It's not that at all. There are other things that need to happen for a team to qualify to the WC through the Nations League. It's the winners of the WC qualifiers groups that earn a spot, not the winners of this group phase of the Nations League. Then, the runners-up of the 12 groups play in a play-off with the four highest ranked team in the Nations League, excluded those who will have already qualified through the WC qualifiers. Here: ----- The Nations League 2024-2025 will also determine four spots in the UEFA qualification for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. From March 2025 to 2026, UEFA’s 16 World Cup nations (up from 13) will be decided through 12 groups of four or five teams, with those teams playing home-and-away ties against one another. Group winners will automatically qualify for the World Cup, taking up the first 12 spots. For the remaining four spots, the runner-ups in these 12 groups along with the four best Nations League group winners based on their overall Nations League ranking — which, for example, ranks League A winners above League B winners and so on — will be drawn into four paths. The four paths will consist of two single-match play-off games, with the winners of each qualifying for the World Cup.
It’s funny how AC Milan keep looking to sign these rugby players when they could have had a perfectly good mid in Ricci. Someone who could control the ball in that sad midfield. @Rossonero23
That fool Moncada could have paid 5M more and got an upgrade on Davide Calabria by picking up Bellanova. Instead paid 20M for a downgrade with a slightly older (older compared to Bellanova) Emerson Royal Could have gotten Chiesa for a paltry 10 or 13 (if objectives met) to push Chukweze and RLC. ******** 'em. Let them suffer. I'm all here for it. Only wish Zaccagni converted that chance last weekend.
Guys just has a knack for goals and he's everywhere. His goal was he envy of any striker out there and he could have easily had 1 or 2 more if not for a top class save by Maginon...even his header was actually on point and hit with vigor, just real unlucky. Now to the game.. - Everyone is crucifying DiLo and righfully so but he had some top clearances later in the match when things got dicey. - Someone else pointed out that the space in the French midfiled was immense. We looked WAY crisper on the break as opposed to the Euro though. - The French look way overrated to me..in addition to the oodles of spacethere's just not a lot of skill on the ball. They looked like they barely even tried at points and just try to coast on athleticism and pace. Stop Mbappe and stop them and don't beat yourself like we did with the first goal. There's no fantitista in France anymore...(especially when Griezman is gone) -Ricci and Tonali were fantastic. Ricci was a huge surprise as a true Regista. He barely played a a pass wrong. and was real composed on the ball. -I haven't been the biggest fan on Retegui especially over Scamacca but he won me over today. Dude was everywhere and gave us a nice physical presence up front. His assist to Frattesi was spot on as well. -NO NATION has two better left footed CB's than Italy ...i've never been so sure about anything. lol Calafiori...talk about composed on the ball. -Dimarco nas a magical left foot...that is all
Brazil are interesting because they still produce good players but nowhere to the level they did in the 90’s and early 2000’s. They have a real crisis of identity because they can no longer deliver the joga bonito of the past.
Musupic? Who's he play for? Yeah, fcuk the censors. You're right, switching letters makes me also feel like a internet tough guy. Oi Pietro.
When Spalletti writes out the Lineup, does he switch letters to put an emphasis of FU to the world? What say you, @Pietro Calcio
I need to start watching Torino more just to watch Ricci. I went in watching the match having read all about Calafiori, Tonali, Cambiaso, Di Marco, Retegui...and I found myself just watching Ricci the whole time
Ricci has been doing that a while. He just never had great players on the other end of those beautiful balls. He's really good and should have been taken ahead of that over-the-hill Jorginho.
I want to take a moment to recognize Raspadori. I get it. He doesn't score as much as we'd like with Napoli, but the guy always shows up for Gli Azzurri. When you play him as a seconda punta (and not false 9), he's very good. His goal might have looked easy, but it wasn't at all. He had the anticipation to begin his sprint way early (like 30 meters or more behind the ball). He takes off in a full sprint, beats the French midfield to the box, touches the pass forward on the fly with the perfect weight, and then puts away a nice finish. He definitely deserves a spot on Gli Azzurri for his work AND skill.
What did Di Marco do to get demoted to the bench?? And I want to leave Calafiori on the left. It sucks that Buongiorno can't get into this starting side, but it will continue especially when Scalvini returns. It's a good problem to have though.
Raspadori is one of the most disrespected & under appreciated strikers in Italy. I hear it all the time from Napoli fans how useless he is. The problem is that Jack is a second striker in an era where very few teams play with a second striker. When he plays as the lone #9 he drowns because he lacks the qualities of a 9.
Ricci under Juric struggled a lot IMO. Juric had Ricci doing a little bit of everything in that midfield. He had to defend a lot. We never really saw the Empoli Ricci who looked like the regista futuro. But he did still play decent last year. I think he will have a better season under Vanoli, because unlike Juric, Vanoli likes 3 in the mid and not 2.
Doing the podcast rounds and the self hating Italians who said that Italy would get hammered are now predictably saying we won because France sucks. I will concede that France made it easy for us. France have an extraordinary talent pool but they don’t have a team. In Italy they call Deschamps the Allegri of the international game. Very few ideas when it comes to actual play. They try to get by on the level of their individual talent. Pressing almost nonexistent etc. If they manage to change coach, they can turn this around quick but I hope Deschamps stays there for a while because from all accounts, things are starting to get dysfunctional again. Everyone has to agree though that after the figura di merda of this summer, this was the perfect result. It feels like after one year in charge of the team, Spalletti finally has a real technical project. He needs to stay on this course
This game could have looked a LOT different had France consistently pressed us imo. We failed that test big time against Spain and the Swiss so it's pretty shocking to me that a French team with not a lot of skill wouldn't just press us to death and at least attempt to suffocate us and simply laid back yards off the ball and allowed Italy to dictate play. They only really got serious about it after down 3-1 That will be the true test of our 3-5-2 but i think we are much better suited to it now with Tonali, Barella, Ricci and two ball playing CB's. Much like how under Mancini teams didn't dare press us besides maybe Spain because you knew the midfield would break you down and how much technical quality we had on the wings with Insigne and Berardi.