Anwar Ibrahim (Cairo)
Opta, the statistics and records organization, is keen to put together the ideal formation after every major tournament, and this is what it did for the European Nations Cup “Euro 2024”, which ended with Spain winning after beating England 2-1 in the final match.
The best lineup did not include any player from the French national team, which was eliminated in the semi-finals by Spain, while it included 5 stars from “La Roja”. Surprisingly, it did not include Rodri, the shining star of Manchester City, who was chosen as the best player in the tournament by the organizing committee and the European Union “UEFA”.
The Spanish national team deserved to win the tournament that was held in Germany, as it finished all its matches with a perfect score, starting from the group stage, through the round of 16, the quarter-finals, the semi-finals, and then the final match, which it concluded with a victory over England.
Opta chose one player from England, the runner-up, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Georgia, while it chose two players from Germany, the tournament organiser.
She also chose Georgian goalkeeper Mamardashvili (23 years old) who was amazing in his saves, as he successfully stopped 30 shots on goal out of 38 shots, and excelled in decisive interventions, thus surpassing by 12 saves any other goalkeeper in the tournament.
The typical formation as prepared by Opta includes Mamardashvili in goal, Joshua Kimmich at right-back, Manuel Akanji and Marc Guehi at centre-back, Marc Cucurella at left-back, Toni Kroos and Fabian Ruiz in midfield, while the attack consists of wingers Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams, with Dani Olmo and Cody Gakpo at centre-forward.
Opta justified its choices by saying that Swiss defender Manuel Akanji, 28, was solid and well-positioned, as he is with his club Manchester City, and described him as a “rock.” Marc Guehi, 24, the only Englishman in the squad and a Crystal Palace soldier, excelled in the tackles, while Spanish full-back Cucurella was aggressive in defense and had positive offensive initiatives.
Fabian Ruiz, 28, a Paris Saint-Germain player, was the only choice that surprised some, as Opta preferred him over Rodri, while Toni Kroos, 34, was chosen for his keen vision and distinctive tactics. There was no disagreement over Opta’s choices for attacking stars Lamine Yamal, 17, Nico Williams, 22, Dani Olmo, 26, and Gakpo, 25.
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