Thursday 21 June 2012

European Championships 2012 Group Stage XI

Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas - Has been very good in goal for Spain limiting their opponents to one goal despite there being quite a few openings in the Spanish defence. May have kept his team in the tournament against Croatia with a save from Rakitic's header.



Honourable Mentions - Stipe Pletikosa, Gigi Buffon

Right Back:  Theodor Gabre Selassie - Never afraid to overlap down the right, giving the Czechs a great outlet and allowing Jiracek to cut inside and cause problems. The unsung hero of the Czech team. I could have gone for Srna but he played in midfield against Spain, so I opted for Selassie.



Honourable Mentions - Dario Srna

Centre Back: Mats Hummels - Confident in possession and excellent in the tackle. What more could you want from a defender. He is the complete centre back, Pique with a German attitude and defensive ability. I think it will only be a matter of time before he is recognised as the world's best centre back. Bayern Munich must be kicking themselves for letting such a player leave to their biggest rivals for a mere £7 million.



Centre Back: Pepe - If he had played like this for Real Madrid, I think Madrid would have won the treble. He has had a magnificent tournament so far and if he carries on in this fashion, I would not rule Portugal out as a potential winner. Had a shot bounce back off the crossbar and goal line in the first game but got his goal in the second. He has been a warrior at the back too, with a last ditch tackle against the Dutch when the Portuguese needed him the most.



Honourable Mentions - Daniel Agger, John 'Braveheart' Terry (It pains me to put him in here), Olaf Mellberg

Left Back: Fabio Coentrao - Unbelievable in attack, almost a European and left back version of Dani Alves without the blistering pace. So not particularly like him but you get the idea. Bombs down the flank allowing Cristiano Ronaldo to do his thing. These performances might give Marcelo some worries, especially as Mourniho has been in Poland watching the games with his son.



Honourable Mentions - Sebastian Boenisch

Right Midfield: Alan Dzagoev - He has come of age in a tournament where his nation have been eliminated at the first hurdle. Such a shame for a goalscoring winger with great potential. Could one day make an impact on the continental stage with a big club.



Honourable Mentions - Nani, David Silva

Central Midfield: Steven Gerrard - Finally he has stepped up big time at a tournament. Maybe he can only play on teams with limited talent (see Champions League Final 2005), but his crossing has been a delight plus he has remained tactically aware throughout except for the Samir Nasri goal. It is looking good for England as long as Rooney hits a bit of form.



Central Midfield: Andres Iniesta - Hasn't stood out in my opinion in any of the games but has been consistently performing throughout the tournament. Could be a dark horse for Player of the Tournament. This would have gone to Wesley Sneijder but I did not think he played very well down the left against Portugal in the final game of the tournament.



Honourable Mentions - Wesley Sneijder, Andrea Pirlo, Daniele De Rossi (Wasn't really sure whether to put him in the midfielder slot or the defensive slots)

Left Midfield: Andrei Arshavin - Arsene Wenger must be wondering what he has to do to get Arshavin to perform like this in North London. He would improve any team in the world with this kind of form but still it was not enough to get the Russians out of the easiest group in the competition. Could have had something to do with Advocaat already having a job lined up.



Honourable Mentions - Nobody came close to Arshavin in my opinion but Michael Krohn-Dehli would have been my second choice.

Striker: Zlatan Ibrahimovic - In my opinion he has easily been the best player in the tournament so far. Dragged a very average Swedish team to nearly qualify. Scored a phenomenal goal against France and always looked to use the ball well.



Striker: Mario Gomez - Scored three goals in the competition so far and must surely be odds on to receive the Golden Boot. If he had showed this kind of form in the semi finals and final of the Champions' League, Bayern would have won it by a country mile. Drogba must be looking on with glee.



Honourable Mentions - Mario Mandzukic, Nicklas Bendtner

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