Euros 2016 is going down as a memorable competition because of some close matches and more than individual skills, teams are winning games on a collective basis. The exit of England in the round of 16 were the talk of the town this week and their defeat against Iceland, the land which has more volcanoes than professional footballers, can be said as the worst in the nation’s history. Let’s take a look at how the Chelsea stars have performed this Euros and what can it mean for the blues next season :
Firstly let’s analyze how the new manager, Antonio Conte is faring in one of the biggest competitions of the world. Termed as the worst squad in the last 50 years, the Azzuris have defied all odds and have emerged as the leading contenders of this tournament along with Germany and France. Conte had immaculate strategies against Belgium and Spain for which the opponents had no answer. Italy played aggressive football and had an intent in their attack and though the team is short of talent, they have made up by their team spirit and working just according to the plan. All credit goes to Conte and there is no doubt that he will be a hit at Stamford Bridge. Let’s look at how the others fared until now :
1. Thibaut Courtois:
The Belgian shot stopper has all played their games, and aside from the defeat against the resoulte Italians, Belgium and Courtois have not conceded a single goal ahead of their quarterfinal Clash against Wales. Courtois has looked assured between the posts and has made 16 saves till now in the competition. His distribution has been decent and will have a major role to play if the red devil intend to be in the final.
2. Gary Cahill:
The sole representative of the blues in the England squad was decent in the group stages, but was not upto the mark against Iceland and should have closed the gap quicker for Iceland’s winner. Considering he was out of form when the season ended, he performed decently, but has to improve fast if he wants a future under Conte.
3. Cesar Azpilicueta:
He was an unused sub for Spain as he could not replace Jordi Alba or Juanfran in the starting lineup.
4. Cesc Fabregas:
One of the senior most player of the Spanish national side, Fabregas has been capped 107 times. The 29 year old played well and had one assist and had a 91% pass completion. Had Spain not met Italy so early, La Roja would have atleast made the semis.
5. Pedro:
Spain had a plethora of attacking talent and Pedro played just 18 minutes for his national team and could not make much a difference.
6. Eden Hazard:
With one goal and three assists, Hazard is one of the player of the tournament until now and his performance against Hungary was undoubtedly the best individual performance of this Euros. As he ended the league season in a high, Hazard has continued his rich vein of form for Belgium. Under Conte, the Belgian can attain his lost status and may become the league’s best again.