DIER’S TACKLE PROVED TO ME NATIONS LEAGUE IS REAL DEAL
I WAS a big critic of UEFA’s Nations League, and I’m still not too sure how it all works, but anything that involves Germany possibly getting relegated sounds good to me! In all seriousness, though, I watched England’s game in Seville on Monday and it was a treat to watch a proper game of football. I’ve played in internationals when there are 10 substitutions in the second half and, quite frankly, they are a waste of time. When the game stops and starts and you see players coming and going, you do think ‘what is the point?’ Situations such as those benefit nobody, whether it is the lads on the pitch, the international manager or those back at their clubs. The opposite was true in Spain. You could tell from the moment Eric Dier smashed into Sergio Ramos — what a tackle — that something was at stake and you only had to watch Luis Enrique reacting on the touchline to see how much Spain wanted to win. This was no friendly. I’d love all England games to be like this now. Not so long ago, I had good friends who really know their stuff about football being oblivious to the fact England were playing because the matches had become so dull. It’s fair to say the international break has been something to dread. Beating Spain in that manner shows there can be something to look forward to now. I’d compare that win to the time we beat Argentina in Switzerland in 2005 or the thrashing of Germany in 2001 — a proper success against a proper side. If the Nations League means more competitive fixtures, with better atmospheres and every point meaning something, so much the better. The only people who will have complaints then will be the club managers, who will be holding their breath as they watch it unfold.