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Asian Cup 2011: Goal.com's Team Of The Tournament Goal.com names its Best XI for the 2011 Asian Cup... By Chris Paraskevas Jan 31, 2011 3:09:00 AM
 Eiji Kawashima (GK, Japan):After his disastrous performance against Qatar in the quarter final itmight have been hard to see Kawashima even keeping his spot in thestarting line-up, let alone earning a place in Goal.com‘s Team of theTournament. That he has done so is testament to his performancesagainst South Korea and then Australia, where he showed tremendouscharacter to bounce back and almost single-handedly win his country theAsian Cup. The penalty shoot-out hero against South Korea, he wasimpassable against Australia in the final, making a number of stunningsaves. Mark Schwarzer was more consistent but Kawashima had a biggerimpact in the end.
 Yuto Nagatomo (LB, Japan):Probably the tournament’s best player, it was entirely appropriate thatthe left back set up Tandanari Lee for the extra time winner againstAustralia in the final. His surging runs forward from deep were ahallmark of Japan’s attacking play and his contributions were telling.Not only did he create goals but he also prevented them, often coveringfor his defenders and making timely interceptions at the back.
 Lucas Neill (CB, Australia):A virtually flawless campaign from the Galatasaray centre-back save fora lapse in concentration against South Korea during the group stages.Neill led his country at the back superbly, organizing his defence andalways creating space to play the ball out rather than mindlessly hackit away. Balanced strength with guile and if this is to be his lastmeaningful contribution in an Australian jersey, he’ll be glad to knowit was one of his best.
 Odil Ahmedov (CB, Uzbekistan):One of the surprise stars of the tournament, he was a rock at the backfor Uzbekistan. On top of carrying out his defensive duties, was alwaysa threat going forward, netting two goals during the group stagesincluding a cracking long-range strike against hosts Qatar in theopening match. Technically gifted, distributed intelligently from theback and even during the 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Australia turnedin a decent performance.
 Cha Du-Ri (RB, South Korea):Far and away the best right-back of the tournament, though hisperformance dropped in the semi final against Japan his contributionsin the other matches can’t be ignored. The Celtic man gave his team aphysical presence at the back that was crucial and his standout displaycame in the group stages against Australia, where he nullified thethreat of Cahill. At every opportunity looked to bomb forward and givehis team another dimension in attack.
 Matt McKay (LM, Australia):Transformed the Australian side during the knockout stages with hisfluent short passing game and tireless running, McKay was one of therevelations of the AsianCup. Provided the inch-perfect angled cross forHarry Kewell to head home the winner against Iraq during the quarterfinals before tearing about the Uzbeks by laying on three goals duringthe semi, it’s a shame he fluffed his lines early on against Japanbecause it would have been a goal deserving of his efforts. Not one ofAustralia’s European stars but was still the standout Socceroo.
 Makoto Hasebe (CM, Japan): Theheartbeat of this Japanese team, Hasebe was instrumental in Japan’svictories. Alongside Yasuhito Endo he provided the bite in midfield butalso displayed a cultured passing game. When Japan struggled during thegroup stages it was Hasebe driving them forward from midfield, tryingto wrestle back momentum on his own. Laid the foundation for the morecreative players in the side to flourish with his uncompromising styleand high work-rate. His team’s most consistent player in Qatar, heturned in six excellent performances.
 Koo Ja-Cheol (CM, South Korea): Playingin an advanced role, he finished the tournament’s top scorer with fivegoals. What he offered in the way of movement and passing too can’t beignored but it was his exploits in front of goal that were crucialgiven the absence of regular striker Park Chu-Young. His effort in thatgruelling semi-final against Japan summed up what was an outstandingtournament for the Jeju United player, with a European move beckoning.
 Server Djeparov (RM, Uzbekistan):The former AFC Player of the Year built on a superb season with FCSeoul by leading his country into the semi finals of the Asian Cup forthe first time ever. His talent was on display in Qatar, where hepulled the strings for Uzbekistan whether playing just behind thestriker or in a wider area. Netted one of the goals of the tournamentin his side’s 2-1 win over Kuwait, sweeping the ball home from outsidethe penalty area with a first-time effort.
 Shinji Okazaki (ST, Japan): Scoreda hat-trick against Saudi Arabia to fire his team into the knockoutstages but that was only one of many contributions he made. As asubstitute against Jordan and Syria in Japan’s opening two matches hecame on and changed the game when his team were in deep trouble, hisintelligent movement and aggressive running on the ball unsettlingdefenders. Unlucky not to have added a couple of more goals to hisname, he proved he should be a regular starter with his dynamicperformances.
 Harry Kewell (ST, Australia): Turnedback the clock and put a disastrous 2010 World Cup behind him, scoringthree goals and leading the line for Australia superbly at thetournament. Unfortunate that he missed chances against Japan in thefinal that ultimately came back to haunt his team but really, if itwasn’t for Kewell they wouldn’t have made it there. Answered thescrutiny about his age and fitness in the best way possible, hishold-up play was instrumental to the extent that he outperformed strikepartner and usual hero Tim Cahill. |
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Post time 30-1-2011 01:39 AM
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