Our team of the tournament

AFTER a thoroughly enjoyable tournament and 16 days of watching eight teams battle it out in four different locations, it was the Germans that came out on top.

On our walk back to the hostel after the night of the final myself and Mark both discussed which players would make it in to our teams of the tournament. So similar were our selections, we decided to combine them and post them as one.

So here is the team we decided on:

GK - Manuel Neuer (Germany) – A commanding figure throughout the whole competition and made a whole host a top notch saves, especially in the semi-final against Italy, to keep his side in the running.

RB - Andreas Beck (Germany) – Always looked to get involved from right-back and capped a fine semi-final performance with a goal.

CB - Jerome Boateng (Germany) – An integral part of the German defence that only conceded one goal all tournament.

CB - Benedikt Howedes (Germany) – Along with Boateng, provided the solid foundations for his country’s triumph, whilst also scoring the opener against Finland in the group stages.

LB - Kieran Gibbs (England) – Despite England’s leaky defence, always looked confident and composed on the ball and dealt with any threats down his flank well.

RM - James Milner (England) – Arguably England’s best player, the Aston Villa midfielder’s superb work rate and versatility were crucial in helping his side reach the final.

MC - Gonzalo Castro (Germany) – An unsung hero in the heart of the German side. Popped up with two goals in two games against England and his forward runs created problems throughout the tournament.

MC - Mesut Ozil (Germany) – Finished with the most assists and saved his best performance for the final. Always looked dangerous on the ball and able to unpick the tightest of defences.

LM - Sebastian Giovinco (Italy) – The little magician was at the heart of everything the Italians created going forward. Played a delightful through ball for Mario Balotelli’s goal against Sweden and caused problems throughout the whole competition.

CF - Ola Toivonen (Sweden) – Constantly creating chances for himself and his team, the fair haired Swede firmly established himself as a fans’ favourite.

CF - Marcus Berg (Sweden) – An impressive seven goals in just four games meant he took home the golden boot and almost sent his country into the final, but his header came back off the crossbar in the semi-final against England. Looks likely to have earned a big-money summer transfer.

Subs

GK - Andrea Consigli (Italy) – Displayed an impressive range of saves, especially in the opening game against Serbia and the semi-final against Germany.

RB – Marco Motta (Italy) – A solid leader for the Italians and joined in with attacking play well.

DC – Micah Richards (England) – Put his body on the line countless times and his dominance in the air paid earned him a goal against Finland.

CM - Gojko Kacar (Serbia) – Proved to be a real box-to-box midfielder and his hard work was rewarded with a bundled goal against the hosts Sweden.

CM - Sergei Kislyak (Belarus) – Scored a stunning goal against the hosts and then found the net again against Italy.

RM - Rasmus Elm (Sweden) – Creative influence from midfield for the hosts.

ST - Robert Acquafresca (Italy) – A real poacher for the Italians. Always seemed to be in the right place at the right time.