My Team of the Tournament

So here we are this is my last blog post in this guise. I would like to sign off with my team of the tournament. I went for a (4-3-2-1) formation.

Goalkeeper

Iker Casillas (Spain): At 31, there are plenty of years ahead for the Real Madrid stopper, who provided a rock-solid last line of defence if ever the Spanish backline was breached.  There's no safer pair of hands in world football than those of Casillas right now.

Defenders

Phillip Lahm (Germany): Lahm, who played a starring role in Germany's impressive march to the semi-finals and can play in both full-back berths.

Sergio Ramos (Spain):  The Seville-born 26-year-old trimmed his long locks but lost none of his footballing powers, at times looking like the more accomplished centre-back alongside Pique. Ramos was also a handful in the attacking third - and will be fondly remembered for cheekily scoring 'that' penalty in the shoot-out with Portugal.

Gerard Pique (Spain): The Barcelona star put any club rivalry with Ramos aside to form a central defensive partnership which could serve Spain for many years to come, especially as Pique is only 25. It's hard to remember him putting a foot wrong in the entire tournament.

Jordi Alba (Spain): Hats off to Barcelona for arranging the signature of Alba from Valencia for £12million before the tournament kicked off - as his market value has probably doubled following his stellar performances. The 23-year-old's pace, skill and ambition down the left flank was a joy to behold, and the way he clinically finished Spain's second goal in the final.

Midfielders

Xabi Alonso (Spain):  The 30-year-old often plays in the shadow of his more eye-catching team-mates, but he really stepped up to the plate in Poland and Ukraine, providing the midfield heartbeat of the team, spraying the ball around with consummate ease - and chipping in with two goals too.

Steven Gerrard (England): Liverpool talisman Gerrard has finally been given the freedom to rule the roost for country as well as club - and rewarded Roy Hodgson's faith in him with a true captain's innings. His ability to put the ball on a six pence set up goals for Joleon Lescott, Andy Carroll and Wayne Rooney.

Andrea Pirlo (Italy): Pundits were starting to run out of superlatives for playmaker Pirlo, so it's a good job he never got a look in against Spain in Kiev. Del Bosque got his tactics spot on, ensuring the 33-year-old never got any time or space on the ball - and was on the edge of his own penalty box whenever he did get any possession. But putting the final aside, Pirlo had a tremendous tournament, keeping the Italians on the job until he produced a midfield masterclass which bewitched and bedazzled a previously-impressive Germany outfit, who could only watch and admire his definitive display of movement and elegant passing.

Attacking midfielders

David Silva (Spain): Silva's fine form for Manchester City meant Spain's loss of star striker David Villa was softened slightly - and he revelled in being given an attacking free role, scoring twice and creating three goals. The 26-year-old was a joy to behold and a nightmare to mark as he roamed all over the attacking third creating havoc and chances aplenty. He was also in the right place at the right time when it really mattered, finishing off a flowing move involving Iniesta and Fabregas with a quite brilliant angled header to open the scoring against the Italians in the final.

Andres Iniesta (Spain): The 28-year-old may not have found the back of the net in Poland or Ukraine - but his influence on Spain's play and tempo was as great as ever.

Forward

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal): It looked like the tournament might pass him by when Portugal limped to an opening group defeat by Germany. But after a thrilling 3-2 win over Denmark, Ronaldo clicked into gear, putting on his prolific goal-scoring boots to bag a deadly double against the Dutch. That display laid the foundations for his terrific display against the Czech Republic.

I would like to thank everybody who followed and commented on my posts. Your support is greatly appreciated.

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Reign of Spain in Ukraine

All-conquering Spain made it back-to-back European Championships with a commanding 4-0 win over Italy on Sunday. Vicente del Bosque's side set their attacking marker out early and were at their imperious best as they took a 2-0 first-half lead via goals from David Silva and Jordi Alba.

Substitutes Fernando Torres and Juan Mata then added goals at the death to wrap up the victory.

History lesson

Spain wrote their names into the history books with the win over Italy. Del Bosque's side became the first team in history to successfully defend their European Championship crown, while they also became the first European side to win three consecutive major tournaments, following the 2010 World Cup win sandwiched in between. The debate will continue as to whether they are the greatest team in history but statistics prove they are better than the likes of the Brazil, Holland and West Germany sides of the 1970s and the French team of 1998 and 2000.

Men on a mission

In the build-up, Spain had claimed to not have been bothered by the 'boring' tag which their critics had started to sneer following a lack of end product to their passing game. But Del Bosque's team began the final with a clear intent to make a statement. In the opening 13 minutes Spain completed 103 passes out of 116 and then opened the scoring via Silva. It was a fantastic start and set the tone for the rest of the match.

Silva lining

Silva did not earn the praise of the likes of Andrea Pirlo or team-mate Xavi at Euro 2012, but he took his excellent form, which helped Manchester City to the Premier League title, into the finals. Silva was involved in the most goals at Euro 2012. He scored two, including one in the final, and assisted three. Also, only Torres and David Villa (four) have now scored more goals than Silva for Spain at the Euros.

Importance of Headers

Silva scored the 22nd headed goal of Euro 2012, a record tally in the history of the European Championship. This could be taken as an indication of the importance of sides now playing with three-pronged attacks and more forwards in wide areas to supply crosses. The accuracy of set-plays throughout the tournament has been another factor.

No way through

With yet another clean sheet, Spain's defence extended a fine record of not having conceded a goal in almost 1000 minutes of action in major tournament knockout games, a streak which amazingly started in the quarter finals of Euro 2008. It also means they had the best defensive record at Euro 2012 with only one goal conceded - against the Italians in their first match of the group stage.

 Pirlo tamed

Pirlo had been the scourge of Germany and England in the previous two knock-out rounds but could not have the same influence on this game. Spain gave the Juventus midfielder no time on the ball, sometimes swamping him in numbers, so he was forced deep and often had to pass backwards. Tellingly, the 33-year-old's most significant contribution to this game was tackling Andres Iniesta in his own box in the first half as the Spanish midfielder looked to score.

Out of luck

Italy were always going to be up against it, but ran out of luck as the game wore on. They were already two goals down by the time Thiago Motta was carried away on a stretcher after damaging his hamstring. With three changes having already been made, they were forced to see out the final half-an-hour with 10 men. They did well to keep Spain at bay until the final six minutes, but a late flurry was always on the cards. A four-goal defeat was harsh on the Azzurri, but they can be proud of their efforts at a tournament in which few expected them to mount a challenge.

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Euro 2012 Final Preview

After 30 enthralling games which have yielded 72 goals, the winners of Euro 2012 will be crowned on Sunday night as Spain and Italy face-off.

History of Success

Spain, who lifted the World Cup in South Africa in 2010, are defending the title of European champions they claimed four years ago and can become the first nation to retain the Henri Delaunay Trophy.

Italy's last major tournament success came in the 2006 World Cup in Germany, a competition they have won four times, but they have secured European glory on just one previous occasion, back in 1968.

Sunday's showdown will be a repeat of the opening game of Group C in Gdansk on 10th June, when Antonio Di Natale stepped off the bench to give Italy the lead just after the hour mark only for Cesc Fabregas to grab a swift leveller for Vicente del Bosque's side.

The head-to-head record of the two nations makes for interesting reading, as from 30 meetings in both competitive and friendly action Italy have won 10, Spain eight, with 12 matches drawn.

But if you delve a little deeper, it emerges that Spain's last competitive victory over Italy came in their first-ever meeting in the 1920 Olympic Games, with their seven successes since that date all from friendly fixtures.

It should be noted that the Iberian outfit were victorious on penalties against Italy in Euro 2008 after their quarter-final contest ended 0-0 after 120 minutes, but the record books class this as a draw.

Favourites Tag
Having swept all before them at international level in recent times, Spain entered Euro 2012 as the favourites, a standing they have retained heading into the final despite a perception that they have not hit the heights of previous years.

The absence of star striker David Villa through injury has doubtless hampered Del Bosque's selection, with Barcelona's former Arsenal midfielder Fabregas employed as the focal point of the attack in the group clash with Italy and against France in the quarter-finals.

Fernando Torres remained on the bench throughout the tense semi-final success over Portugal on penalties, with his only goals in the tournament coming in the rout of Republic of Ireland. And Alvaro Negredo started the last-four contest before being replaced by Fabregas early in the second period.

False Nine

For all the talk of 'false nines' in the Spain camp, Italy have anything but leading their line, with Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli firing the Azzurri through to the final with a brace in their unexpected semi-final triumph over much-fancied Germany.

Maverick Mario

Balotelli now has three goals to his name for the tournament and if he finds the net in the final he is likely to claim the Golden Boot outright, with the equally combustible Antonio Cassano expected to partner him up front for Cesare Prandelli's side.

Midfield Battle

Andrea Pirlo is undoubtedly the man to watch in Italy's midfield, with his assured control and incisive passing against both England and Germany, not to mention his outrageously composed penalty in the quarter-final, a joy to behold.

But Spain are hardly short of players who cherish possession and in Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Xabi Alonso and David Silva they have a quartet capable of picking their way through the most tightly locked of defences.

Spanish Mean Defence

For all their much-lauded attacking talent, Del Bosque's men are also superb at the back, with a record of nine successive clean sheets in major tournament knockout games, while Iker Casillas has not conceded since being beaten by Di Natale back in early June, a run of 419 minutes.

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