Featured Articles / Alsy / 29 June 2008 / Leave a comment

On the eve of the final, Alister Morgan looks back at four weeks of great football in a memorable tournament but who do the Morgan awards go to?

The best European Championships that I can recall comes to a close but there is so much to remember. The majority of the football been superb but we've also had plenty of upsets rewarding those who bet against the formbook. My "Best of" highlights are as follows but go ahead and post comments with your nominations if you disagree...

Best Game - Netherlands 3-0 Italy

It took the Dutch 30 years to secure victory over Italy. When the final whistle blew in this opening Group C encounter the Dutch will have felt that the long wait was well worth the 3-0 scoreline.

As usual the pre-tournament Dutch were beset by internal problems, player boycotts and personality clashes but against the reigning World Champions a young, dynamic team channeled the football heritage of past Dutch sides to produce a masterclass of football. Marco van Basten's team didn't reach the final but, with players like Engelaar, de Jong and Sneijder performing so well, the future is definitely bright. The future is orange!

Best Player - David Villa

With so many stars vying for the spotlight it was refreshing to see so many live up to the pre-tournament hype. Sneijder, Ballack and Casillas all made an impact but it was Villa who set the gold standard with a hat-trick in Spain's first game against Russia. In every game he maintained a breathtaking level of performance delivering a masterclass in the art of striking along the way.

Torres, Ibrahimovic, Podolski and Pavlyuchenko all produced flashes of inspiration but Villa's contribution has been in a class of it's own during this tournament. It's a real shame that injury has robbed him of the chance to appear in the final but at least he has the pick of Europe's top teams to choose from next season.

Best Discovery - Andrei Arshavin

Arriving fashionably late to the party after serving a two-match ban the talk was all about Villa, Sneijder and Podolski until Guus Hiddink finally unleashed Arshavin against Sweden. One 90 minute virtuoso performance later Arshavin had Europe's money-men scrambling for their cheque books pausing only to berate their eastern European scouts. How could such a gem escape the attentions of Europe's elite for so long? Possibly because he's already on £50k a week along with the pre-conception that Russian players do not travel well. Barcelona will hardly be put off on either front.

As quick with his mind as he is with his feet this is a player who can hurt a defense in a variety of different ways. He has pace, a defense-splitting passing range and the ability to finish with either foot. If only we'd seen more of him. If only more people had paid attention to Zenit games last season. If only Liverpool had bought him five years ago...

Best Coach - Fatih Terim

This award could go to Aragonés, Bilić, van Basten or Hiddink but when I think of the coach who did the most, with what he had available, then it's definitely Terim. His players didn't always produce expansive football but they invariably left everything they had on the field of play. They simply would not accept defeat, making themselves patron saints of lost causes along the way. Turkey have never progressed as far in past tournaments despite the raft of injuries and suspensions that constantly hampered their campaign.

Best of all Turkey improved as their tournament progressed. Yes, they needed some luck along the way but just when we all predicted defensive tactics against Germany, Terim sent out a patched up side that played with awesome abandon. Turkey lost the game but Terim proved himself a master tactician with this memorably flamboyant display.

Best Goal - Bastian Schweinsteiger against Portugal

His quarter-final goal against Portugal showed team football at its best and gets my vote for Best Goal... so far! The ball traveled from one side of the pitch to the other via some breathtaking one-touch football and in a matter of seconds Scolari's side were 2-0 down. The world was expecting dazzling wingplay courtesy of Ronaldo but instead it was the execution and verve of the Germans that made your jaw drop.

Podolski played a double "one-two" down the left before pulling a superb ball back into the box. With the timing of a seasoned superhero, a lunging Schweinsteiger arrived just in time to bury the ball first time into the net. With two goals to his credit I'd definitely back him at [6.4] to score in Sunday's final.

Tags: Euro 2008 team of the tournament, Faith Therim, Podolski