crime.
 
Surprised the moronic manager hasn’t put Trippier at LB. Has a weird obsession with such an average RB.
 
What a defensive lineup from England.

Predict 1-0 to England from either Maguire header or Kane pen.
 
Commentator just called Trent "Alexander Arsehole" :lol: :lol:
 
Watching this I just cant see how Harry Maguire fits into Erik Ten Hag's United. He's just terrible.
 
Surprised Hungary are in this group with England,Germany and Italy.

I thought the whole point was to have all teams closely ranked with each other