The Football Preacher

Here’s an XI made from the best players of the second round of group games at Euro 2012. Front runners Germany and Spain clearly stand out with three players in the team each, whilst England are represented by the super-substitute Theo Walcott. The pacey winger made an instant impact when he replaced James Milner against Sweden, scoring one and setting up another, helping England stage a dramatic comeback from 2-1 down to win 3-2.

The strikeforce of Mario Gomez and Fernando Torres both come from Champions League finalists, and both scored two goals in their games this round. David Silva had a superb game against the Republic of Ireland as he had a hand in three goals, scoring one and getting two assists. The midfield partnership of Borussia Dortmund’s Blaszczykowski and Bayern Munich’s Schweinsteiger both put in stellar performances for their nations, and form perhaps the most difficult to spell centre-mid pairing in the history of football.

Interestingly, no players have kept their place in the team from the first round dream team. Could we have an entirely new team for the third round too?

Here’s everything you need to know about England’s second group game at Euro 2012. The match saw England take on their bogey team Sweden, in a contest that neither team could afford to lose.