10 things we learned from this weekend’s World Cup Qualifiers across Europe
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The international break may not have been welcomed by the majority of club fans but the weekend’s World Cup qualifying games did provide us with plenty of talking points.
From England’s routine win over Lithuania to a feisty encounter between the Republic of Ireland and Wales, there was plenty to talk about.
We’ve taken a look at ten things we learned from this weekend’s World Cup Qualifiers across Europe:
Ireland and Wales went overboard
Friday night’s clash between Ireland and Wales at the Aviva Stadium had all the hallmarks of a derby game, which is rare at international level. However, the game got pretty ugly and Seamus Coleman ended up with a broken leg after a late challenge from Neil Taylor. There were plenty of fair hits in the game, but a few went a bit too far. Taylor was rightly sent off but Shane Long, Glenn Whelan, and Gareth Bale were also fortunate not to see red too. There’s a fine line between playing hard and playing recklessly and both sides crossed that on Friday night.
Defoe is still a viable option for England
He might be 34-years-old but Jermain Defoe proved at the weekend that if you give him half a chance in the penalty area, he’s still able to put the ball in the back of the net. Against teams who’ll look to sit deep and defend, Defoe is still a better option than Jamie Vardy or perhaps even Marcus Rashford. Harry Kane and Daniel Sturridge, when fit, are England’s most natural goalscorers but Defoe has proven that he too can be relied upon if needed.
Chris Martin saves Gordon Strachan's job
As Gordon Strachan’s Scotland side continued to miss chances against Slovenia, it looked like the manager’s time was up. Had his side not won the game, it looked like Strachan would be a goner but thankfully for him, the usually excellent Jan Oblak failed to save Chris Martin’s weak effort and Scotland got a vital three points that kept them in the mix in Group F and kept their manager in a job.
Michael O'Neill deserves more praise
Northern Ireland’s win over Norway means that Michael O’Neill’s side sit in second place in Group C, behind Germany. It might not be the toughest group in the world but Northern Ireland are above the Czech Republic and Norway and deservedly so after some excellent performances. For years, Northern Ireland were a laughing stock but now, under O’Neill, they’re a well-organised, well-disciplined side who can go toe-to-toe with anyone at the top level and for that, their manager deserves a ton of credit.
Andre Silva makes Portugal even more dangerous
It’s been years since Portugal had a great out-and-out striker. They’ve performed well at major tournaments for a number of years now, including their Euro 2016 win, but they have done so without a natural forward. Of course, Cristiano Ronaldo has been there to add the star power but too often it’s been left to him to score goals. However, in Porto’s Andre Silva, Portugal may have found their striker. He scored again at the weekend, his fifth goal in six full internationals, as his side beat Hungary 3-0. If the 21-year-old continues to play at a high level on the international stage, Portugal will become an even bigger threat come 2018.
France's new generation ready to push on
Two of France’s more established players, Olivier Giroud and Antoine Griezmann, got the goals in France’s 3-1 win over Luxembourg but it is the influx of young talent that is making Didier Deschamps’ side look even more dangerous than the one which lost in the final of Euro 2016. The strength in depth that France currently have is ridiculous and with youngsters such as Bernard Mendy, Ousmane Dembele, Adrien Rabiot and Kylian Mbappe all featuring at the weekend, the future looks bright for Les Bleus.
Bye Bye Blind
Danny Blind was not sacked despite Holland’s failure to qualify for Euro 2016 after he’d taken the job late into the qualification period. However, five games into the World Cup qualifiers, he’s now been fired. A 2-0 loss to Bulagria leaves the Dutch in fourth place in Group A, behind France, Sweden, and the Bulgarians. With just five games left in the qualifying process, the new boss will need to come in and win pretty much straight away or the World Cup in 2018 will be the second major tournament in a row that Holland miss.
Belgium flatter to deceive
Belgium needed a late goal to rescue a point at home to Greece after a pretty turgid display. Roberto Martinez’s side have had things pretty easy in Group H as they’ve hammered the likes of Estonia, Cyprus and Gibraltar but Greece provided a bigger test. Martinez switched to a 3-5-2 formation as he is still seemingly looking to find a system that allows him to get all of his best players on the pitch. However, without Kevin de Bruyne and Eden Hazard, Belgium looked a bit flat. Any side in the world would miss such talented players but Martinez will be concerned at how toothless his team looked at times.
Lewandowski leads Poland to top spot
Robert Lewandowski was once again on the scoresheet for Poland in their 2-1 win over Montenegro, a win that took them six points clear at the top of Group E. Still yet to have suffered a defeat in qualifying, it looks almost certain that Lewandowski will be leading out Poland at the World Cup in 2018.
Sweden's new star
In a post Zlatan Ibrahimovic era, Sweden needed a new star man to give them the edge and in Emil Forsberg, they might have found the player they’ve been looking for. Given the number 10 shirt that was Zlatan’s for many years, the RB Leipzig took his domestic form onto the international stage as he scored twice in Sweden’s 4-0 win over Belarus. Given Holland’s current struggles, Sweden are well in the mix to get out of Group A.