UEFA Euros 2020 logo. (imago Images)
We look at the best XI of the UEFA Euro 2020 as the final between England and Italy is set to take place tomorrow. The three Lions saw another impressive display from Raheem Sterling as they came back to beat Denmark 2-1 in the semi-final. Italy needed a special display from Federico Chiesa as they beat Spain on penalties.
But which players have impressed the most at this tournament until now? We now look at the best 11 from the teams that at least reached the last-8 stage, featuring a defender from Manchester United and the Chelsea duo that has taken the tournament by storm.
We use a three centre-back formation for our team that has been utilized to great effect in this tournament by teams like Italy, England, and Denmark – all of whom made the semi-final.
The English goalkeeper has been a vital part of their campaign so far. An unstoppable free-kick from Mikel Damsgaard in the semi-final is the only goal he has conceded in the whole tournament, with his Golden Glove award already confirmed.
The Chelsea and Denmark centre-back, Andreas Christensen, has been a daunting figure for any attacker to get past and also impressed in set-piece scenarios. He led their defence to the last-4 of the tournament and deserves a place in the best Euros XI for this edition.
The leader without the armband, Harry Maguire is the main in England’s defence that has kept 5 clean sheets in 6 games so far. The Manchester United star is a threat at both ends during set-pieces and can play a big role in the final too.
It is easy to get lost in the tall shadow of Giorgio Chiellini in the Italian defence. But if anything, Bonucci has been the standout performer. The 34-year-old’s crunch penalty in the shoot-out against Spain is the icing on the cake.
It was between Joakim Maehle and Spinazzola for this position, but the AS Roma man has been just too good to ignore for the Italians down the left-hand side. A threat in the attack as well, he was an ideal player for Roberto Mancini until his injury against Belgium.
The 18-year-old Barcelona midfielder is having an amazing year both for club and country. After breaking into the Catalan side’s XI, he has impressed Luis Enrique to the extent that he is currently ahead of Thiago in their pecking order.
Chelsea star Jorginho is having a brilliant tournament. He is a big part of Italy’s midfield that consists of stars like Nicolo Barella and Marco Verratti, but he has been the most notable performer.
The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder only joined the London-based side last summer but became a regular for them under Jose Mourinho. He has taken that same form into the Euros and is the man that kept the Danes’ midfield solid and sturdy.
If this line-up was to play a game together, Sterling would perhaps play in a more advanced role than Spinazzola on the other flank. The Englishman has terrorized defenders in every game he has played, and currently has 3 goals and 1 assist so far.
Well, scoring the most goals in the tournament isn’t our criteria for selecting the two strikers to lead this line. But one of them, Patrick Schick, happens to be the one with the joint-most goals in the tournament. He scored in all but one of the games that his side played, and ended the tournament with 5 goals.
Harry Kane has hit form in the knockout stages, just when his team needed him to. He has scored all of his 4 goals in the matches that have mattered the most, including the goal to send England to the finals.
