Wojciech Szczesny (Roma)
Goalkeeper
Caps 25 Goals 0 Age 26
Made 180 appearances for Arsenal and established himself as the first choice in the 2011-12 season. Too many mistakes, more often than not in the Champions League, ensured he was never much loved by the Emirates faithful, however. The writing was on the wall after he was caught smoking in the changing room after a defeat to Southampton in January 2015 but he has impressed after re-emerging on loan at Roma. Popular in the Poland dressing room, Szczesny now plays second fiddle to Lukasz Fabianski, his former Arsenal understudy. Supporters, somewhat tongue in cheek, think he should be handed the gloves for the Germany match, having produced his best two performances against Poland’s neighbours, in 2011 and 2014. Was sent off in Poland’s opening match four years ago against Greece.
David Limbersky (Viktoria Plzen)
Left-back
Caps 34 Goals 1 Age 32
If there were any success stories for Frank Arnesen at Tottenham, Limbersky was certainly not one of them. Arriving at White Hart Lane in January 2005, along with Mounir El Hamdaoui, Mido, Andy Reid and Emil Hallfredsson, Limbersky never got a look in despite Martin Jol somewhat boldly comparing him to Pavel Nedved. A short subsequent spell at Sparta Prague did little to further Limbersky’s career but a return to Viktoria Plzen proved more fruitful and he is now one of the first names on Pavel Vrba’s teamsheet. A right-footed left-back with an eye for a cross, Limbersky is no Nedved but has prospered since leaving north London.
Jérôme Boateng (Bayern Munich)
Centre-half
Caps 59 Goals 0 Age 27
It may seem incongruous to have a world champion and mainstay of one of Europe’s finest sides in this XI but then Boateng’s season at Manchester City was undoubtedly a forgettable one. It got off to an ominous start – following a £10.4m move he aggravated a knee injury by colliding with a drinks trolley during a flight – and only 24 appearances later he was gone. Such was the player turnover at City at the time that no one much noticed but Boateng’s career revival peaked at the 2014 World Cup with a superb performance in the final against Argentina. Has also won the Champions League and four Bundesliga titles with Bayern.
Vlad Chiriches (Napoli)
Centre-half
Caps 40 Goals 0 Age 26
If Tottenham supporters crow a little too much at the superiority of their current all-Belgian central defensive partnership it is because they still shudder when the name Goran Bunjevcevic is mentioned. And Vlad Chiriches is greeted with similar disdain on the terraces. He arrived for £8.5m from Steaua Bucharest with a reputation as a silky, ball-playing defender and Barcelona were reportedly interested. He did have one or two moments at Spurs but when things went wrong they tended to go badly wrong. Mauricio Pochettino gave him pretty short shrift upon arrival at White Hart Lane but at Napoli, where the pace of the game is slower, he has looked more reliable and he did play every minute in Romania’s qualifying campaign. His tendency to drop the odd clanger has not completely disappeared though.
Mikel San José (Athletic Bilbao)
Right-back
Caps 7 Goals 0 Age 27
A versatile player who is equally happy at centre-half or as a defensive midfielder which is where Spain primarily play him, Liverpool’s failure to bring the best out of him rankles. Liverpool have had what feels like an armada of Spanish youngsters but very few have progressed at Anfield, even if plenty inevitably have after leaving. San José arrived in 2007, showed up well for the reserves but never made an appearance before his loan move back to Athletic Bilbao in 2009, which was made permanent a year later. Far happier back home, San José reached the Europa League final with Athletic in 2012 and made his Spain debut in 2014.
Kim Kallstrom (Grasshoppers)
Midfielder
Caps 128 Goals 16 Age 33
Had Arsène Wenger lost the plot? With the January 2014 transfer deadline fast approaching and a number of midfielders out injured, the Arsenal manager swooped for Kallstrom, who was nursing a back injury and missed the first eight weeks of his six-month loan spell. There’s little doubting Kallstrom could have been a good fit at Arsenal, a tall, elegant midfielder with a wand of a left foot, but he was 31 at the time and did very little of note other than score his penalty in the FA Cup semi-final shootout against Wigan. A cult figure among Championship Manager fans, Kallstrom’s best years came in the dominant Lyon side of the 2000s but his wealth of caps and experience are still valued by Sweden.
Emanuele Giaccherini (Bologna)
Midfielder
Caps 25 Goals 3 Age 31
Not the first Italian midfielder to struggle in the Premier League, Giaccherini endured an injury-hit couple of years at Sunderland and was never fully trusted by Dick Advocaat, much to the annoyance of the supporters. He did not come cheap at £8.7m – one of Paolo Di Canio’s recruits – but his form for Juventus, and more lately Bologna, would appear to justify it. He is a firm favourite of Antonio Conte’s and has numerous nicknames include La Pulce (The Flea) and Giaccherinho. As Conte once remarked: “If he was called Giaccherinho he would be much more appreciated.” Highly unlikely to be seen back at Sunderland, such has been his return to form on loan at Bologna.
Nuri Sahin (Borussia Dortmund)
Midfielder
Caps 49 Goals 2 Age 27
Sahin’s arrival on loan in August 2012 was understandably cause for optimism at Liverpool. He had been the youngest player to play, and to score, in the Bundesliga seven years earlier and, while a move to Real Madrid did not work out, Brendan Rodgers had every confidence that was just a blip for what he perceived to be “a wonderful player technically and tactically who understands the game”. By January he was gone, unhappy at being used as a No10, insisting: “I asked why he was playing me there. He could not answer. Thank God I left Brendan Rodgers.” To make matters worse Jürgen Klopp agreed: “I don’t know why Brendan Rodgers would do this.” A return to Dortmund salvaged Sahin’s career however and despite ill-fated spells in Spain and England he continues to shine for Turkey.
Nikola Kalinic (Fiorentina)
Forward
Caps 29 Goals 11 Age 28
Giaccherini may not fit the Sam Allardyce mould but Kalinic most certainly did and in 2009 he moved to Blackburn for £6m. His Ewood Park career got off to an inauspicious start – he missed the opening game of the season because he had to collect his work permit from Croatia – and while Allardyce handed him the No9 shirt the following season Kalinic was among the victims of the Venkys-Steve Kean turmoil that enveloped Blackburn. A move to Dnipro revitalised his career, however, and he has been a hit in Florence, remodelling his game from old-fashioned No9 to a more mobile forward. Of his move to Fiorentina last summer he says: “I could have had more money but I had no hesitation. What I lost in salary, I gained in quality of life. I love this city.”
John Guidetti (Celta Vigo)
Forward
Caps 9 Goals 1 Age 24
Arriving at Manchester City aged 15, having been spotted by Sven-Goran Eriksson, Guidetti came with a huge reputation but was never able to establish himself as the Abu Dhabi Group rolled into town. In the 2011-12 season, a loan spell at Feyenoord yielded 20 goals in 23 league appearances but on his return to City he could not force his way into Roberto Mancini’s plans. He has however, finally found his feet again at Celta Vigo and he remains hugely popular in Sweden after his performances at the 2015 European Under-21 Championship, guiding his country to victory and giving a memorable interview after the 4-1 semi-final win over Denmark. “Stop saying that we’re easy to play against when you lose 4-1,” he said. “It’s a bit embarrassing. We’re best in the Nordics. We were superior. Totally superior. This is the worst team we’ve met in the U21 Euro”.
Éder (Lille)
Forward
Caps 26 Goals 3 Age 28
After seven solid but unspectacular seasons with Academica and then Braga in Portugal, there were a few raised eyebrows when Éder made a £5m move to Swansea City on a three-year deal last summer. And after just 13 appearances without a goal he left for Lille on loan, and made that move permanent in May having scored six goals in 13 games in France. The Lille coach, Frederic Antonetti, is no doubt a fan, calling him “a warrior”, but he has scored just three times in his 26 Portugal caps and benefits, more than anything else, from a lack of genuine strikers in the national squad.
Substitutes
Gabor Kiraly (Haladas)
Goalkeeper
Caps 103 Goals 0 Age 40
Now 40 but still going strong in his trademark tracksuit bottoms. Played 104 games for Crystal Palace from 2004, and also had spells at West Ham, Villa, Burnley and Fulham and returned to Hungary with Haladas last year.
Oguzhan Ozyakup (Besiktas)
Midfielder
Caps 15 Goals 1 Age 23
An Arsenal academy product with only a cameo in the League Cup against Shrewsbury and a place on the bench in the 8-2 defeat by Manchester United to speak of, Ozyakup has grown in stature at Besiktas. Last year the former Turkey international Rıdvan Dilmen mused: “Did he come from outer space?”
Miroslav Stoch (Bursaspor)
Winger
Caps 54 Goals 6 Age 26
By today’s standards, Stoch did well to at least make four appearances as an overseas youngster for Chelsea but a series of loan spells followed. Owned by Fenerbahce but most recently on loan at Bursaspor, Stoch has a wild streak but with more than 50 caps for Slovakia at the age 26 he is undoubtedly a gifted winger.
Krisztian Nemeth (Al Gharafa)
Forward
Caps 23 Goals 3 Age 27
The next big thing in Hungary at one stage before joining Liverpool’s academy but Nemeth has become a journeyman, playing in Greece, the Netherlands and the US before arriving in Qatar in January.
Andrej Kramaric (Leicester City)
Forward
Caps 11 Goals 4 Age 24
Nigel Pearson signed the Croat for Leicester in January 2015 for a club record £9.7m, with the former Aston Villa flop Bosko Balaban serving as mediator. Was shipped out on loan to Hoffenheim after just five outings for the Premier League champions last season.
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