The strange division principle of European Cup caused controversy, and defending champion Italy faced the threat of death group

The European Cup qualifiers are about to enter the final stage, and teams from all countries are struggling to participate in the 2024 European Cup. However, the recent classification principle has caused some controversy and dissatisfaction. It is reported that UEFA will adopt a new classification method to divide 24 teams into 6 groups, with 4 teams in each group.

The European Cup qualifiers are about to enter the final stage, and teams from all countries are struggling to participate in the 2024 European Cup. However, the recent classification principle has caused some controversy and dissatisfaction. It is reported that UEFA will adopt a new classification method to divide 24 teams into 6 groups, with 4 teams in each group. Such grading will lead to some unexpected results, even the situation of "death group".

What is the "group of death"? To put it simply, there are two or three teams in a group that are very strong. If other teams are in the group, it is difficult to advance. Such a group is very disadvantageous for the contestants, because they have to face the strong enemy in the group competition, and bear enormous pressure and challenges. Moreover, there are not many opportunities and hopes in the knockout rounds.

So, which groups will the "death group" appear in? According to the classification rules published by UEFA, we can predict the following groups that may have "death groups":

• Group A: Spain, Scotland, Hungary, Switzerland. In this group, there are two world-class teams (Spain and Scotland) and two strong European teams (Hungary and Switzerland). The other four teams are all good but not enough to compete with them.
• Group B: Netherlands, France, Croatia, Italy. In this group, there are two World Cup champions (Netherlands and France) and two strong European teams (Croatia and Italy). The other four teams are all equally strong but extremely close to each other.
• Group D: winners of the play off group A, Netherlands, Austria, France. In this group, there is one World Cup runner up (Netherlands) and two strong European teams (Austria and France). The winners of the play off group A may be Poland or Wales, both of which are teams with good strength but very close level.

It can be seen from the above that the concept of "group of death" is not completely created out of thin air, but based on the strength gap shown by teams from different countries in the qualifiers. Of course, it does not mean that all the 24 teams participating in the qualifiers will be assigned to the same "death group". There may be some accidents and surprises. However, in any case, the "group of death" will bring great difficulties and challenges to the contestants, and will also affect their good results in the knockout rounds.

So what does "group of death" mean for defending champion Italy? As defending champions, Italy's goal of this European Cup must be to defend the championship successfully, but their division has put them in great danger. Italy was assigned to Group B, the same group as the Netherlands, France and Croatia, which is undoubtedly a "death group". If Italy wants to qualify from this group, it must defeat at least one of the teams in the group match, which is very difficult for any team.

Italian coach Paolo Maldini said in an interview that he was very disappointed with the result of the division, which he thought was disrespect for the defending champion. He said: "We are defending champions. We should get better grades instead of being assigned to such a strong group. This is very unfair for us. We will try our best to prove our strength, but we also need some luck."

Italian fans also expressed their dissatisfaction with the grading results. They believed that UEFA's grading principles were problematic and did not take into account the team's historical achievements and strength. They expressed their views on social media, some said: "What kind of division is this? It's bullying us. We are defending champions, and we should get more respect." Some said: "This is a dead group. It's too difficult for us to qualify. We need to pray." Some said, "This is a challenge. We need to prove that we are the strongest. We are not afraid of any opponent."

In any case, if Italy wants to defend its title successfully, it must overcome the difficulties of the "group of death" and show their strength and confidence. We expect them to create miracles in the European Cup and win the championship again.

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