Final tournament in Netherlands
Nations League prolongs the football season
06/14/2023, 07:00 a.m
The national football players still have no vacation. For four European teams there is even a trophy at stake: that of the controversial Nations League. The Netherlands are in their own country – and still have a score to settle with the tournament.
The champions have been crowned, the trophies awarded, and the Champions League has also found its winner in Manchester City. So is it time for the players to recover from the rigors of a long season? No Still not. Because there is still a competition to play out. One that only very few fans should have marked in the calendar: the Nations League.
Before the first semi-final of this year’s finals tournament between host Netherlands and Croatia (8.45 p.m./DAZN and in the ntv.de live ticker) in Rotterdam and the second game between Spain and Italy (Thursday, 8.45 p.m./RTL and in the ntv.de live ticker) criticism of the UEFA competition has largely died down. But not because a lot has changed since the previous two events.
Ever since the Nations League was launched by UEFA in 2018 to reduce unloved friendlies, the focus of discussion has been the extremely high workload on the players. Belgian Kevin De Bruyne had emphasized in 2022 that the national tournament was “not important”, especially not after a “long and tough season”.
Netherlands at home in the final
In that regard, De Bruyne is lucky: Man City’s treble winners won’t have to play in what he sees as “glorified friendlies” this year. A total of 261 days after the last group games last September, alongside the Dutch and Croatian selections, Spain and Italy are also fighting for the more or less coveted silver trophy weighing 7.5 kilograms. And at least with the host they formulate something like ambitions.
“We were in the final in 2019 and lost,” Bonds coach Ronald Koeman recalls the 1-0 defeat in the first final tournament against Portugal: “Now we have the opportunity to get there again in front of a home crowd and hopefully we’ll win it this time. ” Against the “physically strong” Croatians the entry into the final in Rotterdam is said (Sunday, 8.45 p.m./RTL and in the ntv.de live ticker) but by no means a sure-fire success.
Especially since the Elftal recently left a lot to be desired. After the quarter-finals at the World Cup, Koeman took over from Louis van Gaal – and at the beginning of his second term he had to cope with a bitter 0: 4 at runner-up France. He also admitted that he lacked the “drive” in his team in the subsequent 3-0 win against the football dwarf Gibraltar.
Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic nevertheless described the Dutch as “possibly the strongest opponents”. The team around superstar Luka Modrić does not have to hide as third in the World Cup. In any case, it is difficult to find a clear favorite among the four teams. And so in the end one thing will be decisive: which players are still fresh enough for the “glorified friendlies” after the long season.