The inaugural Uefa Nations League kicks off this week, but Harry Maguire has admitted that the England squad are still baffled by the tournament’s format.
England begin their campaign against Spain at Wembley on Saturday and are also joined in Group Four of League A by Croatia.
The four winners of League A will advance to a mini-tournament to decide the overall winner next summer and will also be in one of the small five-team groups for Euro 2020 qualifying.
Gareth Southgate has tried to explain all of this to his England squad, but Maguire has admitted that he and his teammates are struggling to grasp the concept.
Maguire, according to the Telegraph, said: “It is quite confusing, the boss tried to explain it to us the best he could the other day. I think he has got his head around it now, but it took a lot of studying.
“It is confusing, but we are trying to get our heads round it. For us players, we just go into each game trying to win it and see where it takes us. So we will see after the game.”
Maguire isn’t the only one to be confused by the Uefa Nations League, as fans have taken to Twitter to vent their frustration and bemusement at the tournament’s format.
@simonafterimage @aardvarknsefce @PistolPete1867 Nope. Still none the wiser. We need Alan Partridge’s Soccer Meter to explain better.
— James Goodwin (@yorkshiregoody) August 28, 2018
What the hell is a "UEFA Nations League"?
— Dave Gouge (@DavidGouge) September 5, 2018
This is the first time the England squad have been together since their heartbreaking World Cup semi-final defeat to Croatia – who they will play in the Uefa Nations League – and Maguire has said that although he looks back on the summer with pride, he still feels disappointment that England couldn’t go one step further.
He added: “I still see little clips now and again, and you get that little bit of a buzz and you still have the memories, but I still have that bit inside me which is a bit disappointed.
“It does make me feel a little bit gutted at times to think how close we were. We had one foot in the final of a World Cup so if you look back at that game it is disappointing. But then you look at the experience and what we did for the country, everyone getting right behind us, and it was something really special and something we want to do again in the future.”
The Uefa Nations League anthem and trophy
The Uefa Nations League trophy was revealed at the competition’s draw in January and, for the first time in a Uefa tournament, is inspired by the competition’s logo.
The award features a flag that represents all 55 Uefa national associations competing within the promotion/relegation format wrapped around a flagpole. The trophy is made entirely of sterling silver that, on the inside, carries the competition colours. The reflection of these colours on the silver surface is a defining feature of the trophy.
During the same ceremony, the Nations League anthem was also revealed.
Performed during the draw by the Opéra de Lausanne choir, it is a bespoke composition that, according to the Uefa website, “reflects the energy and the drive behind the tournament’s branding which looks to emphasise that every game counts.”
The anthem was recorded with a philharmonic orchestra and a choir singing in Latin.
The post Even England players are struggling to understand the Uefa Nations League competition appeared first on Squawka News.
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