Euro 2012: Predicting the Team of the Tournament

The upcoming European Championship looks like an exciting one. It looks to be dominated by the two World Cup finalists of 2010. Let us take a look at their squad.

The undoubted favorites, and the regnant footballing stalwart is Spain. The Spanish have, undoubtedly the best style of football in the world. Their key virtue is that even if they don't have the quality players other teams have, their possession play will bring them through.

Spanish Lineup at WC: Casillas, Ramos, Pique Puyol; Busquets, Alonso; Silva, Xavi, Iniesta; Villa

The Spanish 4-2-3-1 aims for possession play through the middle. Here, the Spanish have 3 excellent players. One of the greatest playmakers in the history of the game, Xavi, is a defensive midfielder with great passing ability as well. Sergio Busquets is an expert in the deep lying pass. And finally, Xabi Alonso, who can also work defensively.  

They have a great wing as well, with dribbling playmaker David Silva and Andres Iniesta on the wing for them. Player for player, they have the best team in Europe.

The Dutch were cynical at the last World Cup, and they broke from their stereotypical free-flowing, passing, attacking football to adopt a style reflective of the fast, pragmatic nature of today's international game. The Dutch Coach, Ridder Lambertus Van Marwijk, realized that to beat teams that were technically superior to Holland he would need to adopt a more cynical approach.

Dutch Lineup at WC: Stekelenburg, Van Bronckhorst, Heitinga, Mathijsen, Van der Wiel; De Jong, Van Bommel; Robben, Sneijder, Kuyt: Huntelaar

This team uses two defensive midfielders: The experienced Mark Van Bommel acts as the more advanced passing midfielder and Nigel De Jong plays further behind him, getting stuck in and destroying the opposition plays. Wesley Sneijder is the hub around which the team operates and he provides the passes for elegant team moves which he or talented Dutch winger Robben might finish, in addition to hard-working Liverpool wingers Kuyt and Schalke 04's Klass-Jan Huntelaar.

Only the defence of this Dutch side was suspect in the World Cup games and it didn't help when the linchpin of the defense, Gio Van Bronckhorst, retired after the Soccer City defeat. 

GK: Manuel Neuer

I see the knives sharpening themselves already. Ah well. There are three contenders for this post: One is the aforementioned, the others are Iker Casillas and Maarten Stekelenburg. Another for consideration would be the Englishman Joe Hart. But now I will tell you why I have selected the one and only Manuel Neuer.

Manuel Neuer is a tall hunk of a goalkeeper, with agility and Banks-esque anticipation. His jumping skills are unparalleled as well. His prime virtue, however, is his distribution. His punts forward have often been assists (remember Klose's first goal v. England). Neuer had the best stats of any goalkeeper in the Champions League and single handedly led Schalke to the Semi-final last season. Even though he made a gaffe in his first game for his new club Bayern Munich, that can be explained by nerves, and the German is likely to become even better than he was at Schalke by Euro 2012.

LB: Leighton Baines

There are several contenders for this position as well, such as Evra and Ashley Cole, but they have already given us a last hurrah and are now in the twilight of their careers. The other, only serious contender for this Left-back position is Eric Abidal, who is now 31, but still a stalwart in the team. While it is true that Ashley Cole has been the better performer for his country (the best left back in the world for quite a while) and his club, it can be argued that Baines has had a brilliant season and is now slowly starting to surpass Cole. 

His strengths include crossing the ball, which he can do very effectively, being pinpoint with his marking. He is also a brilliant set piece taker, scoring from penalties and curling in free kicks. His attacking abilities are unparalleled in the Premier League. He is already overtaking Cole in terms of Premier League form and is looking to take his place in the England side. 

CB: Gerard Pique

Pique is a brilliant center back. He is known for being a good center back partner to Carles Puyol, making up part of the great Barcelona and Spanish sides today. He is a more attacking foil to Puyol, looking to play the ball to midfield and rush forwards to get mixed into the attack. This gung ho approach has led to him being named "Piquenbauer," in reference to the German football legend who played much the same way.

Pique is cultured in his style. His control is often as good as the players who play in front of him. His style of tackling can best be discribed as "dispossessing." He does not seem to dive into players, but seems to often have an air of sophistication after arriving with the ball unscathed. It is often just a leg, or a light slide, but Pique is a master of tackling.

He is improving as a center back, and considering that he is already one of the best in the world, this fact is frightening. I predict him to be one of the best players in the European Championships.

CB:Mats Hummels

Mats Hummels was statistically the best defender in the world last season. His league performances with Jurgen Klopp's  Dortmund alongside Neven Subotic were inspirational. He looks to be a regular in the German team with Low opting for an all round younger German side. He will look to partner new Schalke captain Benedikt Howedes in central defence.

RB: Phillip Lahm

Phillip Lahm is undoubtedly in the late stages of his career. He is now one of the oldest in Die Nationalmanschafft and led the team in the last world cup,here a young German side reached the World Cup semi-final. He is one of the best right backs in the world, and is of inspiring quality at times.  He is an attacking fullback, who goes for ward and makes passages of play with the right winger.

Lahm abilities mainly lie in the tackling department. To be fair, his overall footballing style is rather like that of an energetic box to box midfielders. He dives into tackles often and is not afraid to try and beat players. He also has a great shot which allows him to score from afar. Lahm is also a great crosser of the ball with many assists to his name.  

CM: Wesley Sneijder

Sneijder has been ever present in the Dutch bulldozing of its opposition in the Euro 2012 qualifiers. He is the playmaker of the Dutch national team and for FC Internazionale Milano. He has been consistent this season even as Inter has dissapointed as a whole, and his injuries did not help either. HHe has been the shining light for club and country this season.

 Sneijder is an an immaculate passer and dribbler, a traditional Number 10. He is technically brilliant and his touch and vision are exceptional. He also has a goalscoring edge, having scored 5 at the last World Cup and 21 in his international career overall. 

CM: Xavi

Some consider Xavi to be the best in the world. Most people think nit is Lionel Messi. Both of them agree on one thing. Xavi is the best midfielder in the wolrd. He is a Catalan born and bred, and has a Deep connection with fellow La Masia graduates, Pique, Puyol, Messi and Busquets as well as Iniesta. Xavi is the hub around which Vincente Del Bosque 's side rotates.

Xavi is not a real No.10. He is more of a No.8, a playmaker told to create play and make the space. He has great passing ability( Some of the best passing stats in Europe).He  is, however best played in a central midfield position, where he can orchestrate and dictate the tempo. I feel that Euro '12 will be his swansong and he will go out with a bang from International football. 

LM: Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo has been disappointing so far at International level. The best thing he  did in a Portugal shirt , he did in Euro 2004, where they reached the final. He was also good in the World Cup 2006, where he very nearly won World Young Player of the Year Award. Since then, Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup were thoroughly disappointing for Cirstiano Ronaldo's standards. He now has a chance to get it right.

Ronaldo is a pace machine. He now uses his pace as the tenet of his game and builds from there. However, let us not forget that Ronaldo is one of the most skilled players in the game today, with all his stepovers and his skills. His shooting is exceptional as well, as his shots have taken up a a life of their own, called " Ronaldo Rockets. No to mention his lethal set piece abilities from free kicks and penalties. Did I mention his heading?

RM: Andres Iniesta Lujan

Xavi and Iniesta are some of the best central midfielders I have ever seen.Xavi is the more defensive playmaker while Iniesta's skills are a bit more forward thinking. Iniesta, of course, scored the winning goal in the world cup final( How could we forget). Iniesta has been key in Spain's Euro 2012 qualifying campaign,assisting  and scoring many times. 

CF: Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney is a brilliant player for Manchester United and England. Last World Cup, he had certain problems that inhibited him from being successful, 

"At the World Cup, Rooney was the victim of a perfect storm of circumstance. His fitness was questionable. Tabloid revelations about his private life were imminent, and the assumption is that he knew about them. He was being asked to play in different positions for club and country and seemed unable to reconcile the two, playing too high and too close to Emile Heskey in the opener against the USA, and then chasing the ball far too deep as he tried to make amends thereafter."

                                                                                       Jonathan Wilson, Sports Illustrated

However, now he has regained form and is looking like the creative force England need in attacking midfield. He has evolved into more of a playmaker this season, but he has scored 11 league goals,w which shows a diversity of end product  that England desperately need. 

CF: David Villa

David Villa is a brilliant forward whose abilities are much underrated. He has already broken Raul record for most goals scored as a Spanish international in football history. As long as teh supply to him doenst end, he will deliver very well indeed.