Richard Fleming on the UNL: “Football’s Coming Home” is overused; form not relegation is Germany’s concern and just ‘ugh’

England beat Croatia, Germany are relegated, and Switzerland put five past Belgium.

Ooh, the thrills and spills of the Nations League.

A competition created to conjure-up more competition, in a sport where clearly there’s still space to squeeze a little more out of the cash cow.

I’m sorry (not sorry) – and I have tried to get excited about it – but it’s all far too contrived for my liking.

So, Germany are relegated to the second tier. Big deal.

England came from behind to defeat Croatia (also relegated), a reversal of the outcome when it truly mattered in Russia.

And while many will marvel at how the Swiss rolled over Belgium, they’ll have been dancing on the streets of Minsk after Belarus clinched a Euro 2020 playoff place as a winner of one of the 16 groups, and they could be joined by Kosovo.

Again, the pulse has not been racing for the Nations League.

The fact that most media outlets felt the need to explain, in some detail, the workings of the Nations League, suggested that the format was a little puzzling for many.

The fact that these media outlets are still having to explain the format tells me that many fans are still to be convinced and may not yet have bought into the competition.

And why should they? As previously mentioned, it just smacks of another way to re-energize matches within the FIFA window. And by ‘re-energize’, I mean find a different way of generating interest. And by ‘generating interest’, I actually mean generate more revenue.

“the big concern for fans of Germany is less that they’ve dropped a tier in the Nations League and more that they’ve mustered just one win in the last six competitive games”

After all, despite what Jessie J says, it is all about the money.

I’ll be honest. There was still a little bit of a World Cup hangover on my part. Then the domestic leagues across Europe roared into life, followed by the UEFA Champions League. Plus, MLS – my bread and butter – was nearing the end of its regular season, and so the Nations League dragged me closer to footy overload.

I also don’t appreciate being told to ‘get excited’ about a competition that requires a PhD to understand!

To be fair, the big concern for fans of Germany is less that they’ve dropped a tier in the Nations League and more that they’ve mustered just one win in the last six competitive games. Their focus has to now be on getting it right for when qualifying begins for the 2020 Euros, with a route via the Nations League no longer an option.

For my England, the victory over Croatia was met with euphoria by those inside Wembley and triggered the playing of ‘Football’s Coming Home’ over the stadium speakers.

While risking being labeled a curmudgeon, I do feel this England anthem needs to be used sparingly. A come-from-behind win over Croatia in a Nations League group game is not an occasion where this number requires another airing.

The staggering scenario sketched out for me, which highlights the nonsense behind this tournament, was that concerning Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland finished bottom of their group, without managing a single point, and have therefore dropped to the third tier.

And yet, despite their less-than-impressive record in the inaugural Nations League, they could still end up gaining a spot in the Euro 2020 playoffs should most of the teams in League B automatically qualify for the European Championship.

The Republic of Ireland will also finish bottom of their group. But the quirks of this competition means both teams on either side of the border have been relegated to League C, could then fail to reach the 2020 Euros via the regular qualifying route, and may somehow receive a reprieve off the back of the success of others. You fail in the Nations League, fail in Euro 2020 qualifying, and still there’s a path to the finals.

I’m not a fan …

UNL – Is there a point to it?