Midfielders
Central Midfielder- Andres Iniesta, Spain
Spain’s World Cup hero in 2010 and last edition’s Player of the Tournament began Euro 2016 in sensational style, assisting Spain’s winning goal in their tournament opener against the Czech Republic while troubling them with his skillful play. He continued his good form with another stellar performance against Turkey where he orchestrated the flow of the game and baffled the Turkish players through his trickery.
He was also involved in the build-up to Spain’s third goal by Alvaro Morata. It was Iniesta’s long ball that found Alba who then set up Morata to score the goal. Eventually, Spain won the match 3-0 and advanced to the knockout phase.
Spain lost their final group game against Croatia but Iniesta put up a decent performance as he marshalled Spain’s midfield, setting up attacks for his teammates. Iniesta has been in sensational form for Spain and has been named the Man of the Match in two of Spain’s group games. His form will be crucial as Spain now face a resilient Italy side in the round of 16.
Central Midfielder- Granit Xhaka, Switzerland
The Swiss midfielder who will be moving to Arsenal soon after the Euros has been Switzerland’s best player of the tournament so far. Switzerland began their Euro campaign against debutants Albania where Xhaka was up against his older brother Taulant. The younger Xhaka orchestrated the midfield beautifully and was crucial in breaking the play and setting up attacks.
Switzerland won the match 1-0 and Xhaka was awarded the Man of the Match for his performances. The 23-year old followed this with another Man of the Match performance against Romania where Switzerland came from behind to draw the game 1-1.
In Switzerland’s final group game against France, Xhaka played most of the game as a defensive midfielder as he shielded the backline time and again. He was involved in breaking the play and orchestrated the flow of the game. Xhaka has been in fine form so far and he will have to be at the top of his game if Swtizerland are to defeat Poland in their round of 16 clash.
Left Winger- Dimitri Payet, France
The West Ham midfielder was coming to the Euros at the back of a terrific season with the Hammers where he was named in the PFA Team of the Year for his league performances. Payet has been in scintillating form in the Euros right from the beginning as he provided the assist for France’s opening goal and scored a spectacular long ranger in France’s 2-1 victory against Romania in their tournament opener.
He continued his good form in the tournament as he scored France’s second goal against Albania which helped France qualify for the knockout stages.Payet was initially benched for the third game against Switzerland but was brought on in the second half as a substitute and looked lethal as he hit the crossbar with a powerful volley.
The former Mariseille man was adjudged the Man of the Match in France’s opening two games and is a top contender for both Player of the Tournament and Top scorer. If Payet can maintain his consistency then he might inspire France to a record-equalling third European Championship.
Right Winger- Ivan Perisic, Croatia
The Inter Milan winger was Croatia’s top scorer in the Euro qualifiers with six goals. Croatia began their Euro campaign with a 1-0 win over Turkey and Perisic put up a decent performance in the game as he was involved in setting up attacks in addition to taking a number of shots at goal, hitting the crossbar once.
In Croatia’s second game against Czech Republic, Perisic opened his account by scoring Croatia’s opening goal of the game in an eventual 2-2 draw.
However, his best performance came in the team’s final group game against tournament favorites Spain. Perisic set up numerous attacks throughout the game and provided the assist for Nikola Kalinic’s equalizer in the 45th minute after Spain had taken the lead in the 7th minute of the match.
With three minutes left on the clock, he scored the winner through a left footed shot past Spanish goalkeeper David De Gea to win the match for Croatia. Croatia subsequently topped their group and Perisic was awarded the Man of the Match for his performances. Perisic is currently Croatia’s top scorer of the tournament and Perisic will be expected to continue his good form when Croatia face Portugal in the round of 16.
