GOAL US unpacks the main storylines from the international break and World Cup qualifying in The Euro XI

We are told in life to love the small things that bring us joy. We should appreciate every day, find comfort in the pitter-patter of life. Even pessimists should try to keep their glass half full. 

Well, these are all very nice sentiments, in theory. But they are particularly hard to bring into practice during an international break. The average soccer fan struggles with this kind of thing. When your club is inactive, do you try to find joy in the international game? It's not so easy, especially when things aren't competitive.

Friendlies can be tedious. World Cup qualifying feels routine. Sometimes it gets a little hard to find the buzz in it all. But even with club football on hold for an audacious SIX more days, reasons for excitement remain.

GOAL US presents The Euro XI, with 11 key observations from the weekend.

AFP1Lamine Yamal remains good at football

We all suspected the Neymar arc was coming. Here's Yamal, teenage superstar, supremely gifted, the world at his feet. But he likes to have fun. He enjoys life. And he lets us know all of these things on social media. Remind you of anyone? Lamine may yet flame out, but for now, he remains one of the best in the world – something he proved by bagging three (!!) assists for Spain in their battering of Turkey.

AdvertisementAFP2Tricky Mikky can score some goals

Last year, pretty much everyone at Arsenal got injured. So, Mikel Arteta decided to play a defensive midfielder as a No. 9. And Mikel Merino suprised a few, grabbing a fair share of goals down the stretch to keep the Gunners alive en route to another second-place finish. He probably won't be up there much for Arsenal this year, but he showed that he hasn't forgotten how to stick it in the net – bagging three in Spain's win. Not a bad showing.

Getty Images Sport3Tommy Tactics, making England bang average

What do you expect from Andorra as a footballing entity? The tiny nation state do a good job these days of basically just not getting battered. They show up, know they're going to lose, and take positives from a hard fought 2-0 loss to a far superior team.

And that's just what happened when they faced England. The Three Lions found it hard, scored two, and were pretty decent value for the result. But of course, the world can't have nice things, and Tuchel has been heavily criticized for the tepid margin of victory. Reeks of a World Cup semifinal loss.

AFP4Memphis Depay, Netherlands legend

Admit it: you forgot about Memphis. Of course you did. He may be only 31, but his career has nose dived since he joined Manchester United nearly a decade ago. He now plays for Brazilian side Corinthians, and remains a pretty important part of the Dutch national team, too – something he showed by bagging two and becoming his country's all-time top goalscorer as they edged Lichtenstein, 3-2.