For the football fanatics earlier, international breaks when the teams and the players took a rest were a period of gloom. So many tears were shed in the debate of club versus country and it was an overall sad affair. If you are into football betting, you would know about this already.
Enter the Nation League that saved football fans a host of tears and heartbreaks.
The bigger chunk of these breaks was just a complete waste of time with many sides, mainly the weaker ones like Switzerland using it to boost their FIFA world rankings by playing inconsequential friendly games against teams. The rest of the teams barely even paid attention to their fixture and missed matches altogether.
UEFA Getting to the Next Gear
It was then that the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) stepped up to the game and decided to introduce the Nation Leagues. The Warm Up is not really exaggerated but it is better than the Champion Leagues, the Copa Libertadores and the World Cup. It was here that England managed to beat Croatia 2-1 at the Wembley Stadium to proceed to the semi-finals of the very first Nation League.
Exaggeration apart, the Nation League has brought a sense of excitement back to international football that was getting rather drab. It is a middle ground between the highly competitive international football tournament and the extremely laidback and somewhat lacklustre Soccer Aid that had started to affect friendly matches between the countries.
And that has ultimately made the game of football much more enjoyable. So it is only right to say that kudos to everyone, even Switzerland who managed to turn their luck around from being 2-0 down against Belgium to delivering a 5-2 win against them to reach the finals.
Though the Nation League has not helped football by leaps and bounds, it has definitely played a significant role in the development of the game.
Wayne Rooney has in fact gone on record saying that a few former England players are quite unable to believe the current success of the national team. The former star player and the captain has said, ‘I know some ex-players I have spoken to can’t come to terms with England doing well.”
He said that he would not say that he regretted not winning a trophy with England because he gave his best but sometimes that is just not enough.
Rooney has been relatively easy-going and glib with his interactions with the British press ever since he moved out of the country to the USA. He probably thinks that since he is no longer in the country he does not have to deal with the fallout if any.
However, it will not be wrong to say that the current England squad is probably the most talented bunch they have had in the last couple of decades or so. It would not be wrong to say that as a former member of the team, many would be frustrated with and envious of the failures of the previous England teams. Wayne Rooney is currently just speaking the truth out loud.
