The Best XI of Euro 2020 Group Stage: Belgium Trio Impress

Belgium, Czech Republic, Euro 2020, European Championships 2020, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, The Azzurri

The Euro 2020 24-team tournament has entered the last-16 stage, with 8 teams packing their bags after just three games.

All the Euro 2020 favorites in England, France and Belgium have topped their groups, albeit not in the most convincing fashion, while Italy have boosted the bookmakers’ odds of winning the tournament after a majestic performance in the group stage.

To sum up the first part of Euro 2020, we take a look at the best XI of the group stage in collaboration with Fotmob based on statistical ratings.

Goalkeeper – Danny Ward (Wales)

Wales have qualified for the Round of 16 of the European Championship for the second edition running and will be looking to repeat their extraordinary success of four years ago when the Dragons reached the Semi-Finals.

Goalkeeper Danny Ward was one of the main reasons Wales finished second in their group with four points, conceding just two goals in three games.

The Leicester City goalkeeper had the best save percentage of all Euro 2020 goalkeepers with a remarkable 87.5% and stopped an average of 4.67 opposition shots per game.

The 28-year-old also finished fourth-best in the Post-Shot Expected Goals minus Goals Allowed (PSxG +/-) metric at +1.8, meaning Ward saved Wales almost 2 goals.

FotMob Rating – 7.27

Right-Back / Right Wing-Back – Thomas Meunier (Belgium)

On the face of it, Belgium have cruised to the last 16, winning all three games and conceding just one goal, but the general consensus is that the Red Devils have not found their top gear yet.

That said, Roberto Martinez’s men have scored seven goals, and right wing-back Thomas Meunier has been one of the standout players in this Belgian side.

The 29-year-old scored and assisted in the first group game against Russia after coming on as a substitute. The Belgian also played an average of 0.7 key passes and completed 82% of all pass attempts, playing an average of 56 minutes per game.

FotMob Rating – 7.52

Right Center-Back – Dedryck Boyata (Belgium)

Joining his teammate on the list is Dedryck Boyata, who has been the centerpiece of Belgium’s defense so far in the tournament.

The 30-year-old center-back put in solid performances against Russia and Finland, contributing to the team’s clean sheet after missing out on the game against Denmark, in which Belgium conceded their only goal of the tournament so far.

Boyata’s key stats have been impressive so far, winning 75% of all duels, averaging 3.0 per game, making 1.5 interceptions and completing an astonishing 98% of all pass attempts (avg. 86.5 per game).

FotMob Rating – 7.71

Left Center-Back – Matthijs de Ligt (Netherlands)

The Netherlands were met with a lot of skepticism before the tournament, especially head coach Frank de Boer. However, the Dutch have silenced their critics, at least for now, as they topped Group C with nine points.

Having conceded just two goals, including the wonder goal from Andriy Yarmolenko, the Oranje have looked solid enough defensively, and Matthijs De Ligt has been a good reason for the two clean sheet performances against Austria and North Macedonia.

The Juventus center-back won 75% of his duels in his two games he played, an average of 4.5 per game, and also contributed to his side build-up play with a 93% pass success rate (avg. 53.0 per game), and made 0 errors leading to either a shot or a goal.

FotMob Rating – 7.47

Left-Back / Left Wing-Back – Jordi Alba (Spain)

Spain had a very difficult start to the tournament, failing to win either of their first two games and scoring just one goal. However, in their final group game against Slovakia, Luis Enrique’s men managed a commanding 5-0 win.

The Furia Roja left-back, Jordi Alba, was one of the standout performers in that game, registering his first assist. Overall, the Barcelona man has been one of the driving forces down the left side for Spain in this tournament, creating 3 big chances in 3 matches and averaging 2.0 key passes per game.

FotMob Rating – 8.12

Central Midfielder – Manuel Locatelli (Italy)

Following Marco Verratti’s injury at the start of the tournament, there were major doubts as to whether Italy had a suitable replacement for the 28-year-old PSG star.

Those doubts quickly evaporated when Manuel Locatelli stepped on the pitch and produced a couple of top-class performances. The Sassuolo man scored twice in Italy’s impressive 3-0 win over Switzerland and is now the second highest scorer from central midfield at the Euros.

The Italian had an average pass rate of 89% in the group stage, completing an average of 47.0 passes per game, 4.44 of which counted as progressive passes. Locatelli has also shown impressive shooting accuracy so far in the tournament, as all of his 3 attempts have been on target (100% accuracy), of which 2 have ended up in the back of the net.

FotMob Rating – 8.17

Central Midfielder – Georginio Wijnaldum (Netherlands)

The Netherlands are missing several key players for this tournament, including the likes of Virgil Van Dijk and Donny van de Beek.

The Oranje needed the remaining senior players to hit the ground running, and the new PSG signing Georginio Wijnaldum did just that when it mattered most. The former Liverpool central midfielder is the Netherlands’ top scorer after the group stage with 3 goals to his name.

Wijnaldum has also been one of the most proactive players in the team when it comes to contributing in terms of offensive numbers. The midfielder has taken 10 shots so far in the tournament – along with Memphis Depay – with 3 of his 4 shots on target ending in goals.

FotMob Rating – 7.86

Central Attacking Midfielder – Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium)

Belgium are yet to win a trophy with their current squad, dubbed as the golden generation by many football experts. Kevin De Bruyne is one of the superstars expected to lead his nation to their first ever triumph at a major international tournament.

The 29-year-old Manchester City midfielder has once again shown in his two games so far why he is considered one of the best in the world. After missing the first group game against Russia, De Bruyne returned to action against Denmark and delivered a masterful performance, assisting Belgium’s equalizer and scoring the winner in the 70th minute.

The Man City star is undoubtedly the most creative force in the Belgian attack, averaging 4.5 key passes and 8.67 progressive passes per game. In the games against Denmark and Finland, he also created 3 big scoring chances and registered 2 assists.

FotMob Rating – 8.77

Left Winger – Emil Forsberg (Sweden)

Sweden can now safely be called the dark horses of the tournament after topping Group E with seven points, relegating the three-time European Champions Spain to second place.

The Swedes have never been renowned for their attacking prowess, but with talent in the side like RB Leipzig’s Emil Forsberg, the team is bound to get on the scoresheet more often.

The 29-year-old is the tournament’s second-leading scorer with 3 goals – along with four other players – responsible for 75% of Sweden’s total goal output. The left winger also has an impressive 38% goal conversion rate and a scoring frequency of 83 minutes.

FotMob Rating – 7.94

Striker – Patrik Schick (Czech Republic)

The other team that can be called the dark horses is Czech Republic, although they only finished third in their group.

That title should be down to one man – Patrik Schick. The 25-year-old striker from Bayer Leverkusen has scored all 3 of Czech Republic’s goals so far in the tournament, including an absolute stunner from the halfway line against Scotland.

The Czech international has also recorded an amazing shooting accuracy, with 3 of his 5 shots on target ending up in the back of the net. Also worth mentioning is Schick’s goal scoring rate, which stands at 30%.

FotMob Rating – 7.83

Striker – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)

Is it even possible not to have this man in your best XI team? The Portuguese goal machine has topped the scoring charts once again, this time leading the race for the European Championship golden boot with 5 goals to his name so far in the tournament.

The all-time leading goalscorer for Portugal has finally broken the deadlock against the likes of Germany and France, albeit two of those goals were from the spot, to once again get his nation out of the hole.

The Juventus star has the best scoring frequency record of any player in the tournament with 54 minutes, keeping alive the hopes of Portuguese fans who dream of winning back-to-back European Championship titles.

FotMob Rating – 8.76

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