Euro 2012 Top 10 Part 3: Midfielders

We are halfway through this countdown of the European elite. So far, we’ve looked at who ranks among the best goalkeepers, and we've looked at who the best defenders set to compete at Euro 2012 are.

Therefore, the only logical next step for us would be to look at which midfielders tend to excite the masses, either through great creative play or fantastic scoring records.

There is a line that exists between players that determines whether they fall under the category of midfielders or, instead, something further up the pitch.

From looking at the next ten slides, you’ll hopefully get a gist of where that line is, although you may feel that some players in part three of this series belong in part four or vice versa.

As has been the motif in these slideshows, teams are permitted only one entrant amongst these rankings. That will remain the case throughout.

Now that the formalities are out of the way, let us continue.

1. Xavi Hernandez

Having come out on top in part one of this series of articles, Spain now have two of their players to reach the summit of our top 10 countdowns thanks to Xavi Hernandez.

Barcelona may have emerged from the 2011-12 season with only the Copa del Rey as silverware (“only” is used very loosely), but the Catalan giants stuck close to Real Madrid just about every step of the way.

Pep Guardiola may have just left his post as manager of the La Liga outfit, but that isn’t to take anything away from the club who are simply filled to the brim with talent.

The main instrument that Barça wield to the same extent as Spain do is their midfield, from which originates the potentially shattering style that is “tiki-taka” football.

If tiki-taka is the music being played, and Spain are its orchestra , then the role of composer can be attributed to nobody else but Xavi.

The 32-year-old plays a practically identical role for both club and country, choosing the more subtle approach of sitting back and dictating play from the very epicenter of the pitch, occasionally moving into more advanced position as the play calls for it.

Although the campaign wasn’t as fruitful as in past seasons, the 32-year-old made over 50 appearances for Barcelona in the last campaign, scoring 14 goals and making 16 assists in the process.

To add to such impressive statistics, Xavi also completed 93.3% of his passes and made an average of 2.1 key passes per game.

As long as Spain use possessive football, as has become their way, they will stake a claim to retain the Premier League title, and Xavi will be the biggest of keys in achieving that.

2. Mesut Özil

With a gargantuan 29 assists for Real Madrid last season, Mesut Ozil was always going to be a candidate to make this top ten.

Germany’s wealth in midfield means that they could have had a variety of players make the cut, including Bastian Schweinsteiger, Mario Götze, Toni Kroos and even Özil’s Real teammate, Sami Khedira.

However, it’s Özil who is the man to ultimately get the nod, after featuring so prominently under Jose Mourinho in a season that brought the Primera Liga trophy back to the Santiago Bernabeu.

After such a monumental first season in Real colours, it was always going to be a task for the 23-year-old to top the accomplishments of 2010-11, and although he didn’t quite pull off the feat, Özil came incredibly close.

In an advanced role, sitting just behind the attacking line, the youngster has made a habit of finding that final key ball for his forwards, unleashing the talent ahead of him.

As fortunate as he is to have the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema ahead of him at his club, Özil has potential to be devastating talent in Germany's colours, with Mario Gomez, Thomas Mueller and Miroslav Klose all making up the numbers.

Whether Germany will be as successful as a unit as everyone is making them out to be will be seen soon enough, but either way you can bank on this playmaker having a good tournament.

3. Franck Ribery

Despite contributing little in defence, Franck Ribery’s work when assaulting the opposition goal makes him a high-flying asset that was always going to make the grade here.

The 29-year-old is a player in the prime of his career who will be looking to resume competitive football this summer in the same fashion in which he finished the 2011-12 season.

In 50 appearances for Bayern Munich, Ribery managed to net on 17 occasions and made it considerably easier for those around him to score, contributing 27 assists.

Capable of playing on either wing, Ribery offers Laurent Blanc a diverse attacking outlet, and one that massively changes the pace at which France can attack.

Bayern Munich may have finished the season empty-handed, but after making their way to the Champions League final and the final of the DFB Pokal, Die Bayern were competing across multiple platforms for the majority of their campaign.

Since the media debacle that was the 2010 World Cup, Les Bleus have done well to recover under Laurent Blanc, and once again look like a team capable of challenging for major tournament victories.

That being said, the same might not have held true for a side without Ribery in it, and the midfielder will undoubtedly play a huge hand in any substantial progress that France make in Poland and Ukraine.

4. Luka Modric

After enduring a difficult season at Tottenham Hotspur, Luka Modric will be happy with his opportunity to win silverware this summer, however unlikely a win may seem.

The Croatian talisman had a slightly lacklustre season as far as statistics go, coming in with just five goals and seven assists in all competitions.

However, transfer speculation would suggest that the potential is still there for a top-class playmaker, with several of the European elite said to be weighing up bids for his signature.

The 26-year-old may not have had the most concrete numbers going for him over the last nine months, but if we delve slightly deeper, we can see that there is work Modric does that may otherwise go unnoticed.

In 32 Premier League starts, Modric completed an impressive 86.5% of his passes, making an even bigger contribution of 2.7 key passes (a key pass here meaning a pass that ultimately resulted in a goal or a serious goal-scoring opportunity).

However, Croatia will need the player to yield more than just chances in Poland Ukraine if they are to prevail in their attempts, and with Ivica Olic just recently ruled out of the tournament due to injury, the Spurs star may need to take more of an attacking responsibility.

5. Andrea Pirlo

Having just made history by winning the Serie A title with the club for the first time in seven years, Juventus playmaker Andrea Pirlo will be absolutely key for Italy in Poland and Ukraine.

Based on this season’s performances, AC Milan will be kicking themselves for letting the veteran go, as he ultimately had a great hand in them missing out on the Scudetto.

Pirlo finished the 2011-12 campaign with three goals and 14 assists in the league, statistics that would appear to hide his age from the untrained eye.

At 33 years old, Pirlo is certainly one of the older outfield players amongst the “bigger” nations, but Italy won’t mind as long as he continues to produce.

Although he might adopt a position slightly further back than usual, Pirlo’s influence on the attacking line will be paramount in the success—if there is any there to be had—of the Azzurri.

6. Wesley Sneijder

From the heights of a Champions League win in 2009, Internazionale’s plummet from the top of European football is a surprising one.

The Italian outfit may have undergone a drastic period of decline, but Wesley Sneijder is a player for whom the future remains more hopeful.

The Dutchman has been linked with a move away from the San Siro for over a year now, with both Manchester United and Manchester City reportedly keen on his signature.

Last season, Sneijder managed a lowly five goals and just six assists across all competitions.

That being said, Euro 2012 presents the 27-year-old with the opportunity to return to his glory days, featuring amongst an altogether stronger quality of players.

Regardless of how he has fared on a club scale, Bert van Marwijk appears to remain confident in the abilities of his playmaker, and Sneijder is likely to start for Netherlands.

With Robin van Persie, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Arjen Robben all in front of him, it will be hard for Netherlands not to amass some goals this summer, but it’s up to Sneijder to make sure the ball finds them first.

7. Steven Gerrard

While he may have been limited to just 12 Premier League starts last season, Steven Gerrard was still able to prove exactly why he belongs among the English elite.

The lifelong Merseysider has struggled with recurring injuries including a groin strain that won’t seem to go away, but has recovered just in time for the Three Lions’ trip to Poland and Ukraine.

Even with his limited amount of appearances, the 32-year-old managed to amass eight goals and make six assists, leading Roy Hodgson to pick the veteran as his choice for England's captain.

Leading from the front line, Gerrard will need to be at his best if England are to overcome their underdog status, and with Wayne Rooney out of the competition until the nation’s third game, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Gerrard taking up some more advanced positions.

Although Liverpool had a most disappointing campaign in 2011-12, the English side makes up for some six players on the England squad, giving the captain a sense of familiarity when playing his game.

Despite the media coverage that would suggest otherwise, the responsibility resting on England’s shoulders to succeed is relatively small—an approach Gerrard would certainly prefer heading into the competition.

8. Jakub Błaszczykowski

After winning the Bundesliga title in 2011-12, Jakub Błaszczykowski is one of three Borussia Dortmund players in the Poland squad hoping to add to their trophy cabinet this summer with a dark horse victory in Euro 2012.

The 26-year-old finished the season with a record of seven goals and 12 assists for the Yellow and Blacks, playing a big hand in their clinching of the German league trophy.

The added incentive of playing in front of your own crowd doesn’t always prove beneficial to a side, but if there was any player who might have something to gain from Poland’s support, it would be their captain.

Given his responsibilities at the Westfalenstadion, Błaszczykowski will be expected to take even more of a leading hand for Poland this summer in both attack as well as defence.

“Kuba” was fortunate in the fact that his nation drew a place in what is probably the easiest group to escape from in the European tournament, but that’s not to say that Greece, Russia and the Czech Republic won’t pose a challenge.

As a player capable of playing either down the flanks or in an advance central position, a lot of Polish hopes will be resting with Błaszczykowski.

9. Christian Eriksen

Denmark will be relying on the rising talent of Christian Eriksen to lead them out of the “Group of Death” that is Group B, despite the fact that he is one of the youngest players in the entire tournament.

With Netherlands, Portugal and favourites Germany to overcome in the first stage of the competition, the Danish populace won’t be too aspirational about their hopes of advancing.

However, the underdog status actually alleviates quite a bit of pressure from Denmark’s shoulders, and could eventually prove beneficial.

After winning the Eredivisie title with Ajax, Eriksen is yet another feature on this list who has the chance to win more 2012 silverware with triumph in Poland and Ukraine.

With eight goals and 22 assists for Ajax in their 2011-12 season, the 20-year-old appears to be in good form, and considering the fact that Denmark appear to be lacking slightly in the attacking department, he’ll need to be if Morten Olsen’s men are to make it into the quarter-finals.

10. Alan Dzagoev

After being drawn against Greece, Poland and the Czech Republic in Group A, Russia actually run a considerably good chance of advancing to the quarter-finals of this year’s European Championships.

A key factor in those hopes will lie with whether or not Alan Dzagoev can perform to expectations.

At just 21 years of age, Dzagoev, like Eriksen (see nine on the slideshow) is one of the younger players set to feature in the tournament.

Although the Russian season has only just begun, we can look at Dzagoev’s 2011 figures to see just how talented this youngster is.

In 39 starts for CSKA Moscow last year, Dzagoev managed an impressive tally of 11 goals and 17 assists across all competitions.

An attacking midfielder capable of playing on the wing or in an even more advanced position, Dzagoev’s attacking diversity gives him a wide range of angles from which he can ply his trade.

The Russian squad have had an impressive build-up to Euro 2012 and are yet to lose so far this year, and now have the potential to build on that success with a player like Dzagoev at their heart.

Just in case you missed them, part one of our Euro 2012 countdown can be found here while part two can be found here.

All statistics come courtesy of Transfermarkt.com, Statto.com and WhoScored.com.

Follow me on Twitter @TomSunderland_ for more Euro 2012 updates and Bleacher Report content.