After over a month of ups, downs, upsets and drama, the 2020 European Championships have come to an end. Needless to say, it was one of the best international tournaments in recent years and provided fans with plenty of memorable moments including Switzerland’s triumph over France, Denmark’s progression to the semi-final despite their traumatic experience in their opening game and of course Italy’s deserved final win last night.

Throughout the tournament, plenty of players proved their worth and put in some fantastic performances; some of which were household names, others which were relatively unknown on the international stage.

With that said, here’s our picks for the 2020 European Championship team of the tournament.

GOALKEEPER

GIANLUIGI DONNARUMMA | ITALY/FREE AGENT 

The recipient of player of the tournament and Italy’s hero in not one, but two penalty shootouts, Donnarumma’s inclusion on this list is a no-brainer.

At just the age of 22, Donnarumma has already made close to 300 senior appearances for AC Milan and Italy combined. No surprise given his performances over the tournament.

Currently a free agent but destined for Paris Saint-Germain, his stock will certainly have risen over the past month. The fact that PSG will be signing him on a free is a robbery of the highest order.

Italy captain Georgio Chiellini said it best: “I’m lucky because I’ve played with Gigi Buffon – now I play with Gigi Donnarumma and it’s the same.”

22 years old.

Conceded just four times in 719 minutes.

Won two penalty shootouts.@gigiodonna1 was named the Player of the Tournament at #Euro2020 pic.twitter.com/MOvhzHmfgO

— B/R Football (@brfootball) JULY 12, 2021

RIGHT-BACK

KYLE WALKER | ENGLAND/MANCHESTER CITY

Often a scapegoat at international level in the past, Kyle Walker showed what he can bring to the table over the tournament.

In terms of natural right-backs, it’d be hard to argue that he wasn’t the most consistent in that position. Obviously, you also have Giovanni Di Lorenzo who deputised incredibly well for the injured Alessandro Florenzi but his poor positioning in last night’s final led to the opening goal of the match and could well have been the winner only for Leonardo Bonucci’s second half equaliser.

Overall, it was a very solid tournament for the Manchester City man.

Jose Mourinho

“My player of the tournament was Kyle Walker. From the first minute of the competition until the moment he came off in the final he was phenomenal. When I call a player an animal it is the best compliment I can do to a player. Kyle Walker – an absolute animal.” pic.twitter.com/mOFH92KAeo

— Footy Accumulators (@FootyAccums) JULY 12, 2021

LEFT-BACK

LUKE SHAW | ENGLAND/MANCHESTER UNITED

Surprisingly, left back was probably the hardest position to choose from in the entire list, owing to the amount of exceptional performers in the position throughout.

We’ve went with Luke Shaw given his performance over the knockout stages in particular, but you could also make a strong case for Italy’s Leonardo Spinazzola who was arguably player of the tournament up until his until his injury in the quarter-finals against Belgium. Even Denmark’s Joakim Mæhle could be an outside shout having earned himself plenty of fans for his performances which helped his country to the semi-final.

Shaw though, after years of being vilified for years by fans, the press and even previous managers just came off the best season of his career and topped it off with some brilliant showings during the European Championships. We think he deserves his place.

What a tournament you had

Happy birthday, @LukeShaw23! pic.twitter.com/6KRPFtYrza

— England (@England) JULY 12, 2021

CENTRE-BACKS

GIORGIO CHIELLINI | ITALY/JUVENTUS

A great character and an even better footballer. Although Donnarumma officially won Player of the Tournament, I’m sure Girogio Chiellini wasn’t too far behind in that decision.

Being 36 years of age, Chiellini has been around for a long, long time. His vast experience and know-how was on full display from the opening match all the way to the final. Making up for his lack of pace with his exceptional positional awareness and defensive IQ, he was a joy to watch throughout and his performances really encapsulated the art of defending which is so often forgotten about in comparison to the offensive side of things.

Italy’s final win was Chiellini’s first senior international honour to add to his illustrious career at club level. Well deserved.

LEONDARDO BONUCCI | ITALY/JUVENTUS

You can’t have Giorgio Chiellini on here without Leonardo Bonucci.

Like Chiellini, Bonucci isn’t blessed with pace, but that doesn’t matter when you have a partnership at centre-back like those two. The understanding they’ve developed after years and years of playing together at international and club level is unmatched in world football.

Bonucci’s equalising goal against England last night was undoubtedly Italy’s most important of the entire tournament also, and perhaps of his entire career.

Harry Maguire and Simon Kjær may have been slightly unlucky to miss out, but it would have taken something extraordinary to get in ahead of the Italian centre-back pairing.

Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini both completed the entire #EURO2020 tournament without being successfully dribbled past by an opposition player or making an error leading to a shot.

WARRIORS. pic.twitter.com/mexIFLrVOO

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) JULY 11, 2021

CENTRE-MIDFIELD

JORGINHO | ITALY/CHELSEA

What a few months it’s been for Jorginho. Winning the Champions League in May and the European Championships last night, it doesn’t get much better than that.

Some people have even been calling for Ballon d’Or shouts, although that title will likely go to Lionel Messi after Argentina’s Copa America win. But even so, the fact that he’s been considered by some people just shows how much he’s progressed over the last few months. Those kind of plaudits would have almost been unimaginable a couple of months ago.

One of the heroes in the semi-final as he dispatched the winning penalty, he was very nearly at the opposite end of the spectrum having missed what would have been the winning penalty in the final. Thankfully for him though, Gianluigi Donnarumma spared his blushed with a save moments afterwards.

Other than his penalty miss in the final, Jorginho was the image of consistency and more than deserves his inclusion.

Jorginho set a new record for the most interceptions made at a single Euros (25) since 1980.

What a season he’s had pic.twitter.com/fOTUdA3n0L

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) JULY 12, 2021

PEDRI | SPAIN/BARCELONA

At just 18 years of age, Pedri was Spain’s youngest player at the tournament. He also happened to be their best.

Him being named Young Player of the Tournament was consistent with his performances over the past month.

He became somewhat of a conductor in the Spanish midfield, creating chances, rarely losing the ball and remaining calm under pressure.

His pass into the box to Mikel Oyarzabal’s feet against Italy was arguably pass of the tournament and deserved a finish at the end of it.

We’ll be hearing a lot more about Pedri in the coming years.

Luis Enrique: “What Pedri has done in this tournament, at 18, no one has done. Not even Andrés Iniesta did that; it’s incredible, unique.”

UEFA’s team of Technical Observers have named Pedri as their Young Player of the Tournament #EURO2020 | #ESP pic.twitter.com/NDwfFoXt2O

— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) JULY 11, 2021

PAUL POGBA | FRANCE/MANCHESTER UNITED

Paul Pogba can hold his head up high despite France’s early exit to Switzerland.

The Manchester United man was France’s best player during their tenure in the competition and some of the skill he displayed over the four games was just unbelievable.

This is probably a controversial selection due to the impressive form of Marco Verratti, Nicolò Barella, Granit Xhaka and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, but Pogba proved just how good he can be in his short stint at the tournament and should receive the plaudits he deserves.

Paul Pogba made more accurate through balls (5) than any other player at #EURO2020

He only made 𝟮 accurate through balls for Manchester United in the Premier League last season pic.twitter.com/W0Rx2kygPZ

— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) JULY 12, 2021

LEFT-WING

RAHEEM STERLING | ENGLAND/MANCHESTER CITY

Criticize Sterling all you want for diving etc. but he carried England on his back for much of the tournament, particularly during the absence of Harry Kane goals in the the group stages.

Three goals and an assist isn’t bad going for a man who was excluded from his club’s starting XI towards the end of the season. He was also electric in the semi-final against Denmark, winning a controversial penalty and causing panic throughout.

He didn’t have the best final based on his standards the rest of the tournament, but at the same time he was arguably their most dangerous player going forward, instilling momentary panic for the Italians when in the box.

The fact he started every game despite the likes of Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho being available tells you all you need to know.

—Three goals, one assist
—100% of England’s goals in the group stage
—Opener vs. Germany
—Helped cause own goal vs. Denmark
—Won game-winning penalty vs. Denmark

Raheem Sterling’s tournament has been incredible pic.twitter.com/jIgBaAsrYk

— B/R Football (@brfootball) JULY 7, 2021

RIGHT-WING

FEDERICO CHIESA | ITALY/JUVENTUS

No disrespect intended to Domenico Berardi who’s a good player in his own right, but it’s hard to believe that he started three games ahead of Federico Chiesa.

Chiesa looked the player most capable of making things happen when on the pitch for Italy with his electric pace, directness and eye for a goal. He was almost unlucky to end up with just the two goals, however he did only start four games, so that’s not a bad return.

At just 23, Chiesa should have a long and fruitful career ahead of him.

Star of the Match in the #EURO2020 semifinal: Federico Chiesa pic.twitter.com/MyNMPM6TfG

— B/R Football (@brfootball) JULY 6, 2021

STRIKER

PATRIK SCHICK | CZECH REPUBLIC/BAYER LEVERKUSEN

Although Patrik Schick had the same amount of goals as Cristiano Ronaldo, the latter was awarded the Golden Boot due to having more assists to his name. We think Schick had the better tournament, though.

Schick was ever-present as his side made it all the way to the quarter-finals, eventually losing to Denmark despite arguably being the better side over the 90 minutes.

He was particularly impressive in the group stage against Scotland, scoring two goals in a 2-0 win. His second goal in particular was a thing of beauty and was many people’s choice for goal of the tournament, lifting the ball over David Marshall’s head from near the halfway line.

Having come off a solid campaign at club level as well as an outstanding Euros, there could be a few clubs looking at Schick over the summer.

Patrik Schick 𝗚𝗢𝗟𝗔𝗭𝗢!

Will there be a better effort than THIS in the first round of games? @GazpromFootball | #EUROGOTR | #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/skA67Yqeik

— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) JUNE 14, 2021

The post Our Euro 2020 team of the tournament appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Days after signing Sergio Aguero from the Sky Blues, Barcelona might be looking to reunite him with a former teammate.

Newly appointed Barca president, Joan Laporta is trying to impress the fans by locking Lionel Messi down to a new contract and by making big signings.

Barça think of trying to sign Raheem Sterling (26) from Manchester City this summer. It's clear that it would be a very complicated operation. Players will need to be involved for the operation to become feasible. [@MatteMoretto] pic.twitter.com/JklE4iVDai

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) June 7, 2021

Could it happen?

The 26-year-old Englishman is currently marketed at €103 million but after a below average season that value could be lower.

Sterling fell out of favor with manager Pep Guardiola this year with him only getting ten goals and seven assists.

Laporta understands that it would be hard to lure Sterling away from Manchester to a new country after they won the Premier League.

Another problem is that the financially struggling Barca will likely have to sell on a few of their players to fund a move this big.

What for Sterling now?

Although Sterling had a poor season by his standards, he is still part of Gareth Southgate’s squad for Euro 2020.

The winger will be hoping to rekindle some form that saw this team reach the World Cup semi-finals.

England’s first group game will be against Croatia at 14:00 on Sunday 13^th of June.

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Tipped as the favourites for the league at this stage of the season, Manchester City travelled to North London this evening to face an Arsenal side on a mixed run of form.

With a win today, Manchester City would extend their lead to 10 points ahead of 2^nd place Leicester City.

However, Arsenal also had plenty to play for. Despite a substandard season to date, the Gunners are still very much in competition for a Europa League spot. They sat 10^th in the table prior to the game but could jump two places to 8^th with a win, however unlikely that seemed.

FIRST HALF

Manchester City wasted no time in establishing their dominance as they attacked from the off. Their intensity almost immediately paid off as they hit the net with just over a minute on the clock.

Riyad Mahrez received the ball on the right flank and released a pinpoint floated cross into the box which was met by Raheem Sterling who scored a rare headed goal.

| “It’s a brutal start from Manchester City!”

Raheem Sterling nods in the opener after less than 2 minutes – what a start!

Watch on Sky Sports PL
Follow #ARSMCI here: https://t.co/EbUsG6S1Mk
Download the @SkySports app! pic.twitter.com/7JCLBEuXp4

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) FEBRUARY 21, 2021

As Man City often do, they looked – and succeeded – to control possession thereafter.

Otherwise, there wasn’t anymore clear cut chances in the first half as both teams had to settle for half chances – more sporadically so for Arsenal.

The first half ended with Manchester City well in control and leading 1-0.

SECOND HALF

After what was a less than exciting first half, the second wasn’t much better.

João Cancelo arguably had the best chance of the half near the end of the match. The Portuguese full-back received the ball inside the box from a cutback but still had plenty to do with defenders right in front of him.

He quickly adjusted his feet to evade a defender in close proximity before attempting an outside the foot shot which went narrowly wide of the post.

Manchester City managed to hold onto their early lead to win the game 1-0.

They now sit 10 points ahead of their nearest rivals, Leicester, in the Premier League table.

Sterling seals it for City #ARSMCI pic.twitter.com/OGvkRsTFCG

— Premier League (@premierleague) FEBRUARY 21, 2021

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Liverpool and Manchester City faced off today in what was one of the most important games of the season for both clubs.

Liverpool in particular were badly in need of a win. Poor results in recent weeks have seen them drop to 4^th in the table, leaving them 7 points behind top of the league City prior to the game.

FIRST HALF

The match kicked-off at a decent pace, but as has been the story for many high profile fixtures this season, neither team could find a spark to truly ignite the game.

Liverpool had the first big chance of the game in the 25^th minute. Trent Alexander-Arnold did brilliantly down the right-hand flank to beat his man and produce a whipped cross into the path of Sadio Mane. The Senegal international blazed his header over the bar, though. He should have done better with the chance.

Just minutes later Roberto Firmino had a half-chance on the volley from the edge of the box which he struck with venom but Ederson was there to tip it over the bar and avert the danger.

Manchester City undoubtedly had the best chance of the half in the 36^th minute. Raheem Sterling took on and beat Alexander-Arnold and ventured into the box before being brought down by Fabinho. The referee pointed to the spot and City were awarded the penalty.

Ilkay Gundogan stepped up to take the penalty. The German has been in tremendous form in recent weeks so Liverpool fans could be forgiven for thinking the worst.

He, however, fired his penalty well over the bar to the relief of Liverpool.

Both teams struggled to create chances after the penalty miss and the first half finished scoreless.

SECOND HALF

It didn’t take long for Ilkay Gundogan to atone for his penalty miss, the midfielder scored less than 5 minutes into the second half to put his side ahead.

He hit the net after further good work from Raheem Sterling who found his way into the box after beating his man, he squared to Phil Foden who had his shot saved but Gundogan made no mistake from the rebound, hammering his effort into the goal. The German now has 5 goal contributions in his last 5 games.

Liverpool had a chance to score themselves minutes afterwards. Alexander-Arnold played a typical pinpoint cross-field ball into the path of Curtis Jones. The latter then advanced into the box and tried to finesse the ball into the corner with a shot but it went just wide.

Ruben Dias has hardly put a foot wrong since arriving from Portugal but the Manchester City centre-back was at fault as he brought down Mohamed Salah in the box which resulted in a Liverpool penalty chance.

Salah was fouled and he also stepped up to take the penalty. Unlike Gundogan earlier in the match, Salah had no problems converting his penalty kick. He struck high into the net, sending the keeper the wrong way. 1-1.

John Stones had the ball in the back of the Liverpool net in the 70^th minute but after a brief celebration, the goal was ruled out for offside.

They didn’t have to wait long for another goal though, Ilkay Gundogan scored his second in the 72^nd minute to make it 2-1 to City. Alisson made the mistake as he attempted to play out from the back but his pass was blocked by Phil Foden and he did brilliantly to evade numerous challenges in the box before squaring for Gundogan to tap home.

Alisson’s woes wouldn’t stop there, though. The Brazilian goalkeeper gave the ball away for a second time in just a matter of minutes, and again, he was punished for it. This time Bernardo Silva collected the ball and chipped into Raheem Sterling who easily dispatched of the chance from a yard out.

Phil Foden, who had been mesmerizing all game, managed to get in on the action himself in the 82^nd minute. What a goal it was as well. The England international received the ball on the edge of the box before cutting inside and blasting the ball into the top corner.

The match finished 4-1 after an incredible second half performance from Manchester City and Phil Foden in particular.

Although not out of the title race just yet, it could require a small miracle for Liverpool to reclaim top spot this season having now fallen behind City by 10 points – who also have a game in hand.

City, on the other hand, are looking like hot favourites for the title at this stage of the season.

A 𝙃𝙐𝙂𝙀 win for @ManCity #LIVMCI pic.twitter.com/rhPEvmsFpJ

— Premier League (@premierleague) February 7, 2021

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