It’s probably increased as the expectation on centre backs to be able to pass out from the back as increased. You’ve always had centre backs who’re good passers, but it’s a more important part of the modern game. So CBs who’re on the “wrong” side are slightly disadvantaged in that their passing range is a little reduced.

Wasn’t so much of an issue in the past where CBs were typically expected to just win headers and tackles and either launch the ball up the pitch or play a very simple pass in possession.

The majority are children who know football from playing FIFA and watching a few champions league games every year. Most have never even seen an average footballer.

When I was at primary school, our local team were playing in the old UEFA Cup against Bayern Munich. Our school was chosen to play in a little game on the pitch at half time. Every boy in school came to the try outs for the team. It was basically, get sorted into teams, the teacher would throw the ball up in the air to ‘kick off’ and first goal stayed on to play the next team. My team had just won our game, new team came on, teacher threw the ball up in the air, I volleyed it straight from kick off, in my own half right into the goal. The other team had to walk straight back off without any of them touching the ball or the ball even touching the ground.

I didn’t make the team.

The chances of someone becoming a professional if you only start playing seriously at 19 are almost non-existant.

This is just such obviously incorrect bullshit. The teams have roughly similar numbers of players playing in top leagues. Nowhere near the whole Norwegian squad is playing in top 5 leagues. A 1 minute Google search would show you that.

Scotland are better than Norway. Deal with it.

24th in ELO. Which is probably a fairer reflection at the current time.

Seems pretty obvious that none of the former Yugoslav states should be seen as ‘inheritors’ or successors to the old Yugoslavia national team. If you look through their old squds, it seems like a fairly even mix of nationalities in there.