In the same group of France, Germany and Portugal, how can the ranking of European Cup points reflect the strength?

According to CCTV5 program list (February 5, 2024), the results of the group draw for the 2024 European Cup have been released, among which Group F is the most eye-catching group, with three traditional strong teams from France, Germany and Portugal in the same group, known as the "group of death". These three teams are the favourites to win the European Cup

According to CCTV5 program list (February 5, 2024), the results of the group draw for the 2024 European Cup have been released, among which Group F is the most eye-catching group, with three traditional strong teams from France, Germany and Portugal in the same group, known as the "group of death". These three teams are all the favourites to win the European Cup. Their confrontation in the group matches will directly affect their qualification situation and the schedule of the knockout rounds. So, how can the points ranking of the European Cup reflect the strength of these three teams?

According to the competition system of the European Cup [^ 1 ^] [1], in the group stage, the four teams of each group will play a single round robin game. The winner of each game will get 3 points, each side will get 1 point in a draw, and the loser will get 0 point. At the end of the group game, the first two teams of each group and the third team of the four best teams, a total of 16 teams, will advance to the knockout stage. If there are teams in the group with the same points, the teams that qualify will be determined in the following order: winning/losing relationship>goal difference>goal>fair competition score>UEFA ranking.

It can be seen from this rule that the points ranking of the European Cup does not fully reflect the strength of the team, but more considers the team's achievements and performance. This means that if France, Germany and Portugal draw or win each other in the group match, their points may be very close, or even the same point. At this time, it is necessary to see their goal difference, goals, fair competition scores and other indicators to determine who can qualify and who can get a better schedule of the knockout rounds.

However, these indicators may not accurately reflect the strength of the team, because they are affected by many factors, such as the strength of the opponent, the rhythm of the game, the state of the players, the referee's decisions, and so on. Sometimes, the victory or defeat of a game may even depend on a luck, a mistake or a dispute. Therefore, the points ranking of the European Cup can only be used as a reference, not as a judging standard.

So, how can we better reflect the strength of the team? This may need to be analyzed from more perspectives, such as the team's lineup, tactics, style, psychology, experience, state, etc. These factors will affect the team's performance and the team's results. However, these factors are not fixed, but change with the game. Therefore, in order to accurately evaluate the team's strength, it may be necessary to constantly observe, analyze and summarize, rather than just looking at the point ranking once.

In short, the score ranking of the European Cup is only an indicator reflecting the team's achievements and performance, rather than a standard reflecting the team's strength. In order to truly understand the strength of the team, we need to investigate from many aspects, and keep up with the latest situation of the scoring team at any time. Of course, the final result depends on the team's play on the field, as well as the process and results of the game. After all, football is a competitive sport, not a mathematical operation.

The following is the team lineup and UEFA ranking of Group F:

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