Ranking Manchester City's Players on Their Performances at Euro 2016
Euro 2016, for the most part, was a huge disappointment.
The extended format saw a dilution of quality and excitement. The group stage, which took two weeks to complete, saw just eight teams exit the tournament, meaning a number of pointless matches took place.
The tactics, too, were rather negative. Just 108 goals were scored throughout the entire tournament, an average of 2.12 per game, which is the lowest at a Euros event since 1996.
Quite simply, there were too many teams. The great thing about European Championships of the past has been the concentration of quality. There were always a number of group-stage fixtures that could conceivably have been the final. This new, watered-down format saw that intensity lost.
The Iceland and Wales stories were fascinating, and the 3-3 draw between Hungary and Portugal was gripping. Italy’s tactics were superb, and the Germans fleetingly dazzled. But the tournament has a whole was defined by negativity.
While UEFA rethink the system, we will look back at how Manchester City’s players did. There were nine current Blues stars in action in France—and here we rank every one of them based on the quality of their performances and the amount they were involved.
9. Jason Denayer
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Jason Denayer played just one game at the tournament—the full 90 minutes as Belgium crashed out at the quarter-final stage at the hands of Wales.
It was a disastrous night for Belgium. Their manager, Marc Wilmots, has been widely criticised for his handling of the team throughout his time in charge. In France, they were worse than the sum of their parts, with disorganisation running through their play.
The game against Wales saw Denayer given a difficult time, but he was playing in an untested back four that saw three first-choice options unavailable. The 21-year-old was hamstrung playing alongside Jordan Lukaku, Belgium's left-back, who was earning only his fifth cap.
It was Denayer’s seventh international appearance—and he struggled to cope when Wales counter-attacked, but there was a chaotic feel to the Belgium midfield that didn’t help their relatively untried defence that was missing Jan Vertonghen and Vincent Kompany.
Grade: D
8. Eliaquim Mangala
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It was a frustrating tournament for Eliaquim Mangala. He played just 20 minutes of football as Laurent Koscielny and Adil Rami were Didier Deschamps' first-choice pairing—and when Rami was suspended, new Barcelona signing Samuel Umtiti was preferred.
It’s difficult to give him a fair grade given his limited playing time, but he looked solid enough when called upon.
Grade: D
7. Joe Hart
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It’s a tournament Joe Hart will want to forget. The goalkeeper was at fault for two goals, one of which saw England defeated by Iceland as they came home early and in disgrace.
Both times, he showed poor handling. Gareth Bale’s free-kick from more than 30 yards out should never have beaten him in England’s win over Wales, and Kolbeinn Sigthorsson’s tame shot for Iceland somehow managed to go in under his hand.
It’s the last thing he needed when a new manager is coming in at City, particularly one who has always favoured goalkeepers comfortable in possession of the ball, which Hart certainly is not.
Grade: D
6. Raheem Sterling
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Raheem Sterling played in England's first two matches—against Russia and Wales—but was widely criticised for his ineffectiveness. He was subsequently dropped for the game with Slovakia before surprisingly being reinstated for the last-16 defeat to Iceland.
Three games yielded no telling contributions and some further examples of his profligacy. He will no doubt be disappointed by his displays.
However, the criticism he has received has been excessive. The entire England squad played beneath themselves, and Roy Hodgson, who did the honourable thing and quit after the defeat to Iceland, was inept once again.
Sterling will find a manager in Pep Guardiola who believes in him and wants to make him tactically and technically better. Expect a vast improvement next season.
Grade: D
5. Oleksandr Zinchenko
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City signed 19-year-old Ukrainian midfielder Oleksandr Zinchenko from Russian side FC Ufa immediately after the tournament.
The club had watched him for some time, but his confident and assured displays in France are likely to have convinced them he was a player of real potential and one they needed to sign.
He featured from the bench in Ukraine’s first two games before starting their final match against Poland. He looked comfortable in possession, eager to attack and take players on and technically gifted.
He’s likely to go out on loan, preferably to a Champions League club, to further his development. But City, it seems, have a gifted young player to keep their eye on and hopefully find a way of getting him into their first team.
Grade: C+
4. Nolito
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New signing Nolito scored for Spain against Turkey and looked excellent for much of the group stage—but an anonymous display against Italy in the last 16 raised some doubts over his consistency and big-game credentials.
For the most part, though, he looked capable of bringing a new attacking dynamic to City when he links up with the squad in Beijing. He is creative force with an eye for a pass.
For £13.8 million, which in today’s market represents a bargain, City can hardly lose. The 29-year-old brings experience and an ability to keep possession, something Guardiola favours and will look to implement as quickly as possible.
Grade: B-
3. David Silva
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After a season that saw him underwhelm, David Silva returned to form at the Euros with Spain and earned his 100th cap.
Ankle problems blighted his club form in 2015/16, but after resting for a couple of weeks, he looked far more mobile and comfortable for La Roja.
Unsurprisingly, Spain had the best pass-completion stats in the tournament—and Silva was central to that. He was back to his floating best, popping up between the lines and looking to create with his incisive passing.
Guardiola will be hoping Silva returns to City in this kind of form. If he does, the new manager has on his hands the finest playmaker in the Premier League.
Grade: B
2. Kevin De Bruyne
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It was a strange tournament for Kevin De Bruyne.
He underwhelmed in the games against Italy and Wales, with tiredness from an arduous season at City seemingly holding him back, but even when he wasn’t at the peak of his powers, he managed to produce moments of excellence that create chances.
Overall, though, he was excellent. He played five times, assisted three goals and was man of the match on two occasions. It’s a shame from Belgium’s perspective that their manager was so incompetent.
Grade: B+
1. Bacary Sagna
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The most consistent City player at the Euros was one of their most consistent players last season.
Bacary Sagna, a runner-up with France, was solid and reliable, as well as a provider of chances on his forays forward, with his cross for Antoine Griezmann’s header to equalise against the Republic of Ireland a moment of real class.
He may be 33, but Sagna still has plenty to offer.
Whether Guardiola sees him as attacking and energetic enough remains to be seen—but Sagna is a consistent player who understands the game and can guide those around him.
Grade: B+
