Dan’s Euro 2024 Best XI to make the Team Of The Tournament

Everyone is publishing their teams of the Tournament so as we followed the tournament extensively here is my Euro 2024 best X1.

Playing a 3 – 5 – 1 -1 or imagine when Spain didn’t have a striker/false 9.

Diogo Costa – GK (Portugal)

I don’t think there is a real standout keeper in this tournament. Who performed so well they won their team the match?
Who else has saved the equivalent of a goal?

I give the nod to Costa for his two clean sheets in the knockout stages. The highlights was his three consecutive saves in the penalty shootout over Slovenia. The only goalie in the history of the competition to do so.

Saliba – CB (France)

A lot was made of the incredible stat of France somehow getting to the Semi Finals without scoring a goal in open play. What’s not mentioned as much is they equally got to the last 4 without conceding in open play either.

Wherever Deschamps should have been as conservative is a debate for another day. Right or wrong his first priority was for his team to be defensively hard to break down and that’s what happened. It’s not like Saliba didn’t face some big names either. Gakpo, Depay, Lewandowski, Lukaku and Ronaldo all tired and had a sole penalty to show for their efforts.

Did you see how good the Spain goals needed to be to finally beat him? One of the few Frenchmen able to return to his homeland content with his individual performance.

Guehi – CB (England)

I know there’s a lot of doom and gloom around England at the moment, but they did get to the final, which means something must have gone right somewhere.
Due to injuries and lack of match fitness, defence was seen as the weak area of the Three Lions team, but iron was their strength. Even when not playing well they were a hard team to score against. Like Deschamps, whether that should have been the English manager’s priority will be debated.
It’s worth remembering though how terrified Guehi looked against Iceland.
Not enough friendlies or Nations League fixtures had been used to prepare an understudy for Stones or Maguire, meaning the Crystal Palace defender was thrown in at the deep end.
The 24-year-old was literally playing the biggest games of his career in Germany.
He won the most arial duels out of his peers, including an assist to keep his nation in the competition while his header was cleared off the line in the Final.
By that point he had the confidence to be barking instructions at his teammates.
One of the few in the squad to enhance his reputation.

Pepe – CB (Portugal)

In a tournament where it seemed a lot of star names were getting questioned by their national fans and media, Pepe got almost universal respect for his efforts in the last month.
Given his antics throughout his career he might not have thought that possible.
At 41, he is the oldest to play in the history of the European Championship.
Yet this wasn’t some squad player picked to offer experience to the group. He truly was one of the best defenders at the Euros.
In the space of 4 days, he played two sets of 120 minutes and kept a clean sheet both times.
Because of his age the likes of Sesko and Dembele were targeting the centre back. Yet even in extra time when his opponents had a head start, he was winning the chase.
He was in tears when Portugal got knocked out. Most players at that stage of their careers would just be grateful to be in the squad. Despite already winning the trophy, look how much it meant to him. You can’t teach that desire and mentality.

Kante – CM (France)

Again, whether his manager should have been so conservative will be debated for a while, but Kante did everything that was asked of him.
Still one of the best in the world at retrieving the ball, stealing possession at the last moment.
I saw younger opponents have a head start over the 33-year-old and yet the midfielder would still win the chase.
There will be a lot of owners from Saudi Arabia happy that a player has shown you can play in the Pro League yet still be one of the best players in a major international tournament.

Rodri – CM (Spain)

An over 92 percent passing accuracy, making everything thing he does look so simple.
Crucial to a young midfield, teaching them game management and how to close out a game.
That was best evidenced in the semifinal where Spain’s tactics in the second half was to give the ball to the 28-year-old who would pass the ball backwards to take the sting out of the tie.
In an era where world class is overused, the midfielder truly is that.

Xhaka – CM (Switzerland)

Like a fine wine just gets better with age.
I always argued that three full time Arsenal managers always trusted the midfielder so they must have seen tactically something in Xhaka.
Yet the Swiss captain would let himself down with his decision making.
Yet the 31-year-old has reached a special point of his career where he is comfortable in his own skin and has reached a level of maturity.
In his 6th major international tournament completely unfazed by the occasion.
Everything goes through the skipper, his pass completion rate against Italy 94 out of 98.
The biggest compliment I can give him is he reminds of Pirlo, dropping deep and just spraying balls.
The Gunners would have been champions had we kept him.

Dani Olmo – AM (Spain)

Every international tournament there is a player who comes out of nowhere to steal the show.
Olmo didn’t just come out of the shadows, he leapt out of them.
The 26-year-old didn’t start his nations first two fixtures or the round of 16 and Quarter Finals.
He only started their final group match because they were already qualified and Semi Final and Final because Pedri was injured.
That makes his 3 goals based on 3 starts impressive and under previous UEFA regulations he would have kept the Golden Boot for himself.
Movement off the ball between him and Spain’s two young wingers was what separated them from the rest.

Lamine Yamal – RM (Spain)

In an era where the modern fan is quick to take talent for granted it needs reminding how unique it is what Lamal has done in Germany.
Most 16 years olds (no matter how talented) bare minimum would only make the bench for most sides.
Not just did the teenager start for one Europe’s heavyweights, he was trusted to be their main man.
To put that in perspective, one of his teammates is older than his father, while a tutor was sent to the Spanish camp so he could do his schoolwork.
His teammates and fans became desperate for him to become the youngest scorer in the history of the Euros, a record he broke before his 17th birthday, while his 4 assists were unrivalled.

Nico Williams – LM (Spain)

For the last decade Spain were almost obsessed with tika taka passing, trying to recreate the golden era of 2008-2012.
When they couldn’t unlock a defence with sideways passing, they were either unable or unwilling to change.
This time they have found the alternative with two pacey wingers.
Their plan B was so effective it’s become their plan A.
There is something old school in terms of how direct Williams will run at the opposition.
He also had the tactical understanding to come off the line and move into the middle.

Guler – Turkey – False Nine

No natural striker impressed me in Germany (maybe a dying art?) so I went for a youngster who essentially had a free role.
If it wasn’t for Yamal more would have been mentioned about for what the 19-year-old did at the Euros.
Another teenager who you are waiting to be fazed by anything, he effortlessly carried the weight of a nation on his shoulders.
He scored one of the goals of the tournament while crossing and set piece delivery was world class.
As someone who watch a lot of Turkey In the last month, even how he applauds and encourages his peers after a misplaced pass shows amazing maturity.

Keep an eye on this gem.

Name your best XI in the comments.

Dan

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