Who has the best defense in the Euros?

kryogen

Following on from a claim and subsequent puzzling argument about the English back four I have decided I would like to get the rest of the boardsies opinions on this.

Who do you all think has the best back four in the tournament?

Reasoning would be appreciated but not vital.

G.K.

Spain

Italy have the best defense, imo. Chiellini, Bonucchi, Barzagli, Maggio, Giaccherini/Balzaretti is really good imo. Plus they'd have Pirlo, De Rossi, Marchisio in front of them.

Germany run them a close second.

ColeTrain

England.

They're so good, you can put the ball over the line and it won't count.

Red Crow

Greece

The Germans would be just ahead of Spain IMO. After those two you look at Italy and then France, England and Portugal.

I don't really rate the English defense. Terry is past his best it and Johnson is a liability.

kryogen

Greece

G.K. wrote: »

Italy have the best defense, imo. Chiellini, Bonucchi, Barzagli, Maggio, Giaccherini/Balzaretti is really good imo. Plus they'd have Pirlo, De Rossi, Marchisio in front of them.

Germany run them a close second.

It is meant purely in terms of the back four, or three in Italys case at times

Not in terms of who is the best team from a defensive point of view. Simply player for player, who has the best back four

Jimmy Iovine

Greece

I think that the Spanish midfield is one of the best defences in the world. They almost never give the ball away. They never allow the opposition any time on the ball to use it when they give it away and they almost always win it back before the opposition has a chance to get near their box. I've no figures for their average possession but I'd imagine it varies between 60% and 75% depending on the quality of the opposition.

Their actual defence is cat though.

As a result I voted for Germany. Lahm is the ultimate defender. He can play on the left or on the right and is probably in the top three in the world in both positions in my opinion. Hummels is a class act. He's 11 months older than me and he's starting centre-back for Germany. Unbelievable achievement. Has many more years left in him. Badstuber and Boateng have impressed me and Neuer is great as well.

Pinturicchio

Spain

If Italy go back to 3-5-2, then Italy.

If they stick with 4-3-1-2, then probably Germany.

dfx-

Germany

Portugal for me of the teams left. I'd say Denmark of all the nations who started. Kjaer and Agger have been the best centre-halves and Poulsen was excellent against The Netherlands.

JPA

France

Spain, 1 goal against!

Fight_Night

Portugal

Czech republic for me. Controversial I know, but there you go.

eagle eye

Germany

I think its Portugal then Germany next and Denmark. Italians are playing a three man defense and I'm not gone on it at all.

grenache

Spain

G.K. wrote: »

Italy have the best defense, imo. Chiellini, Bonucchi, Barzagli, Maggio, Giaccherini/Balzaretti is really good imo. Plus they'd have Pirlo, De Rossi, Marchisio in front of them.

Germany run them a close second.

This. But then i'm biased towards most things Italian. Only they can make the art of defending look beautiful. Spain tried to pick their lock for 90 minutes and only once did they succeed. Maggio and Balzaretti are also a little less attack minded than the likes of Lahm.

Pinturicchio

Spain

eagle eye wrote: »

Italians are playing a three man defense and I'm not gone on it at all.

They did against Spain, but have since abandoned it. They were better of with it IMO as it brings the best out in Pirlo, Bonucci, Maggio and Chiellini (if he was fit).

Pro. F

Greece

Germany for me. Hummels and Badstuber have been really on it. Lahm is the best left back and the best right back in the world. The only weakness is Boateng, but for some reason I have faith in him.

The Italians have lots of good ingredients, but I can't really trust a defensive line that are being shifted around between a back four and a back three and have De Rossi dropping back there sometimes too.

Portugal are maybe the best team defending. Their three CMs work very hard and their back four is good as well. But that's a different question.

Honourable mention to the Danes. Kjaer and Agger were class, pity to see them out early.

Renn

Spain

Pinturicchio wrote: »

They did against Spain, but have since abandoned it. They were better of with it IMO as it brings the best out in Pirlo, Bonucci, Maggio and Chiellini (if he was fit).

Used it vs Croatia too.

Adolf Hipster

Greece

Lahm - hummels - badstuber - boateng/bender for me tbh.

IncognitoMan

France

Spain are the hardest team to score against Id say. But thats down to the fact they won't give you the ball

SirDelboy18

John O'Shea-Richard Dunne-Sean St.Ledger-Stephen Ward

Impenetrable.

Big Pussy Bonpensiero

France

Spain's defense, unlike any other's, consists of 11 players, which is why they have the best defense. Saying who has the best back 4 is as arbitrary as saying who has the best attackers, what matters is how they combine, which is why Spain are the best at defending, represented by how many goals they have conceeded at the last 2 major championships. And fyi, at Euro 2008 they conceeded 3 goals, none in the knockout phase, at the World Cup 2010 they conceeded 2 goals, again, none in the knockout phase. So far in Euro 2012, they have conceeded 1 goal, which makes that 16 games in tournament football with only 6 goals conceeded, oh, and they have 2 of their first choice back 4 missing for this tournament to boot.

Fenix

Spain

Went with Italy, would be stronger still if they had Crisito.

kitakyushu

England

SirDelboy18 wrote: »

John O'Shea-Richard Dunne-Sean St.Ledger-Stephen Ward

Impenetrable.

"Never in the field of football conflict was so much shots by so many owed to so few."

kryogen

Greece

It came down to Germany and Italy for me with the former winning out, if Italy had a settled back line I probably would have said them I think, it still would have been pretty marginal though.

inforfun

Holland.

No doubt.

kryogen

Greece

It is a credit to the French that after 51 votes they are the only team without any fans

cgpg5

Question is who has the best back 4?

How someone can vote Spain is beyond me tbh

gosplan

Serbia, admittedly there's a problem in that they're not actually in the Euro's.

Giggsy11

Greece

Very close between Germany and Italy, I voted for Germany as they have settled back 4 in this Euro whereas Italians have injury problems and kept on changing the defense.

If they had the settled back 4, they would have been my choice.

kryogen

Greece

The one who has surprised me most is Portgual, they have been better as a unit then I thought they would, Bruno Alves is the exception, I am almost sure now the man does not like football! Ball in the air, no problem, he will go through his own grandmother to get his head to the ball, anything else though, especially the ball at his own feet and he is in trouble

Giggsy11

Greece

kryogen wrote: »

The one who has surprised me most is Portgual, they have been better as a unit then I thought they would, Bruno Alves is the exception, I am almost sure now the man does not like football! Ball in the air, no problem, he will go through his own grandmother to get his head to the ball, anything else though, especially the ball at his own feet and he is in trouble

Also Coentrao, even defensively he is very good. They lack midfielder to protect the back 4 though.

kryogen

Greece

Giggsy11 wrote: »

Also Coentrao, even defensively he is very good. They lack midfielder to protect the back 4 though.

Veloso should be doing that job/isn't doing it terribly imo, the problem I have with Portgual is the coach, a headwrecker of the highest order. So negative!

Giggsy11

Greece

kryogen wrote: »

Veloso should be doing that job/isn't doing it terribly imo, the problem I have with Portgual is the coach, a headwrecker of the highest order. So negative!

Veloso should be doing, but I dont think he played well imo.

None of the portugal midfielders are impressive in this euro, to an extent only Moutinho in flashes, then Veloso.

GavRedKing

Greece

Germany for me.

---

Neuer

---

Boateng--Badstuber--Hummels--Lahm

LuckyLloyd

Greece

Germany or Italy. I guess the Germans get more help infront, but I still think they shade it.

murpho999

Greece

Don't know who has the best but I am amazed at how many American posters there are here talking about defense!

Pepe LeFrits

France

cgpg5 wrote: »

Question is who has the best back 4?

How someone can vote Spain is beyond me tbh

Rejecting the question. It's meaningless, football teams aren't made up of separate units.

IncognitoMan

France

I think spains back four would be better if javi martinez was back there instead of arbeloa. ramos to RB and martinez CB

Washington Irving

I went for France because I felt bad that they had zero votes

Lawrence1895

Greece

Hummels played a great campaign so far, Neuer without any major blunder so far, has to be Germany.

CongoPowers

THFC wrote: »

Spain's defense, unlike any other's, consists of 11 players, which is why they have the best defense. Saying who has the best back 4 is as arbitrary as saying who has the best attackers, what matters is how they combine, which is why Spain are the best at defending, represented by how many goals they have conceeded at the last 2 major championships. And fyi, at Euro 2008 they conceeded 3 goals, none in the knockout phase, at the World Cup 2010 they conceeded 2 goals, again, none in the knockout phase. So far in Euro 2012, they have conceeded 1 goal, which makes that 16 games in tournament football with only 6 goals conceeded, oh, and they have 2 of their first choice back 4 missing for this tournament to boot.

Very good post. There's more to defending than sitting back and inviting pressure on yourself. Like most people, I don't think Spain have the greatest back four and suppose that is between Germany and Italy.

Giggsy11 wrote: »

Also Coentrao, even defensively he is very good. They lack midfielder to protect the back 4 though.

Coentrão is anything but very good defensively!

G.K.

Spain

Spain are missing Puyol and Iraola who both would have made strong arguments to start.

Where To

Italy

England have 3/4 of the best back four, Debuchy of France would fill it out nicely.

CongoPowers

G.K. wrote: »

Spain are missing Puyol and Iraola who both would have made strong arguments to start.

Agree. Arbeloa is a weak link.

The defence of Ramos-Puyol-Piqué-Jordi Alba is pretty strong. I'd always have Iraola over Arbeloa too, especially after the past season.

HazDanz

Spain

Italy. They have been impressive. Chiellini injured now is a big loss for them though.

Nuri Sahin

Greece

Pinturicchio wrote: »

If Italy go back to 3-5-2, then Italy.

If they stick with 4-3-1-2, then probably Germany.

Agree with this, based off what we've seen so far. Was very impressed with Italy in the opening game.

Also agree that Spain's defence would be a lot better for the inclusion of Puyol and Irola.

Moneymaker

Greece

Germany. Hummels been the defender of the tournament so far for me.

As I predicted to some fellow football aficionados beforehand

Also any excuse to post this again;

kryogen

Greece

Love that pic

Boskowski

kryogen wrote: »

Love that pic

Looks like photoshop job though. Is it real?

kitakyushu

England

Boskowski wrote: »

Looks like photoshop job though. Is it real?

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xripuk_mats-hummels-great-run-against-holland_sport

Giggsy11

Greece

CongoPowers wrote: »

Coentrão is anything but very good defensively!

I meant in Euro. He has been very good.

Renn

Spain

Giggsy11 wrote: »

I meant in Euro. He has been very good.

For what it's worth Portugal have conceded 4 goals so far in the tournament and all 4 have come from the LB position.

Giggsy11

Greece

Renn wrote: »

For what it's worth Portugal have conceded 4 goals so far in the tournament and all 4 have come from the LB position.

Denmark's first goal was from right side, and VDV goal was from center. Coentrao was at fault for none of the goals.