If you handed the armband to Xabi Alonso tonight, you need not bother with the “stick or twist” dilemma. The Spain midfielder returned the highest individual score so far in EURO 2012, with two goals, a clean sheet and five recovered balls helped him to a staggering 28 point captaincy haul. For the rest of us, though, there’s still plenty to ponder over.
In truth, tonight was a disappointment. The top four in our Captain Poll – David Silva, Andres Iniesta, Fernando Torres and Cesc Fabregas – all failed to pick up any attacking returns, with Torres’ owners left frustrated after he was omitted from the first XI by Vicente Del Bosque. France were woeful and offered little going forward – after all the pre-tournament hype, they grabbed just three goals over their four matches and limp home after a lacklustre performance. Time to contemplate tomorrow’s options, then, as we rundown the likely armband contenders.
Italy will be reliant on Andrea Pirlo to continue the superb form he produced over the three Group C games. The Juventus midfielder was the only player to produce attacking returns in all of the Azzurri’s matches and is by far their top scorer in the McDonald’s game, with 19 points accrued. Antonio Cassano is the only forward to start every match so far and will arrive in confident form, having broken his scoring duck in the previous encounter against Republic of Ireland. Mario Balotelli impressed in a brief sub appearance against Giovanni Trapattoni’s troops with a superbly taken finish and could replace Antonio Di Natale in the first XI, while Thiago Motta may flourish in a role in “the hole” if Cesare Prandelli continues with his 4-3-1-2 system.
For England, Steven Gerrard has been the main protagonist – similar to Pirlo, he has also produced the goods in all three of his appearances and, with 18 points on the board, leads the way for Roy Hodgson’s side. Wayne Rooney announced his return from suspension by nodding home the only goal in the win over Ukraine and will carry the hopes of plenty Fantasy managers – with just 8.2% ownership, he could prove a decent differential tomorrow evening. Danny Welbeck offers a mid-price armband alternative to his United team mate up front, while Ashley Young is afforded the perfect opportunity to prove his worth on the left flank, after a below-par tournament thus far.
