NOW THAT the
Euro 2008 tournament is over and Spain have deservedly won it, I will reserve writing about that for another entry. For now, I thought of putting down a team of the tournament. There were many impressive players and finding a 11 is a pretty hard job. However, this is the best that I thought that one could put together.
Goal Keeper - Gianluigi Buffon: It was a difficult job when it came to picking a goalkeeper. You might be shocked I haven’t picked Casillas being the Madridista that I am. Although, he did not concede many goals, he barely had any saves to make. The defence was solid enough and Saint Iker did not have to show why he is god. The other keepers in the semis are not even worth a mention. Buffon gets the nod here because he made some fantastic saves, including Mutu’s penalty and kept the Azzuri in the game with some incredible saves, until he came up against Casillas of course in the shootout.
Right back - Sergio Ramos: Here the Madridista in me comes out, but if you think about it seriously, Ramos has been the best at this position. Defensively a little questionable early in the tournament, but slowly attained back the levels that he is so famous for as the tournament progressed. He is a nightmare for oppositions and to add to that he is almost the target man for any setpiece and almost came close to scoring in the final.
Centre back - Carles Puyol: Catalan by birth, you would not expect him to give his all while playing for La Furia, but he was the linchpin of the defence. Crucial tackles and interventions giving the Spanish defence the necessary experience and calmness, he was the defender of the tournament for me.
Centre back - Giorgio Chiellini: The Juventus wing back was employed in a make shift role for his country and he stepped up to the occasion. He was sure of all tackles and was so solid and it is primarily due to him that when they played against Spain, they did not concede any goals. To stop such a creative force from scoring goals for 120 minutes, that is surely an achievement to put him on this team.
Left back - Yuri Zhirkov: The Russians took everyone by storm this year and storm is the right word to describe this player. The pace with which he goes forward is unbelievable and defensively solid too, was a regular in Russia’s famous open approach to the game. Lahm had a fairly decent outing as well, but Zhirkov is the pick.
Defensive Midfield - Marcos Senna: If ever Spain has missed something all these years, it is someone like Senna. The Brazilian born holding midfielder is the most composed player in the centre of the pitch for the Spanish team. Sitting in front of the defensive and launching off attacks, the perfect blend for a holding midfielder, he gives room for the creative forces of the likes of Iniesta, Silva and others to carry the attack forward. My pick for player of the tournament, surely walks in to the top 11.
Left Midfield - David Silva: One of the unsung heroes of the Spanish team and probably unheard of to non La Liga watchers, this Valencia starlet is a beautiful left footed player. This 23 years old footballer has a big future in store for him. Constantly switching flanks, he is elegant with the ball and is a threat to any team with his attacking instincts. He gets the nod ahead of other competitors like Van der Vaart, Podolski.
Right Midfield - Wesley Sneijder: The centre of all attack for the Oranje, he has been a revelation in this tournament. With powerful long range shots and quick counter attack movements, this flexible winger/central midfielder is an asset to any team. Schweinstieger although deservant of a pick, misses out because of his silly red card and poor performance in the finals. Altintop also is a name worth mentioning but Sneijder is a bigger and better player.
Centre Midfield - Michael Ballack: The German captain is the centre of focus of the German team, with a largely young team, he is the father figure of sorts who brings the much needed experience and a player of his stature is surely an asset to any team. With his deft touches and powerful strikes, he is the best central midfielder in the tournament. Xavi deserves a mention here, but Ballack almost single handedly carries the German team and hence gets the nod.
Attacking Midfield/ ’The Hole’ - Andrei Arshavin: Not many had heard of this Zenit St Petersburg star before the tournament. He missed out on the first two games that Russia played due to a suspension. But when he came back, he came back with a bang. Setting the tournament alight with his quick counter attack, classy touches and brilliant passing, he has been the revelation of the tournament. He surely is not a two game wonder and we will see much more of him in Europe’s big stage, possibly with Barcelona.
Striker - Fernando Torres: You could argue Villa deserves this position. With no disrespect to Villa, he is not in the league of Torres. True he might not have scored that many, but he is a sensation. His pace and strength is unmatched and there is barely anyone better than him when he does what he does best, which is torment the defence. Unselfish, precise, classy you almost tend to run out of adjectives to describe this Spanish kid turned hard soccer.
Manager - Luis Aragones: This was again tough. Hiddink gave me second thought when I thought of Aragones, but the wise old man has to get it. I have to admit that I didn’t want him in charge when he made his spat with Raul Public, but he seems to have everything right to give Spain what they truly deserve, a big title. Hats off to the ’grandfather’.
Substitutes – Fabregas,Villa, Schwienstieger, Xavi, Anyukov, Altintop,Casillas: Most of them are justified, with Fabregas deserving a special mention for the tag of super-sub, he has been extremely effective once he has been introduced in the game. The rest of them make up the bench only because they cannot fit into the starting eleven.
This is my pick for the team of the tournament.
