The stars are coming: the NL's big winner is Hungary so far!

BODNÁR ZALÁN, PIETSCH TIBOR, SOMOGYI ZSOLT

Vágólapra másolva!

2022.01.04. 10:28

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Our experts state that we can already enjoy one or two points earned in the Nations League group, but it is a huge achievement in itself that our national team has even reached the top division.

ENGLAND, GERMANY, ITALY are not the “also-ran” teams, but we're used to getting the continent's top teams. At the 2021, officially the 2020 European Championship, besides defending champion Portugal, the winners of the previous two World Cups, France, which won gold in 2018, and Germany, the 2014 winner, were the group opponents. As the paper form said, the Hungarian team finished fourth; however, the performance and experience far surpassed what the paper form predicted. Maybe that's why we have hope. So that we can show what we can do against the greatest teams. When we think of the two matches against the Albanians, then the European Championship matches, followed by the draw in London (1–1 at home to England), the victory in Warsaw (2–1 against Poland), we can say that the Hungarian team that is currently ranked 39^th in the FIFA world rankings is obviously seen by the majority as an underdog (and perhaps by the national team itself as well), but when it seems they have nothing to lose, they are capable of an incredible performance.

Disciplined defense, willful football, self-sacrificing attitude.

That's probably what's going to be needed in the Nations League clashes, too. After all, our opponents are England (4^th in the FIFA world rankings), Germany (12^th), Italy (6^th). The English who reached the European Championship finals, the always gold-medal-potential Germans, and the Italians who are European champions is an extremely difficult group. The trite cliché of the group of death is used by many people, but at this level, which wouldn't have been one? We could ask in the knowledge of the draw's result: which would've been better?

Let's see: France, Denmark, and Croatia are in Group 1; would we trade with the Austrians who are also in pot 4 like us? Not sure. Among the two finalists of the 2018 World Cup, perhaps the best performing team in the 2022 World Cup qualifier is Denmark – but neither would have been an easy match. In Group 2, the Czech Republic, which is on the same level as us, got Spain, Portugal, and Switzerland. Let's just say that we wouldn't have far fewer problems here either. In Group 4, in place of Wales, we could have gotten Belgium, the Netherlands, and Poland – we scored four points in the previous World Cup qualifier against the latter, but we shouldn't assume anything. In any case, the other two teams are brutally strong.

So, our job wouldn't have been much easier in the other three groups either, so why not battle the biggest stars then? The Nations League's essence is that at the highest level, only opponents of such names could come into play, which is why it is a big thing that the Hungarian national team is one of them in this series. So, it is not worth wondering how difficult the matches will be for Marco Rossi's team, because that is exactly what he wanted; to get here, to play against these national teams. It is safe to say that a team of similar strength to the Hungarian national team has no shame in relegating to League B.

Going back to the summer football festival: unfortunately, spectators will not be allowed to attend the match against England, but on the other two, it will be good to cheer for the Hungarian team again in a real football atmosphere at the Puskás Aréna with crowded stands.

In our compilation, we present the opponents and the Nations League series. (Note HERE.)

TWO BIG STEPS FORWARD
UEFA decided to launch the Nations League in 2014 – it was no secret that it would replace the national teams' preparation matches. The increasingly wealthy clubs have found it more and more difficult to let their valuable players go to official games, but competition from countries on the continent could not be limited to World Cup and Euro qualifiers only. Part of the concept was to have teams of the same strength. On the one hand, the spectators want to see the duels of the best against each other, and on the other hand, the pairings of England-Andorra, Spain-San Marino, and similar matches that still occur in the traditional qualifier do not have much professional value. The 55 UEFA countries have been divided into four leagues: the best teams are in Group A, and the weakest ones are in Group D but can move up and down. The biggest winner of the previous NL series is Hungary – changing the rules was helpful. The Hungarian national team started in Group C in 2018 ranking 25^th, and on the two levels ahead of us were 12 teams each. However, this got increased to 16, so in 2020, even though Hungary was only in 31^st place, the team could fit into Group B. After the national team won the group stages against Russia, Serbia, and Turkey, they were able to perform at the A-level. They awaited the draw in the last place of the highest level, ranking 16^th. Only Armenia could move up two levels over two series: the team started in Group D and climbed from 44th to Group B's 31^st position, while Turkey or Slovakia relegated from Group B to C.

HUNGARIAN NL HISTORY

The Hungarian team's achievements and goal scorers so far in the Nations League

2018–2019
Finland–Hungary 1–0
Hungary–Greece 2–1 (Roland Sallai, László Kleinheisler)
Greece–Hungary 1–0
Estonia–Hungary 3-3 (Ádám Szalai 2, Dominik Nagy)
Hungary–Estonia 2–0 (Willi Orbán, Ádám Szalai)
Hungary–Finland 2–0 (Ádám Szalai, Ádám Nagy)
Result:1. Finland 12 points, 2. Hungary 10, 3. Greece 9, 4. Estonia 4

2020–2021
Turkey – Hungary 0–1(Dominik Szoboszlai)
Hungary – Russia 2–3(Roland Sallai, Nemanja Nikolić)
Serbia – Hungary 0–1(Norbert Könyves)
Russia – Hungary 0–0
Hungary – Serbia 1–1(Zsolt Kalmár)
Hungary – Turkey 2–0(Dávid Sigér, Kevin Varga)
Result:1. Hungary 11 points, 2. Russia 8, 3. Serbia 6, 4. Turkey 6

ITALY

It is difficult to decide which is the more shocking news: the fact that the four-time World Champion Italian national team did not qualify for the 2018 World Cup, or that afterwards, they won the next major tournament, the European Championship that was postponed from 2020 to 2021? The change was conspicuous even in terms of the head coach as Roberto Mancini, replaced Gian Piero Ventura who is neither fish nor fowl. Mancini represented a much higher level both tactically and psychologically than his predecessor, and on the other hand, he put together the perfect team, making room for several former national team players from Gianluca Vialli to Daniele De Rossi. Another issue is that in the post-European Championship World Cup qualifier, the Squadra Azzurra was again an unpleasant surprise. Although they didn't lose, they finished second in the group after four draws, and they can qualify for Qatar after two life-or-death play-offs. Then, Portugal also could be an obstacle... Motivation is always an important factor for the Italian national team. After missing the 2018 World Cup, the team was visibly ambitious, but it was less discoverable after the European Championship. Thus, the last bronze medalist in the Nations League series can also be decisive in the NL matches against them, whether they can be used as a World Cup preparation or... Of course, Roberto Mancini hardly wants to hear about any "ors" ... The last time Hungary defeated Italy (3-1) was in 2007 in a friendly match.

Gareth Southgate patted Marco Rossi's shoulder after the 1-1 draw in London - he could do it again (Photo: Károly Árvai)

ENGLAND

Gareth Southgate became England's head coach in September 2016 - he was appointed for two months, four matches, and it says a lot about his work that he has been in charge of the club ever since. Although England has been a star-studded squad for decades, arriving at World Cups and European Championships as shoo-ins and generally getting slapped in the face and going home with disappointment, the incumbent captain forged a united team of youngsters whose game was one of the fresh spots of the 2018 World Cup. In Russia, they marched until the semifinals, could've easily been a finalist, but ended up finishing fourth. They reached the finals in the next tournament, as the development continued: they qualified for the European Championships with a goal difference of 37–6. They finished first in the group ahead of Croatia, the Czech Republic, and Scotland, then defeated Germany, Ukraine, and Denmark in the knockout stages, but lost to the Italians in the penalties. They easily made it to the 2022 World Cup, winning eight of their 10 qualifying matches, and played a draw in Warsaw against Poland and in London against Hungary only, and finished first in the group undefeated. The squad is full of quick and technical attackers, skilled defenders, and creative midfielders – every team in the world would classify them as a difficult opponent, and we can't do otherwise either. The last time we won 2–1 against England was at the World Cup in Chile on May 31, 1962.

GERMANY

It was foreseeable that it would happen one day, but when it actually happened, it still seemed unbelievable: on March 9, 2021, Joachim Löw announced that he would be stepping down as the head coach of the German national team after the summer European Championship. After 15 years, he gave his place to Hans-Dieter Flick. Löw has achieved outstanding results as the head of the German national team, but it also seemed that the relationship was weary. The 2018 World Cup, for example, went badly for the Germans, finishing last in their group. The 1–0 defeat to Mexico was followed by a 2–1 victory over Sweden and a 0–2 defeat to South Korea, which meant that Germany already finished the World Cup in the group stage. The failure in Russia did not deter the captain, but Spain's 6-0 victory at the Nations League in November 2020 hurt a lot. Before that, the Germans lost to Austria in 1931 with such a goal difference. The European Championship did not bring much success to Manuel Neuer: they were already on the edge in the group match against Hungary. Although they survived that, they lost in the knockout stages in the first hurdle against England. Löw's time is undoubtedly over, and Flick replaced him when he made his debut against Liechtenstein on September 2, 2021. More victories followed the 2-0 success – Germany reached the World Cup in Qatar as group leaders. The last time Hungary won against the Germans (2-0) was in 2004 in a friendly match in Kaiserslautern.