You talk about Italy as if the fact that they don't participate in the World Cup finals makes them a weak team. After all, it is the reigning champion of Europe - the strongest football zone in the world. Well, do not forget about the status of the League of Nations where any result is normal
By the way, from the last games, I was most surprised by how Portugal destroyed the Czech Republic, I'm glad for those who bet on Portugal - the odds were very good - 1.67.
I am aware of the fact that Italy shouldn't be underestimated, but it still is a poor performance by the English team. Putting this game into the whole context of the Nations League and how it is kind of the preparation for the World Cup, England's results were as bad as it could get.
You also send the wrong signal to other teams in terms of weaknesses and vulnerability. Some of the underdogs might have some extra motivation when they know that the big nations can obviously be beaten. I know that pretty much starts from zero at the actual tournament, but you are also creating a certain atmosphere and mood among the fans. If England gives away the first game at the WC, shit will be hitting the fan and the team will notice. That's why I think that England's performance was not only devastating for the Nations League itself, but also for what it is to come towards the end of this year.
That similarly applies to Germany. I don't see them being spectacularly strong. It seems as if they have the same problem as Bayern Munich against strong defensive teams. Werner was said to be the main striker, but he just doesn't score and especially not against strong opponents.
In fact, I don’t see anything wrong with this - when an underdog plays with additional motivation (and does not “lose before the game”), it is interesting for everyone - both teams and spectators (the best example is the Premier League). Another thing is that unexpected results in the League of Nations are a consequence of the fact that the favorites do not take this tournament seriously.
By the way, if France loses points again today, then it has a chance to take the last place in the group and go down in the league B. But France is one of the main favorites of the upcoming World Cup along with England.
This competition needs to be put into perspective. As many as 4 rounds of this competition were played in June, after the end of the league season, and many players came tired from a hard season and unmotivated.
The poor results of some favourites, such as England and France, in this competition do not really mean much because they do not show the real strength of these teams.
The World Cup will be a completely different story and all national teams will come fully prepared, although a big handicap for many teams will be the fact that there will be no time for preparatory matches.
That is why these two rounds are actually the last preparations of all European teams for the World Cup and this is currently the main focus of all national teams participating in the World Cup.
Of course, nobody wants to be the last in the group and fall into the lower class of the competition, so I believe that France will play a maximum serious game against Denmark today.
