The Luxembourgish national team failed to put an end to their long goalless streak in a cagey affair in Plovdiv on Saturday evening. The 0-0 scoreline means the Red Lions are still bottom of their group after three games.
Luc Holtz’s crew have collected their first point in the 2024/25 Nations League campaign, with a draw against Bulgaria. The result and the performance, in isolation, sound respectable, and the team showed a different face this time than the two abysmal September outings.
However, after two painful losses in the previous international window, the situation required a quick and fierce response in order to bounce back and avoid being drawn into a relegation play-off next year.
The main positive from the Saturday encounter was the level of organisation and composure in defence. Even in the absence of previous defensive mainstays Maxime Chanot, Enes Mahmutović, Lars Gerson and Marvin Martins, the backline felt completely solid all throughout.
Seid Korać, making his international return after a row with the manager earlier this year, was an exquisite leader at the back, while Mica Pinto and Laurent Jans shut off every Bulgarian opportunity down the wings. Anthony Moris only had three saves to make throughout the 90 minutes, but he did so without mistake.
The problems generally began when the ball was in the opponent’s defensive third. Without the experienced Gerson Rodrigues leading the line as usual, it was mostly Danel Sinani and Alessio Curci dovetailing up front. Their tandem was certainly more effective than when Edvin Muratović played up top at the Stade de Luxembourg last month, but it ultimately bore no fruit. The second half was littered with prolific opportunities, and even the introduction of Gerson helped little in converting them into reality.
Whether or not Holtz changes anything for the Belarus game is an interesting question. Curci’s impact was limited with the ball, but his defensive work is levels above that of Gerson. The national team’s record goalscorer also had a tense conversation with the manager shortly before kick-off on Saturday which could still have implications on future team sheets. Chanot, injured on the day of the game, has already left the camp and will not be able to make his return in Hungary next week.
The defence is likely to remain the same as the one that stepped on the waterlogged pitch of the Hristo Botev Stadium in Plovdiv. The midfield options on the bench are not encouraging enough to warrant a change. Whether Curci and Bohnert manage to retain their places in attack or will be dropped after their toothless displays, remains to be seen.
Whichever starting line-up Holtz will decide on has to deliver the three points. Nothing else will suffice given the delicate position the Red Lions find themselves halfway through the campaign.
Three points adrift of safety, another loss would decide the nation’s fate and all but confirm their return to Division D, the lowest category in the competition. A draw would simply delay matters until two tough games in November against Bulgaria and Northern Ireland. And thus, the Tuesday night match will be a do-or-die moment for the entire squad.
