Nations League and international football: 10 things to look out for

Crunch time for Germany, history beckons for Mauritania and an O’Neill derby in Dublin

Germany staring down the barrel of relegation – did we ever think we’d see the day? That is the ignominious fate that will befall Joachim Löw’s side in the inaugural Nations League if they fail to beat the Netherlands in Gelsenkirchen on Monday. Indeed, their fate will already be sealed by then if the Dutch beat France on Friday, although one suspects Ronald Koeman’s side would prefer to inflict the humiliation in person. With Mesut Özil in self-imposed international exile and Sami Khedira and Jérôme Boateng both dropped, this is a time of transition for Germany. “I don’t want to just dump the 2014 generation,” said Löw. “But it is now time for further changes.” While his country’s federation have not shown any inclination to sack their long-serving manager, whether or not Löw is around to implement those changes is open to question. BG

Continue reading...