Our Starting XI, Round 3

Welcome to the last installment of our best eleven series for the group stage of Euro 2008. The third round of games saw some great performances, particularly from strikers of Turkish descent. In fact, if we were an English tabloid, we would surely make some punny comment about how the third round had more Turks with braces than an orthodontist’s office in Istanbul. But we don’t do that sort of thing here, now, do we?

Before I reveal the eleven, I must admit that we haven’t chosen a particularly common formation. Those readers that got on our case for being so married to the 4-4-2 can rejoice, because this is certainly not one of those.

It is also not the much-touted 4-2-3-1. In fact, it’s not a 4-anything, because in this week’s eleven, we’ve only got three at the back. We just thought that was the best way of accommodating the players we wanted. In no way do we encourage young coaches to play three defenders. If you’re ever tempted, look at England’s game away to Croatia in the Euro qualifiers. Actually, as a rule, just don’t do anything Steve McClaren did.

Behold the ugliest formation of amazing players you’ll ever see, the patented World Cup Blog 3-1-3-1-2:

Goalkeeper: Artur Boruc (Poland)
The Holy Goalie must be crossing himself just the right number of times, because the Poland and Celtic #1 has been amazing at Euro 2008. One could argue that Buffon had the save of the tournament, but Boruc was under far more pressure, and really was the only impressive thing about the Polish side in this very disappointing showing.

Right Back: Aleksandr Anyukov (Russia)
Last week, the right back spot was taken by natural left back Yuri Zhirkov, but this week, the Russians are represented by a real live right-sider in Zenit man Anyukov. He had a solid answer for everything the Swedish attack threw at him, and had just the right balance between defending and moving forward.

Center Back: John Heitinga (Netherlands)
A backup defender from Holland in our starting eleven? Have we completely lost it? The fact is that while the Netherlands’ attack has rightly stolen the spotlight, there has been surprising stability at the back, and Heitinga’s role as captain of the reserve side that beat Romania proved that the defense has not only power but depth.

Left Back: Danijel Pranjić (Croatia)
Croatia needed nothing from their last group stage match, but Pranjić played absolutely brilliantly. This match was not meaningless to him, and he showed it, setting up the game’s only goal by Ivan Klasnik. A great performance that showed just how strong and deep Slaven Bilic’s side really is.

Right Midfielder: Libor Sionko (Czech Republic)
Sionko first caught my eye in the pre-tournament friendly against Scotland, when he scored two, including a brilliant second goal that I almost had to clap for even as an opposing fan. He has lost none of that aggression for goal at Euro 2008, and I really do believe that he could have been a breakout star of the tournament if the Czechs would have gone further. A great eye for goal and a constant threat both from the wing and in the center.

Defensive / Central Midfielder: Daniele De Rossi (Italy)
The young Roma star really is the whole package. He makes the defense behind him stronger, and the attack before him more dangerous. Donadoni’s decision not to use him against the Dutch was always questionable, but now that the world outside of Italy has gotten a closer look, it seems just plain inexplicable.

Attacking / Central Midfielder: Robin van Persie (Netherlands)
Like the other group clinchers, the Netherlands put their bench on the field for the last round of the group stage, but what a bench. Every time he touched the ball, Van Persie was a danger, and after a few near misses, he netted his second of the tournament to put the match out of reach for Romania. A reminder of what the Arsenal man could have done this season if he had stayed healthy, and a warning for the rest of Premiership next season.

Left midfielder: Yuri Zhirkov (Russia)
We just can’t bring ourselves to play Zhirkov in his actual position of left back. Last week, Fabio Grosso pushed him to the right, and this time it was Danijel Pranjić. But Zhirkov really does deserve to be considered a left winger, because he was once again the main engine of the left side for Russia. Speaking of breakout player, look no further. If he keeps this up, Holland is going to finally break a sweat.

Slot Striker: Andrei Arshavin (Russia)
The best way of judging a player’s quality might be to see his team with and without him. With Arshavin in the lineup for the first time against Sweden, the Russian side was more fluid, more attacking and just plain more fun to watch. It makes you wonder whether Spain could have been nearly as dominant on day one if he was on the pitch. If Holland fears one member of the Russia squad, it should be Andrei Arshavin.

Center Forward: Hakan Yakin (Switzerland)
We hinted at this earlier, but like many in Switzerland, Yakin has Turkish roots. He must have been channeling the past performances of his namesake Hakan Sukur, because he was absolutely brilliant in Switzerland’s last match of Euro 2008. He knocked home the opening goal, then sealed the match with a perfect penalty, soothing a few of the sores of what must be a very disappointing exit for Switzerland and proving that the Swiss attack is more than just Alex Frei.

Center Forward: Nihat Kahveci (Turkey)
Some are already calling it “The Miracle of Geneva”, and though it might be a bit early to consider the historical status of the Turkish comeback to beat the Czech Republic, it brought us the most dramatic 15 minutes of the tournament without a doubt. Nihat brought his side back three minutes from time, forcing what would have been the first-ever group stage penalty shootout. But he was having none of that, and just two minutes later, he netted a long-range bullet across Petr Cech’s goal that bounced down from the crossbar and past the line. Amazing stuff, and certainly worthy of this spot.

Bench: Buffon, de la Red, Bouma, Arda, Ballack (but only if we can sub him in right before a free kick)