UEFA-Shortlist-Best-Player

UEFA has announced the ten-player shortlist for the of voting for the 2015/16 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award. This season marks the sixth addition of the award, won last season by Lionel Messi of Barcelona and Argentina.

The UEFA Best Player in Europe Award has previously been won by Lionel Messi a record two times (2011 & 2015), Andrés Iniesta (2012), Franck Ribéry (2013) and Cristiano Ronaldo (2014).

Due to the European Sports Media (ESM) group coming up with the initiative with UEFA, as in previous years, journalists from each of UEFA’s 54 member associations provided a list of their five best-ranked players ordered from one to five, with the first receiving five points, the second four and so on.

The ten-man shortlist of players with the most votes in alphabetical order is:

Gareth Bale (Real Madrid & Wales)
Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus & Italy)
Antoine Griezmann (Atlético Madrid & France)
Toni Kroos (Real Madrid & Germany)
Lionel Messi (Barcelona & Argentina)
Thomas Müller (Bayern München & Germany)
Manuel Neuer (Bayern München & Germany)
Pepe (Real Madrid & Portugal)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid & Portugal)
Luis Suárez (Barcelona & Uruguay)

In total, 37 players picked up votes including Wigan Atheltic’s Will Griggs despite playing in League One and not appearing for a single minute of Northern Ireland’s Euro 2016 campaign. Astonishingly the forward got more votes than Kevin de Bruyne and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and the same number as Paul Pogba.

Here is a full list of players that had at least one vote but missed out on the ten-man shortlist:

11 Riyad Mahrez (Leicester & Algeria)
12 Jamie Vardy (Leicester & England)
13 Dimitri Payet (West Ham & France)
14 Jérôme Boateng (Bayern München & Germany)
15 Arturo Vidal (Bayern München & Chile)
16 Luka Modrić (Real Madrid & Croatia)
17 N’Golo Kanté (Leicester & France)
18 Zlatan Ibrahimović (Paris Saint-Germain/Manchester United & Sweden)
19= Eden Hazard (Chelsea & Belgium)
19= Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona & Spain)
19= Neymar (Barcelona & Brazil)
19= Renato Sanches (Benfica/Bayern München & Portugal)
23 Robert Lewandowski (Bayern München & Poland)
24 Gonzalo Higuaín (Napoli & Argentina)
25= Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus & Italy)
25= Diego Godin (Atlético Madrid & Uruguay)
25= Will Grigg (Wigan & Northern Ireland)
25= Hugo Lloris (Tottenham & France)
25= Paul Pogba (Juventus & France)
30= Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham & Belgium)
30= Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund & Gabon)
30= Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City & Belgium)
30= Kevin Gameiro (Sevilla & France)
30= Grzegorz Krychowiak (Sevilla/Paris Saint-Germain & Poland)
30= Blaise Matuidi (Paris Saint-Germain & France)
30= Georges-Kévin N’Koudou (Marseille & France)
30= Jan Oblak (Atlético Madrid & Slovenia)

The journalists from each of UEFA’s 54 member associations will now cast their votes for the outright winner from the 10-man shortlist, which will be announced during the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League group stage draw in Monaco on 25 August.

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Euro-2016-TOTT-blog

Usually, when putting together a tournament best XI, the temptation is to cram extra forwards into the side at the expense of a defender or two, but looking back on Euro 2016, that won’t be the case this time.

As Portugal’s surprise victory over France in the final demonstrated, this was a tournament in which defensive organisation, commitment and team-work trumped the individual brilliance of some of the game’s biggest names.

Following the trend set by the likes of Leicester City and Atlético Madrid, teams like Iceland, Wales and champions Portugal recognised the value of having a strong unit, greater than the sum of its parts, and caused some major upsets.

GK – Rui Patricio (Portugal)

The Long-time Sporting CP goalkeeper didn’t put a foot wrong all tournament, and excelled in the 1-0 extra-time victory over France in the final, making a string of crucial saves to keep his sheet clean.

LB – Raphaël Guerreiro (Portugal)

Raphaël Guerreiro was marked out as one of the young players to keep an eye on before the Euros began thanks to his excellent season in Ligue 1. The young full-back didn’t disappoint as he was outstanding for Portugal throughout the competition. Guerrero’s performances will have Borussia Dortmund fans drooling at the prospect of having him in their side next season, after BVB secured the 22-year-old’s signature from Lorient.

CB – Pepe (Portugal)

Real Madrid centre-back Pepe is a figure of derision in many quarters due to his gamesmanship and penchant for the dramatic. But the 33-year-old won over many observers with his performances at Euro 2016. Pepe stood at the heart of the Portuguese defence, and was their most consistent and dependable performer, and would be my personal pick for player of the tournament.

CB – Leonardo Bonucci (Italy)

Juventus centre-half Leanardo Bonucci was already considered to be arguably the best player in the world in his position before the Euros kicked off, and his performances for Italy in their run to the quarter-finals served only to rubber stamp his status as perhaps the best defender in the world. Physical, athletic and strong in the challenge, the 29-year-old is also extremely comfortable in possession and able to play accurate, long, defence-splitting passes.

RB – Joshua Kimmich (Germany)

As a midfielder who spent most of his time at centre-back for Bayern Munich last season, 21-year-old Joshua Kimmich is used to adapting to new positions. And that’s exactly what he did for Germany at Euro 2016, turning out at right-back and playing as though he’d been operating in that role for a decade.

MD – Aaron Ramsey (Wales)

Gareth Bale may be the Welshman to grab most of the headlines, but Aaron Ramsey was the Dragons’ best player at Euro 2016. The Arsenal man demonstrated a steel and physicality that has not always been apparent in his game, while providing the key passes to fire his side into an unlikely semi-final. Ramsey missed Wales’ semi-final defeat to Portugal due to suspension; who knows what could’ve been had he been on the pitch.

MD – Toni Kroos (Germany)

Toni Kroos ended Euro 2016 with a pass accuracy of over 92%, and averaged 107 passes per match. The Germany midfielder was Mister Consistent for Joachim Löwe’s men. The 26-year-old was at his usual impervious best as he helped Die Mannschaft reach the semi-finals, before losing 2-0 to France despite dominating possession.

MD – Renato Sanches (Portugal)

Teenager Renato Sanches was named young player of the tournament, and he edges out Portugal team-mate William Carvalho to get into my XI. The Bayern Munch new boy was not a starter as the tournament kicked off, but at the competition progressed he forced his way into the side, making himself vital to his nation’s Euro glory with his energy, dynamism and drive from midfield.

RW – Gareth Bale (Wales)

Gareth Bale was pegged as the key man for Wales before the tournament began, with many suggesting that the Wales team was simply Bale plus 10. That assertion was wholly unfair on the rest of Chris Coleman’s men, but there is no doubt that Bale is the man they look to for attacking inspiration. And the Real Madrid man didn’t let his nation down as he bagged an impressive three goals on Wales’ run to the semi-finals.

CF – Antoine Griezmann (France)

Top scorer with six goals, and named the official player of the tournament by UEFA, Atlético Madrid forward Antione Griezmann had a fantastic Euro 2016. Despite a slow start – Griezmann was even dropped for France’s second group game – as soon as Didier Deschamps deployed the former Real Socieded man in a central position he came to life, scoring the goals that fired Les Bleus to the final. He was, however, unable to net his side’s best chance in the Final, as the hosts slumped to a shock defeat against Portugal.

LW – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)

Based purely on footballing performances, Ronaldo wouldn’t make this team. Undoubtedly the best player in the competition, and arguable the best European player of all time, Ronaldo’s on-field displays were largely disappointing. A strong second half in the final group game against Hungary and a solid display against Wales in the semi-final, were juxtaposed with some below-par performances, including a particularly wasteful game against Poland in the quarter-final.

But Ronaldo, as captain of the competition winners, gets in to this XI by virtue of the leadership he demonstrated in guiding an unfancied side to an unlikely triumph. And, although he wasn’t always at his best on the pitch, the former Manchester United man still managed to bag three goals, making him the second-highest scorer behind Griezmann.

About the author – Ryan Baldi

Ryan is a Midlands based freelance sports writer specialising in European football. He has been fascinated with the continental game ever since he was presented with his first football kit at the age of 7 years old whilst on holiday in Spain – a Barcelona shirt with ‘Romario 10’ printed on the back. A contributor to numerous footballing websites, Ryan has also covered martial arts for local and national print publications. Ryan’s musings on European football can be found here.

twitter: @RyanBaldiEFB

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MSN-v-BBC

Real Madrid’s attacking trio of Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo (BBC) go head-to-head with Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Neymar (MSN) in the second La Liga Clasico of the season.

Real Madrid will be out for revenge after losing 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabéu in November. The visitors attacking trio have some remarkable goal-scoring figures this season, but so have Barcelona’s.

Which of these Spanish giants attacking trios have the best statistics this season?

MSN-v-BBC-Stats

The last three La Liga Clasicos have finished Real Madrid 3-1 Barcelona, Barcelona 2-1 Real Madrid and Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona. 8 of the 11 goals have been scored by the BBC and MSN trios. Whichever strike-force performs the best on the day will likely seal victory for their team.

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Gareth-Bale-Kick-Start

Jackson Martínez – Atlético Madrid

Signed for €30 million in the summer, Atlético’s lust for the Colombian was hinged on the fact that they felt they had a ‘guaranteed’ striker; one who could come in from day one and add the striking firepower necessary for them to challenge for the title again.

After Mario Mandzukic failed to adequately replace Diego Costa in the previous season, the 29-year-old was seen as a safer option in that regard. “Simeone doesn’t want any surprises with his [number] nine this time, and so Jackson has arrived,” wrote Marca’s Alberto Polo, ahead of the season’s initiation.

Except, the ex-Porto man hasn’t been such a safe bet so far. He has scored just three times in 15 appearances for Atlético, and displayed few remnants of the dominance that typified his time in Portugal. But perhaps more pertinently, Jackson has struggled to adapt to the individual demands of Diego Simeone.

The situation isn’t so critical yet, given the recent history of stars taking their time to embrace such ways – namely Antoine Griezmann. But Jackson will have to make a more profound mark before the turn of the New Year, if he’s to stave off the encroaching pressure of Atlético’s other forward options.

Steven N’Zonzi – Sevilla

In a summer where Sevilla spent more money than ever before, Steven N’Zonzi represented one of the key members of their record outlay. Arriving from Stoke City for seven million euros, the 26-year-old appeared an ideal replacement for the departed Stéphane Mbia, and an effective foil to the combative Grzegorz Krychowiak.

But like most of Sevilla’s summer recruits not named Yehven Konoplyanka, the Frenchman is yet to make a defined mark in Andalucia. And what’s more, N’Zonzi has been the team’s most used summer signing in La Liga; starting seven of their 11 games to date, and receiving opportunities that a host of others are vying for.

In the all-encompassing rotation that Unai Emery and Sevilla rely on, particularly in midfield, those flattering to deceive won’t be persisted with for too long. Though the potential for N’Zonzi in the current team still seems exciting, Emery won’t be afraid to go a different route if the former Stoke man doesn’t up the stakes between now and the second half of the campaign.

Gareth Bale – Real Madrid

In a season where Real Madrid’s record signing has barely featured, the Welshman has still unintentionally found himself in the capital’s headlines. Though the reason for Bale’s stop-start campaign is due to injury, some high-profile figures in Madrid have put the blame on the player himself for his lack of fitness; while unfairly questioning his commitment to the club.

“You cost 100m euros Gareth, but you preferred to play 90 minutes against Andorra than play for Madrid,” wrote AS’ Tomas Roncero, after Bale’s participation for Wales prevented him from playing in los Blancos’ forthcoming game. 

In essence, it only serves to underline the fact that Bale still has plenty of work to do to win over the Madridismo. And now he’s healthy again, it’s time for the 26-year-old to become a key contributor in Real Madrid’s quest for honours.

With Cristiano Ronaldo’s form floundering on a rare occasion, the calls for Bale to step up – which seemingly will never go away as long as the Welshman is at the club – would be best served as soon as possible, for his own sake.

Rafael Van Der Vaart – Real Betis

Despite being made one of the highest earners at the time of his summer signing, Rafael Van Der Vaart’s assistance to a Real Betis team fighting to avoid relegation has been almost negligible so far. Through eleven games of the campaign, the Dutchman has appeared in just two of those, without completing ninety minutes in either.

Ahead of his move to Spain, the reports from the Bundesliga indicated the Van Der Vaart was struggling for form and ostensibly on the wane. But even still, followers of the Andalucian outfit are within their rights to expect a little more from a man with 100 international caps to his name, and one who is still only in his early 30’s.

“Betis is the perfect club for me to recover my level of playing,” Van Der Vaart told Marca earlier this month. Now he needs to show it, while letting his performances take pride over the bravado of the high-profile move. Otherwise, the Betis faithful won’t hesitate to retract their hospitality.

 Jonathas – Real Sociedad 

Much like Atlético and Jackson Martínez, the pitting together of Real Sociedad and Jonathas was supposed to give the Basque club a much-needed guarantee in the forward line. He had been prolific in a doomed Elche team last season, while the perceived upgrade in talent around him seemed to point towards a healthy link-up between player and club.

However, the Brazilian quickly fell out of favour under David Moyes, after only a handful of opportunities as the starting striker. In his place, the form of Imanol Aggiretxe has sentenced him to the bench. Or at least, it did.

With Moyes now relieved of his duties, there is a new sheriff in town. Eusebio Sacristán, most recently of Barcelona B, is the new coach at Anoeta, and for Jonathas in particular, it means a new opportunity to revive his campaign before it’s too late.

He might not be able to displace Agirretxe in the starting spot completely, should Eusebio continue the lone forward system, but he can certainly put pressure on the manager in regards to extending his participation.

About the author – Jamie Kemp

Jamie is a freelance sportswriter, who writes on English and Spanish varieties of football in the main. He is also the creator of the popular blog El Rondo; a spot where you can find regular musings on the world of La Liga.

twitter: @jamiekemp

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Long-Term-Identity-and-Success

Identity is underrated in football, but style is revered. However, style comes directly from the identity of a team, which can come in two forms – formation and player type. Over the years so many successful teams have had a strong identity coupled with a unique style of play, stemming from a good relationship between the formation and players used within it. In short, think of Barcelona from 2009-2011.

Identity is the nitty-gritty aspects of the game. Drills, formation training, the thinking behind how quickly opponents should be shut down, who to mark at set pieces – zonal or man mark? The basics that come with identity allow for style – the tricks and flicks.

That Barcelona team had a formation that was implemented and perfected over a number of years under Rijkaard and to a more prominent extent, Guardiola. Guardiola in particular was especially good at identifying the correct style of player to use in his formation. A simple square peg, square hole philosophy. Over time, Barcelona grew an identity that was desired by clubs worldwide; their high pressing, quick passing, through the lines football was quite simply breathtaking. No club side has come close to emulating the Catalans so far.

In South America, we’ll include Mexico for now, international teams are steeped in tradition. Managers will come and go on a regular basis, but formation and player type will almost always remain. Chile and Mexico are prime examples of sides who have used the same formations for a number of years and as such have claimed success in recent times. Using the 3-5-2 or 5-3-2 systems, each team built on their impressive World Cup appearances with silverware over the summer.

Chile have been particularly impressive and under Marcelo Bielsa disciple Jorge Sampaoli have really pushed on in the last two years, culminating in Copa America success this summer. Their style is derived from a formation that concentrates on utilising the players to the best of their ability. Although they rely heavily on Sanchez, Vidal and Vargas as a collective they are a force to be reckoned with and their defeat of Australia in the World Cup demonstrated how Chile can turn on the style at the drop of a hat. Their high pressure game draws similarities with Barcelona, but the style is wholly different as their ball retention is a slower and a lot less methodical. It can be argued that with their 2-0 victory over Brazil in the opening stages of CONMEBOL qualifying that Chile are now the strongest force in South America, in a formation and philosophy they have implemented over a number of years.

Mexico have also been under long-term guidance but this has changed in very recent times, since Miguel Herrera was removed from the hot seat after punching a reporter post their Gold Cup win. El Tri were desperately unlucky to lose to a resurgent Netherlands in the last 16 of the World Cup, but their electric style won them many fans. However, after Herrera’s dismissal Mexico have struggled for form, mainly due to a change in formation. Ricardo Ferretti is current caretaker boss and his orthodox 4-4-2 style is not suited to his squad, as a result Mexico suffered a humiliating draw with Trinidad and Tobago. With a crucial play off against the USA for the final Conferations Cup spot just around the corner it is almost certain that they will revert back to their traditional 5-3-2.

In Europe, things are starting to change. Long term philosophy was not necessarily the key for a number of sides, rather trying to fit players into formations that they were not suited to. However, Wales have taken the first steps to implementing a long-term identity by changing their formation to suit a squad, that outside of Bale and Ramsey, is really quite limited. Their adaptation of the 3-5-2 has come with a ‘hint of World Cup 2014′, as their use of wing-backs echoes the playing styles of Mexico, Chile and the Netherlands in the tournament. As such, their defensive record has improved massively, as two goals conceded in seven goals certainly suggests. Players such as Jazz Richard (full-back), Joe Ledley and of course Gareth Bale have particularly impressed over Wales’ outstanding qualifying campaign.

The Netherlands, have gone in a completely opposite direction. The team that impressed so greatly in the World Cup has been dismantled and reverted back to a 4-3-3 that simply no longer suits them or the player pool available to Danny Blind. It is noticeable that Blind is well out of his depth at this level.

Success almost always comes from long-term processes that are put in place, continuity between formations and playing style is wholly undervalued. Smaller teams are starting to adapt to long-term strategies and are achieving success, thus closing the gap in world football. Until big teams adapt this strategy, there will continue to be upsets.

About the Author – Ben Jarman

Freelance football writer with a penchant for Spanish and European football. Work published by Fulham FC, Italian FA and the Evening Standard.

Twitter: @sonikkicks

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Wales-on-the-Brink

A hat-trick from a widely unknown 17-year-old in the semi-final with France was followed by a brace in the final against hosts Sweden. The year was 1958, with the teenager in question inspiring Brazil to their first ever World Cup and kick-starting a spell of dominance that would see the Selecao triumph in two of the next three editions of football’s biggest tournament.

Things could have been very different, though: Pele, the young striker who wowed the watching public that summer in Scandinavia, went on to establish himself as one of the greatest footballers to have ever played the game, but even the man himself later acknowledged that his winning goal in the narrow 1-0 win over Wales in the first knockout round game was the most important he ever scored. Having begun the tournament sidelined with a knee injury, that strike guaranteed Pele’s place in the team for the encounters with France and Sweden that did so much for his personal profile.

A man of the Brazilian’s extraordinary talent would surely have made his mark at some point in the future anyway, but it is interesting that Pele highlights the clash with Wales as integral to the magnificent career he went on to have.

“It was a difficult game but I have good memories as I scored the goal that took Brazil to the semi-finals and, eventually, led us to win the Cup,” he later said. “That goal gave me confidence. Wales marked very tightly at the back and I remember getting the ball, turning and squeezing it into the corner of the net. I consider it the most important goal I’ve ever scored – it gave me the confidence to continue my career.”

On the other side of the coin, Wales were somewhat unfortunate to lose. John Charles, the legendary former Leeds United, Juventus and Cardiff City striker, was missing through injury, with many of his team-mates believing that the presence of the burly frontman could have made the difference. 57 years on, Wales have yet to appear in another major international tournament.

All of that could be about to change, however: Chris Coleman’s side, who lead Group B in qualification for next summer’s European Championship in France, require just a single point from their final two games with Bosnia-Herzegovina and Andorra to reach the competition proper.

It has been a truly fantastic campaign for the Welsh. Critics of the expansion of the Euros from 16 teams to 24 have argued that the inclusion of eight more sides will lead to a dilution in quality as smaller nations sneak in through the back door; Wales, though, currently top their group and would therefore be on course to qualify under the old format too.

Gareth Bale has clearly been pivotal to their progress – Wales are now ranked eighth in the world after finding themselves in 117th place in 2011 – but labelling them a one-man team is harsh. Indeed, the fact that Coleman’s charges have kept five consecutive clean sheets and conceded no goals from open play in eight matches is evidence of their terrific defensive organisation and commitment, while the former Fulham and Real Sociedad boss also deserves praise for finding a system and approach that gets the best out of the Real Madrid star – after all, despite Ryan Giggs’ exploits at the highest level for Manchester United, his country were never able to successfully build a competitive team around him.

Wales are almost certain to reach Euro 2016 given that Andorra await next Tuesday, but the Dragons will be desperate to confirm their qualification as soon as possible with a draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Saturday.

The whole of Wales will be watching the drama unfold in Sarajevo, hoping that their nation completes what would be a remarkable accomplishment. Somewhere in Brazil, maybe even Pele will be following the action with interest.

About the Author – Greg Lea

Freelance football writer. Work published by FourFourTwo, The Guardian, World Soccer, Goal, The National, Squawka, Eurosport, The Blizzard + others.

Twitter @GregLeaFootball

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Mateo-Kovacic

It was a signing that caught many people by surprise. With Gareth Bale, Isco and James Rodriguez all already vying for the No. 10 role in Rafael Benitez’s favoured 4-2-3-1 setup, the addition of another attacking midfielder did not seem like an urgent requirement for Real Madrid. Indeed, almost as soon as Croatian playmaker Mateo Kovacic sealed his €32 million from Inter, predictions of stagnation on the substitutes’ bench were aired.

The 21-year-old, though, has been handed a chance to shine earlier than expected: with Bale and Rodriguez both absent through injury, Kovacic was included in Benitez’s starting XI for the first time against Athletic Club last Wednesday and then looked bright after coming on as a substitute in Saturday’s encounter with Malaga, even though Madrid dropped points with a disappointing goalless draw at the Santiago Bernabeu.

With Bale and Rodriguez expected to be back for Saturday’s derby with Atletico, Kovacic’s performances have given Benitez something of a selection headache; while the Wales international is still likely to get the nod given his previous form and status as a favourite of president Florentino Perez, Kovacic has certainly won over some of the doubters who questioned whether he was good enough to make an instant impact at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Against Athletic last Wednesday, Kovacic was deployed not as a No. 10 but as part of a midfield trio in a 4-3-3 configuration when Madrid had the ball and as a central midfielder tasked with covering the left flank in a 4-4-2 when Benitez’s side were out of possession, with Cristiano Ronaldo moving up front alongside Karim Benzema.

The Croatian’s versatility will not be a surprise to those who watched him during his two-and-a-half-years in Italy: Kovacic played as a regista in front of the defence, as a central attacking playmaker and even out on the left, a position he was regularly used in at first club Dinamo Zagreb.

After giving the ball away twice early on, Kovacic soon settled into the game in the Basque country as Madrid took control. His passing was sharp and accurate, and his willingness to carry the ball forward helped Los Blancos to transition from defence to attack quickly.

Karim Benzema opened the scoring in the 19th minute after an error from Athletic defender Mikel San Jose, and Kovacic was unfortunate not to double Madrid’s lead just before the interval.

After driving forward with the ball at his feet, the 21-year-old picked out Benzema out wide and, continuing his run into the box, brilliantly controlled the return ball with his right foot before forcing a fine save from Gorka Iraizoz Moreno with his left.

Madrid had to dig in after the break, with Kovacic contributing to a resolute second-half showing as the visitors ground out a 2-1 victory.

Saturday’s encounter with Malaga was frustrating, with Madrid failing to beat a side who have still yet to score a single goal this season.

Kovacic began the game on the bench but was introduced in the 60th minute and immediately made an impact. Though Madrid could not find the breakthrough, Kovacic again impressed.

“He has a lot of quality and dynamism,” Benitez said of the former Inter string-puller last week. “I already knew him from Italian football and I know what he can give us.”

The imminent return of Bale and Rodriguez will make things more difficult for Kovacic, but the man once described as a “mixture of Kaka and Clarence Seedorf” by former Italy boss Giovanni Trapattoni has certainly made a positive early impression.

About the Author – Greg Lea

Freelance football writer. Work published by FourFourTwo, The Guardian, World Soccer, Goal, The National, Squawka, Eurosport, The Blizzard + others.

Twitter @GregLeaFootball

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