Changing the format of the League of Nations is another martyrdom for footballers… and ally Spain | Relief

This irreversible path that football has taken by overloading players with competitive matches on their feet may also be beneficial.as it happens in this case. Spain emerged victorious from their clash against Denmark at the Estadio Enrique Roca in Murcia and took a giant step towards qualification. Thanks to this victory, they remain in first position with seven points in their asset, although they are only one ahead of the Danes, which in previous editions was a clear risk. Not so much now.

For this new edition of the League of Nations, UEFA decided to include a quarter-final round instead of the straight Final Four that was previously held.. With this new model, not only will the first one in the group get the loot, but two heads will also have access to the intermediate round. Two more highly competitive games for players at the forefront of the schedule, although the possibility of failure was previously unlikely.

With three games remaining until the end of the Nations League group stage, Denmark is strong in the fight for first place. This will give as a prize a field factor (qualifying matches will be round-trip) and, a priori, an easier opponent, within the very high level of this competition. Spain is ahead, although it should be careful.

However, the result of the other match is not particularly encouraging. Serbia narrowly beat Switzerland and is in third place, just three points behind the national team. It is worth recalling that Luis de la Fuente’s team could not overcome a draw in a direct match on the first day.. Next Tuesday at the Nuevo Arcángel stadium, the national team will play for much more than three points. since victory will mean reaching the quarterfinals mathematically.

Another piece of good news about the current competition system is that Switzerland has a total of defeats that leaves them virtually out of contention. Six points ahead of the second and nine to play leaves the Swiss touched but not sunk. It should be remembered that in the event of a draw, the main criterion is direct confrontation, one more point against the Swiss team. Spain will not be last, barring a very strange twist in the results.

Busier summer

The new Nations League qualifies the top two in each group, sends the third into the playoffs to avoid relegation to League B, and sinks to the bottom. For example, England are currently playing in the lower division, which reduces the competitive level of matches and harms the progress of teams. Of course, they are not fighting for the title either.

The next international break will be the 5th and 6th rounds, namely from 14 to 19 November. The round-trip quarterfinals will take place on March 20 and 23. The Final Four will be the main qualifying event of the summer. The grand final, in which Spain will try to retain their title, will take place on June 8. Fourth and fifth, two semi-finals.

By the way, in just a week, on June 15, a new Club World Cup will start in the USA, which will last a whole month and in which Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid will take part as Spanish teams. Excessive load of matches on athletes, which sometimes also has its positive side. The fact that the Nations League has quarter-finals (replacing friendlies or qualifiers that were previously played in this window) means even more stress for the player… as well as a double opportunity that didn’t exist before.