UEFA Nations League Team of the Week
Possible indicators of the imminent World Cup?
GK: Kasper Schmeichel (8.7) vs. France
It is commonly understood how much of an offensive force France can be with their front-line that includes the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezman, among others. Denmark should be grateful for Kasper Schmeichel’s shot-stopping excellence versus the French, as he managed to make 7 saves, 4 of which were inside the box, against France’s 17 total shots. This gave Denmark the safety-net to capitalize on their 16 shots, en route to a 2–0 victory against the former World Cup champions.
CB: Manuel Akanji (8.3) vs. Spain
In comparison to his performance against Portugal, Manuel Akanji played a lot higher in his bout versus Spain. Akanji occasionally crossed the half-field mark along the right-flank; such positioning encouraged further offensive distribution, which was depicted by his 11 long balls and 2 key passes. Akanji managed to contribute to both of Switzerland’s goals in their win over Spain with a goal and an assist.
CB: Karol Mets (8.4) vs. San Marino
In Karol Mets’ previous showing against Malta, the Estonian executed 71 touches. Following this, Mets dwarfed this quantity by an additional 54 touches against San Marino. Mets’ distribution was incredibly apparent, with his 91% completion rate out of 102 attempted passes, of which led to a single assist. Mets aggression was also felt, as he succeeded in executing 8 of his 12 total physical duels.
LB: Robbie Brady (9.4) vs. Armenia
Ireland absolutely dominated Armenia. The Irishmen possessed the ball for 66% of the match, in addition to having gotten off 21 total shots. Unfortunately, only 4 of this surplus of offensive attempts were on-target, but 3 of those 4 shots were converted. Robbie Brady was critical to Ireland’s relentless attacks, sending in 18 crosses and 4 long balls. Brady’s activity culminated in an assist and a goal for the left-back.
RB: Diogo Dalot (9.1) vs. Czech Republic
Diogo Dalot was omnipotent in his performance versus the Czech Republic. Filling up the right-flank, Dalot completed two dribbles and two shots (both shots resulted in a goal) for an uber-efficient performance for a Portuguese offense that does not know if they can rely on Cristiano Ronaldo anymore.
CM: Kevin De Bruyne (9.3) vs. Wales
Kevin De Bruyne consistently acts as the cog in well-oiled machines, and his performance against Wales is no exception. Belgium and Wales lined up in similar 3–4–2–1 formations, with KDB occupying the right-CAM role for his squad. In the same position for the opposition was the Welsh Brennan Johnson. Johnson managed 35 touches, 21 total attempted passes and a single assist. In contrast, KDB produced a goal and an assist off of 83 touches and 58 attempted passes. The Belgian midfielder was also essential in build-up play, as depicted by his 5 long-balls, as well as setting up opportunities in the final-third with his 6 attempted crosses.
CM: Florent Muslija (8.7) vs. Cyprus
Kosovo 5–1 demolition of Cyprus can be attributed to many facets of gameplay. One of such aspects is Florent Muslija’s deployment along the right-center-midfield, as opposed to the left side. In Kosovo’s prior defeat against Northern Ireland, Muslija played along the left side of the field, only attributing to 23 total passes at a disappointing 74% completion rate. Subsequently, on the left side against Cyprus, Muslija was extremely efficient, completing 91% of his 53 attempted passes, as well as losing possession half the amount of times than he did against Northern Ireland, even with a heavier amount of touches.
CM: Danylo Ignatenko (8.8) vs. Armenia
Danylo Ignatenko is fantastic at accelerating offensive progression with forward-thinking passing, and he did just that against Armenia. Ignatenko completed 5 of 9 long-balls from the midfield, and also accounted for 2 key passes. Ignatenko also fired in a long-shot that came as a result of his appropriate positioning.
LW: Artem Dovbyk (8.8) vs. Armenia
Another stunning Ukrainian performance, Artem Dovbyk converted a brace, in addition to an assist. Dovbyk showcased his excellent ability to poach goals at a close range. Dovbyk literally only completed 3 passes, but he clearly timed them well.
RW: Ilyan Stefanov (8.7) vs. Gibraltar
Ilyan Stefanov made use of short passes and link-up play to translate his movement into a goal and an assist for Bulgaria’s 5–1 victory of Gibraltar. This was certainly part of Bulgaria’s style of play against Gibraltar, as they outmatched their opponent’s passing total by 489.
ST: Aleksandar Mitrovic (9) vs. Sweden
Aleksandar Mitrovic’s goal-scoring proficiency has transitioned from the Premier League to international play. Dominating the air, Mitrovic won 5 of 7 aerial duels to command his oppressive presence in the final-third, which led to a hat-trick in the first 50 minutes of game-time. Mitrovic comfortably settled himself in front of Swedish keeper Robin Olsen’s goal posts in order to be largely responsible for Serbia’s 4–1 defeat over their opposition.
