After the groups- Euro 2012 team of the tournament to date

After the austerity of the World Cup in South Africa and last summers Copa América, this year’s European Championship feels like something of a throwback. The contests have been exciting, the refereeing generally excellent, and teams playing positive football have generally profited.

We’ve seen some big sides underperform, and some that have acquitted themselves well miss out on the quarter finals. Russia’s staggering, if somewhat predictable, collapse was no less heartbreaking for their supporters than those of a Croatia side who just feel short in Group C. 

Germany have hardly broken a sweat in topping the fiendishly even-matched (at least, from what it appeared outset) group B, while it’s a measure of the standards being demanded now of Spain that many critics have been underwhelmed as they claimed 7 points. None of their players quite made this XI, but those on the bench all came very close.

Holland- total meltdown

Big players have failed to turn up, most abundantly in Holland’s dismal exit. Players in essentially limited sides have excelled, and several who’ve already departed have caught the eye. Finding a middle ground between the best individuals and those who might, theoretically, form a balanced starting XI is no easy task but here this writer has erred on the side of the former whilst keeping an eye on the latter.

Naturally, there are players omitted here, at least from the initial XI, who’ve performed excellently- none more so, perhaps, than the duo of Andrea Pirlo and Andrés Iniesta. Again, this is where the question of balance comes into play. Every midfield needs a water carrier, yet the dynamic Sami Khedira has been that and so much for Germany.

In a tournament of few genuinely outstanding goalkeeping performances, it seems reasonable to go with the two most dependable; Manuel Neuer and Gigi Buffon. In truth, there is very little to separate the pair.

Giorgio Chiellini- Colossus

The most straightforward selection is the heart of the defence. Here, Juventus’ Giorgio Chiellini has been a rock. Combative, clever and masterful in the air he provided the steel that saw his side come ever so close to shutting out Spain. His leadership will be missed against England. 

At his side, the stylish Mats Hummels proved impossible to overlook. Now a double Bundesliga winner, he’s given the continent a clear demonstration of his prowess than was missed in Borussia Dortmund’s disappointing Champions League campaign.

Bt contrast, the most difficult position in terms of who to omit has been the full-back area, not just in terms of those in a first XI but also for those in reserve. But, to my mind, both Fábio Coentrão and Darijo Srna deserved their selection. Coentrão. hindered by the presence of the excellent Marcelo at Real Madrid has at times appeared something of a luxury utility man over the past season. But here, his energy and drive have reminded us of the excitement he created in breaking onto the world stage in South Africa two summers ago.

Shakhtar Donetsk’s Darijo Srna may be capable of playing at fullback, on the wing, and even at the base of midfield, but the Croatian is anything but a utility figure. Here in this tournament, starting at rightback he’s shown us every facet of his game, and given a masterclass in how to impose yourself on a game from a nominally defensive position. His relentless energy, timing and positional sense- along with his ability to read the game and whip in a cross- makes him a nailed on starter in this XI.

Luca Modric excelled against Spain

Srna wasn’t the only Croatian to impress. In midfield, Luca Modric had an excellent tournament. Having controlled their opening game against Ireland, his move further up the park from his deep-lying role was a game changer against Italy. His intelligence in finding space against the World Champions Spain in their narrow defeat reinforced the initial impression, and he could well be the standout performer to be absent as we move to the knockout stages.

João Moutinho- Deco's heir

With Khedira alongside him, another impressive man in the middle- even if his most important work is often far from eye catching- is João Moutinho. An all rounder in a Portuguese midfield of all rounders, what has been most striking has been his organisational capability, wedded to his smart and constructive use of possession.

The forward line was another area where the slenderest of margins came into play. Again, the question of striking a balance is important, but also taken into account has been the overall impact upon games. It is for that reason, that despite his goals, Mario Gomez just misses out. But there’s every chance the Bayern Munich man will go on to be be crowned the competition’s top goalscorer.

Ibra- gone, but not forgotten

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, alongside Modric has probably had the best tournament of those who’ve already departed. There was a little bit of everything in the big Swede’s play- touch, link up play, aerial ability and of course goals. The limitations of some of his team-mates, and his ability to shine even as his team performed poorly in their opener against Ukraine is a testament to this serial winner’s refusal to countenance defeat.

Completing the attack, we have the tournament’s surprise emergence alongside a player tipped by many in the know of great things who certainly hasn’t disappointed. It took a mere three minutes for Wolfsburg’s Mario Madzukic to demolish the aura of defensive strength surrounding Giovanni Trappatoni’s Republic of Ireland. He went on to dominate both Richard Dunne and Seán St. Ledger so comprehensively in the air as to render the veteran coach’s set-up redundant, and turned out another thoroughly impressive display to haul his side level against Italy on the back of that. 

The final inclusion is CSKA Moscow’s Alan Dzagoev. The man from the Caucasus has long been something of an enigma, albeit one who announced his presence to us with a wonderfully taken goal at Old Trafford as far back as 2009. Here, he netted himself three and despite not scaling the same heights as Russia were eliminated by Greece, he still showed far more than any of his more established team-mates.

(4-3-3)

Manuel Neuer (GER)

Fábio Coentrão (POR)

Giorgio Chiellini (ITA)

Mats Hummels (GER)

Darijo Srna (CRO)

Luca Modric (CRO)

Sami Khedira (GER)

João Moutinho (POR)

Mario Mandzukic (CRO)

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (SWE)

Alan Dzagoev (RUS)

Bench:

Gianluigi Buffon (ITA)

Phillip Lahm (GER)

Theodor Gebeiselassie (CZE)

Olof Mellberg (SWE)

Pepe (POR)

Giorgos Karagounis (GRE)

Andrés Iniesta (ESP)

Andrea Pirlo (ESP)

Mesut Ozil (GER)

Cesc Fabregas (ESP)

Cristiano Ronaldo (POR)

Mario Gomez (GER)

Chat with Radio Cadena SER ahead of Ireland v Spain

Ahead of Ireland's game against Spain in group C, I spoke to Jesus Gallego on the Spanish national radio station Cadena SER about our chances of getting something against the World and European Champions.

The audio can be found below.

Joseph Sexton - Cadena SER Irlanda x España

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La Liga: Five reasons why Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid won the title

Joseph Sexton

for 

 

José Mourinho was tasked by Florentino Pérez in May 2010 to knock Barcelona off their perch. Last Wednesday, as the players held the Portuguese aloft at San Mamés, he had achieved that target. Real Madrid have now won 32 league titles in their glittering history. But few, if any, have come at the expense of a rival of such potency.  

That’s because few sides in the history of the game match up to the Catalans. To hoover up trophies as Barcelona have done under Pep Guardiola is something remarkable, and while many will focus on the style with which they achieved their success, less have looked at the hunger, the drive, that underpinned that. This year, Madrid’s hunger was insatiable, and this is why they are champions of Spain.

It’s been a bumpy ride for Mourinho. Discord within and without the camp have threatened to undermine the meringue challenge at key moments. Sometimes, internal grievances have received the most public of airings. At others, the vitriol of the press- many of the same Madrid-based ones who painted Mourinho as a saint before the bruising four game clásico series in April 2011- have latterly been queuing up to throw rocks.

At times, it seemed certain he would be departing at the end of this season. Few now doubt that he will stay. And if Madrid have bagged this title with considerable style, it is worth looking at some of the key factors behind their success

1. Benzema’s renaissance

José Mourinho had spent most of his first summer at Real moaning about the lack of strikers. When injury on the eve in that infamous 5-0 defeat at Camp Nou ruled Gonzalo Higuaín out for some 5 months, the cupboard was bare. Karim Benzema was a flagship Florentino Pérez signing, but the manager didn’t like the look of the young Frenchman. Nor was he impressed by his attitude. “When you don’t have a dog, sometimes you have to hunt with a cat”, he lamented. Rather than hunt with this cat, he signed Emanuel Adebayor on loan.

This season, Benzema has been a man reborn. Right from those two ferociously intense Supercopa clashes that opened the season, it was clear that he’d come back determined, and a few kilos lighter. Given his rival for the centre forward position’s numbers, supplanting Higuaín in the role is some achievement. His blend of finesse and physique has given defenders nightmares.

2. Sidelining Ricardo Carvalho

It might sound counterintuitive at first. For almost a decade now, Mourinho’s former Chelsea and Porto lieutenant had been one of the world’s top defenders- and one of the smartest. In his first season in Madrid, he had clearly been the top dog. But maybe time was catching up with.

Although initially an enforced move, moving Sergio Ramos to centre has made Real Madrid a better team. The Spain international may be guilty of positional lapses, but his athleticism allows Real to pressure much higher up the park than they could with Carvalho. Alongside Pepe, his aerial dominance has been a massive asset.

3. Attitude

Last year’s title was not lost in the clásicos- it was lost in defeats to lowly sides like Sporting and Osasuna, games where Real Madrid failed to score. Last September, the loss at Levante followed by a draw against Sporting suggested it might be more of the same again. Instead, they went on a run of wins extending all the way to the visit of Barcelona in December.

That clásico blew the title race wide open once more. Madrid’s capacity to respond would be everything.

They won their next ten games, as Barça shed further points.

Their ability to come back has also been a standout factor. Victories from losing positions against Rayo, Atlético, Mallorca, Athletic, Zaragoza, Levante, Sporting and Sevilla spoke of a side for whom that defeat was not an acceptable outcome. Real have beaten teams in a variety of ways this season, but it is this attitude that has helped them over the line.

4. Firepower

We’ve mentioned Benzema already. He now has 20 league goals. Despite his limited minutes, Higuaín has chipped in with 22. José Callejón has sprung 5 goals from the bench, many of them crucial in changing games. No full back has scored more than Marcelo. And only Lionel Messi has scored more than Cristiano Ronaldo’s 44. With David Villa injured, Barcelona have been overly dependent on Lionel Messi. Ronaldo may be equally totemic to his side, but it’s clear that his colleagues also know the way to goal. In all competitions, the trident of Ronaldo-Benzema-Higuaín have contributed a staggering total of 117 goals.

5 Put up- and... shut up

Just as in Italy, the press in Spain have been Mourinho’s bête noire. So charming and adept was he at pulling strings and setting the news agenda at Chelsea, it may be hard to fathom the antipathy that now exists between him and the media. But Milan, as Mourinho swiftly found out, is not England. And Real Madrid is a club like no other.

In his recent book, Graham Hunter illustrates just how badly Mourinho had misjudged matters a year ago. Puffed up by his side’s Copa del Rey final victory at the Mestalla the previous week, he went on the warpath against Barcelona’s coach ahead of the Champions League semi-final. Guardiola, a man so eloquent and dignified in his public persona that it almost seems painful for him at times, decided he’d had enough. The gloves were off. In a masterpiece of rhetoric, he responded to his rival’s jibes in the most forthright of manners.

More importantly, his team did the business on the pitch. For what good are words when you can’t back them up?

Ever since that moment sections of the Madrid-based press were out for Mourinho, and well he knew it. After all, just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not all out to get you. Last weekend at the Santiago Bernabéu, Sid Lowe explained just how poisonous the relationship had become.

“It seems clear now that the initial agenda- at least from Marca- driven as ever some sections within the club, was to build José up as being the saviour. AS [the other principal Madrid sports daily], on the other hand, whose editor Alfredo Relaño has great admiration for this current Barça, always had a slightly different take. In the end, attending the post match briefings was joyless. At times, the prospect of dealing with Mourinho had become tense, to say the least. Sometimes, even the most innocuous of questions would draw a caustic and utterly dismissive response”. In the end, Mourinho chose to see agendas at play everywhere.

This is why the aftermath of their 1-1 draw at Villarreal marked a key turning point. For the second game in a row, Madrid had surrendered a lead to a late free kick. And not for the first time in recent weeks, they’d played well below par. Moreover- and at this point is worth noting Jorge Valdano’s words on Cadena SER that, if anyone had any right to be aggrieved, it was Villarreal- the officiating had infuriated Real. 

Fitness trainer, Rui Faría, had been sent to the stands in the first half. In the immediate aftermath of Villarreal’s equaliser, he was followed swiftly by Sergio Ramos, Mourinho himself, and Mesut Ozil of all people. Madrid had lost their heads; lost their papers, as the Spanish phrase goes. Their lead had been trimmed from 10 to 6 points. And their season was in danger of falling apart

Then, something unexpected happened. We waited for the denunciations of Mourinho. And waited.

In vain. For in his place came the number two, Aitor Karanka. The following weekend, the Basque former defender did the same. And every other week. In fact, outside of Champions League briefings, we’ve not heard from Mourinho since. Until, of course, last Wednesday. Mourinho had let himself down and been badly burned in his dealings with the press at the climax of last season. This year, he’d learned his lesson.

Sometimes it’s best to shut up. But you also have to front up.

Mourinho has done both.

You can follow Joseph @josephsbcn

This article originally appeared on STV Sport