Reporters' verdicts on UEFA EURO 2016 so far
Friday, June 24, 2016
Article summary
With the group stage done and dusted, our round of 16 reporters look back on their teams' campaigns, select the key players and pinpoint areas for improvement.
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Berend Scholten, #BEL team reporter
Campaign in five: Difficult start, qualificiation mission accomplished.
Positives: Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku finding some form.
Must improve: Determination, cutting edge.
Star performer: De Bruyne. He is the set-piece taker and has been involved in most of Belgium's attacks.
Best-case scenario: Who knows? Some big names – France, Germany, Italy – are in the other half of the draw.
Elvir Islamović, #CRO team reporter
Campaign in five: Impressive, exciting, emotional, passionate, promising.
Positives: Team spirit and industry allied to great skills and tactical perfection were the reasons for Croatia's success so far.
Must improve: Must try not to drop off mentally like they did against Czech Republic in the last 15 minutes.
Star performer: Ivan Perišić: hit the post in the first match, scored in second and third, with an assist against Spain as well. What's next?
Best-case scenario: If they continue to perform like this, semi-final or even the final is not impossible.
Simon Hart, #ENG team reporter
Campaign in five: Plentiful possession; no killer touch.
Positives: Eric Dier, Wayne Rooney and Kyle Walker. As a team, England have kept the ball well, averaging 57% possession per game – the fifth-best so far.
Must improve: Finishing. Only Portugal had more goal attempts than England's 65 in the group stage. The end-product? Three goals.
Star performer: Eric Dier
Best-case scenario: An early goal against Iceland, forcing the Nordic side to come out. This being England, it's best to stick by the old cliche and take one game at a time.
David Crossan, #FRA team reporter
Campaign in five: Leaving it late; Payet, Payet.
Positives: Topping the group, Payet, two clean sheets, mental resolve, Kanté, substitutes.
Must improve: Making class tell earlier against lower-ranked opposition, defending set pieces, giving the ball away less cheaply, balance to the side.
Star performer: Dimitri Payet
Best-case scenario: Glory on 10 July. Paul Pogba carries on where he left off against Switzerland, Antoine Griezmann grows into the tournament and Payet keeps doing what Payet does.
Steffen Potter, #GER team reporter
Campaign in five: Group won. More to come?
Positives: Yet to concede, improving form.
Must improve: Converting all those chances.
Star performer: Jérôme Boateng
Best-case scenario: Winners, of course. It's Germany.
Matthew Watson-Broughton, #HUN team reporter
Campaign in five: Inspiring, hard-fought, indefatigable, clinical, together.
Positives: Everything, most notably the realisation that even inexperienced teams like Hungary can succeed via teamwork and organisation.
Areas to improve: Lapses of concentration at the back which have cost them goals.
Star performer: So many to choose from. Zoltán Gera has rolled back the years and been consistently superb.
Best-case scenario: Obviously a EURO win. Realistically, another small miracle against Belgium – they'll want to run them close at least.
Jóhann Ólafur Sigurdsson, #ISL team reporter
Campaign in five: Fairy tale for the ages.
Positives: Unbeaten in first major finals and facing England in last 16!
Must improve: Need to be more at ease on the ball and relieve the pressure.
Star performer: Hannes Halldórsson
Best-case scenario: Sneak past England and fall at the quarter finals against the hosts, France.
Ben Gladwell, #ITA team reporter
Campaign in five: Strong start to build on.
Positives: The defence has proven to be as solid as expected. The camaraderie in the camp has also been excellent.
Must improve: Italy have rarely posed a sustained threat going forward; you get the feeling they will create and score more once they start attacking more. It's a tricky balance to strike.
Star performer: Leonardo Bonucci has been a pillar in defence. His understanding with goalkeeper and Juventus team-mate Gianluigi Buffon is one of this team's greatest strengths.
Best-case scenario: The manner of the Belgium victory raised expectations and you would not bet against them going all the way. Their route to the final looks perilous, though.
Graham Little, #NIR team reporter
Campaign in five: Delivering for world's best fans.
Positives: Defence, goalkeeper, tactical awareness, supporters.
Must improve: Need to offer more in attack.
Star performer: Michael McGovern
Best-case scenario: Beat Wales in a classic British knockout tie to set up a quarter-final date with Belgium.
Piotr Koźmiński, #POL team reporter
Campaign in five: Historic and first ever victory.
Positives: Impressive defence, no goals conceded – an expected weakness has proven a strength.
Areas to improve: Efficienty in front of goal. Poland, prolific in qualifying, need Robert Lewandowski to start firing.
Star performer: Grzegorz Krychowiak has proven as important as Lewandowski. A real leader in midfield.
Best case scenario: Becoming this tournament's Greece of 2004.
Joseph Walker, #POR team reporter
Campaign in five: Could have done much better.
Positives: Cristiano Ronaldo has found his scoring boots, Nani has looked lively, Renato Sanches looks to the manor born at final tournaments.
Must improve: Discipline. The defence has been leaky, the midfield overrun on occasion and the forwards profligate.
Star performer: Nani
Best-case scenario: Somehow find a way to beat Croatia. Do that and the route to the final looks appetising.
Paul Bryan, #IRL team reporter
Campaign in five: Lille heroics banish Bordeaux low.
Positives: Renewed team spirit and immense energy.
Must improve: Cutting edge in front of goal.
Star performer: Robbie Brady. The man of the moment.
Best-case scenario: This is it! Victory over Italy to set up a round of 16 meeting with hosts France.
Rastislav Hribik, #SVK team reporter
Campaign in five: Together we are strong.
Positives: Deadly counterattacks, amazing fighting spirit.
Must improve: Ball retention, supporting the forwards.
Star performer: Marek Hamšík
Best-case scenario: Repeat of sensational pre-finals win against Germany. Then it's Italy or Spain – Slovakia have beaten both in recent years. Truth is, it's a miracle already.
Graham Hunter, #ESP team reporter
Campaign in five: Promising and capable but inattentive.
Positives: Bordeaux crowd chanting Pique's name.
Must improve: Goalkeeping.
Star performer: Andrés Iniesta
Best-case scenario: Three in a row.
Matthew Howarth, #SUI team reporter
Campaign in five: Solid defensively; lacking in attack.
Positives: Fabian Schär and Johan Djourou have excelled at the heart of defence, Yann Sommer's sharp reflexes.
Areas to improve: Two goals in three matches does not bode well for the knockout stages.
Star performer: Granit Xhaka
Best-case scenario: Nobody is looking beyond Saturday's match with Poland, but having avoided the more difficult half of the draw, missing out on the quarter-finals would be a major disappointment.
Mark Pitman, #WAL team reporter
Campaign in five: The dream is very real.
Positives: Team spirit, tactical plans and playing without fear.
Must improve: Could be better in possession.
Star performer: Joe Allen
Best-case scenario: There is no limit to what this team can achieve. We're taking home the trophy.