With the Copa America and Eurocup behind us, how do you rank the top 20 NT in the world right now?
1. Italy
2. France
3. England
4. Spain
5. Argentina (up)
6. Belgium (down)
7. Portugal
8. Germany (up)
9.Holland (up)
10. Brazil
11. Switzerland
12. Croatia
13. Uruguay
14. Colombia (down)
15. Denmark
16. Austria
17. USA (up)
18. Mexico
19. Sweden
20. Peru
21. Czech Republic
22. Ukraine
I haven't seen much AFC or CAF football so I'm not sure if any of those teams fit in here somewhere. From CONMEBOL, I think Ecuador is close to this group and Chile is within sniffing distance. I think you could argue that Wales belongs in this last group too.
I see 4 tiers of quality at the moment. At the top, you have 3 sides in Italy, England, and France that have complete squads and XIs. Ranking them is down to recent performance and expected tactics. France and England really need to become more comfortable attacking to leverage their talent advantage.
The second tier is probably the most fun, as this includes all of the other traditional powerhouses (does Belgium qualify at this point?) that all have problems. I think everyone dreads playing Spain because of their possession style, but they just can't finish their chances and their D isn't airtight. Nevertheless, they're very good. Argentina have a terrific MF and attack and that Messi fella, and while the defense played well in the Copa, the question is whether they can sustain it and perform consistently against good competition. Belgium are terrific going forward but that backline is ancient and I don't see many young Belgian defenders ready to step in. Portugal have an insane MF and attack, and the backline is pretty solid too, but there's only 1 true CB in Dias. There are ways to cover for that but Pepe will have to retire eventually (if he doesn't get fired into the sun sooner). Germany should improve immensely under Flick. Uber-talented squad everywhere with world class players at most spots. Comical that Low was allowed to stay on this long and hold them back. I need to go back and watch that Holland-Czech match because on paper there's no way Holland should lose that match. Brazil will always be competitive but this is a relatively untalented squad for them. There's a handful of elite world class players in Ney, Casemiro, Marquinhos, Silva, and the keepers (wither Firmino?), but the rest of the squad hasn't performed up to standards.
The third tier is almost entirely interchangeable and is basically comprised of talented and organized Euro squads and the Colombia/Uruguay CONMEBOL duo. Switzerland have been consistently good on the international stage long enough to earn the top spot. Just think what could've been if the Alpine Messi was in better physical condition coming in. Colombia and Uruguay are neck and neck, but Uruguay have to eventually replace Suarez and Cavani, and while I really like Maxi Gomez, I don't know if there's enough attacking talent around him. The defense will be damn tough for a long time though with Gimenez, Araujo, and Valverde up the spine. Colombia played extremely well this Copa but I don't see a lot of young talent other than Diaz--sometimes in the international game you just need elite players who can takeover in addition to good team chemistry and organization. Croatia are actually in a good position with the age of their talent, but they have to replace Modric at some point and that's not easy to do. Will be interesting to see what they look like after the WC when he presumably retires. They could easily be the top of this tier. Denmark and Austria both have lots of talent all over the field and are organized. Very tough opponents, but lacking the top end talent of the tier 2 sides.
The final tier includes the USA/Mexico CONCACAF duo, and some very well organized sides that play above their talent level in Sweden, Peru, Czechia, and Ukraine. The Czech backline is aging, but otherwise that's a generation that's all growing together--could be good for a bit.
1. Italy
2. France
3. England
4. Spain
5. Argentina (up)
6. Belgium (down)
7. Portugal
8. Germany (up)
9.Holland (up)
10. Brazil
11. Switzerland
12. Croatia
13. Uruguay
14. Colombia (down)
15. Denmark
16. Austria
17. USA (up)
18. Mexico
19. Sweden
20. Peru
21. Czech Republic
22. Ukraine
I haven't seen much AFC or CAF football so I'm not sure if any of those teams fit in here somewhere. From CONMEBOL, I think Ecuador is close to this group and Chile is within sniffing distance. I think you could argue that Wales belongs in this last group too.
I see 4 tiers of quality at the moment. At the top, you have 3 sides in Italy, England, and France that have complete squads and XIs. Ranking them is down to recent performance and expected tactics. France and England really need to become more comfortable attacking to leverage their talent advantage.
The second tier is probably the most fun, as this includes all of the other traditional powerhouses (does Belgium qualify at this point?) that all have problems. I think everyone dreads playing Spain because of their possession style, but they just can't finish their chances and their D isn't airtight. Nevertheless, they're very good. Argentina have a terrific MF and attack and that Messi fella, and while the defense played well in the Copa, the question is whether they can sustain it and perform consistently against good competition. Belgium are terrific going forward but that backline is ancient and I don't see many young Belgian defenders ready to step in. Portugal have an insane MF and attack, and the backline is pretty solid too, but there's only 1 true CB in Dias. There are ways to cover for that but Pepe will have to retire eventually (if he doesn't get fired into the sun sooner). Germany should improve immensely under Flick. Uber-talented squad everywhere with world class players at most spots. Comical that Low was allowed to stay on this long and hold them back. I need to go back and watch that Holland-Czech match because on paper there's no way Holland should lose that match. Brazil will always be competitive but this is a relatively untalented squad for them. There's a handful of elite world class players in Ney, Casemiro, Marquinhos, Silva, and the keepers (wither Firmino?), but the rest of the squad hasn't performed up to standards.
The third tier is almost entirely interchangeable and is basically comprised of talented and organized Euro squads and the Colombia/Uruguay CONMEBOL duo. Switzerland have been consistently good on the international stage long enough to earn the top spot. Just think what could've been if the Alpine Messi was in better physical condition coming in. Colombia and Uruguay are neck and neck, but Uruguay have to eventually replace Suarez and Cavani, and while I really like Maxi Gomez, I don't know if there's enough attacking talent around him. The defense will be damn tough for a long time though with Gimenez, Araujo, and Valverde up the spine. Colombia played extremely well this Copa but I don't see a lot of young talent other than Diaz--sometimes in the international game you just need elite players who can takeover in addition to good team chemistry and organization. Croatia are actually in a good position with the age of their talent, but they have to replace Modric at some point and that's not easy to do. Will be interesting to see what they look like after the WC when he presumably retires. They could easily be the top of this tier. Denmark and Austria both have lots of talent all over the field and are organized. Very tough opponents, but lacking the top end talent of the tier 2 sides.
The final tier includes the USA/Mexico CONCACAF duo, and some very well organized sides that play above their talent level in Sweden, Peru, Czechia, and Ukraine. The Czech backline is aging, but otherwise that's a generation that's all growing together--could be good for a bit.
