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Euro 2012 Team of the Week: Cassano makes debut as Ozil and Badstuber retain their places
May 4, 2012 10:45:00 AM
Each week, Goal.com selects the standout performers from Europe's top leagues, honouring the best players eligible for Euro 2012
| Euro 2012 Team of the Week EURO 2012 NEWS |
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| GOALKEEPER |
Wojciech SZCZESNY
Arsenal
& Poland
TOTW Apps: 2
| Szczesny played a key role in Arsenal's 1-1 draw against Stoke last Saturday. Even though he conceded an early goal to Peter Crouch, the Pole was solid for the rest of the game especially with crosses and high balls. He made a vital save late on as the Gunners earned a valuable point to stay in third in the Premier League table. |
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 Gregory VAN DER WIEL Ajax & Netherlands TOTW Apps: 1 |
 Carles PUYOL Barcelona & Spain TOTW Apps: 2 |
 Holger BADSTUBER Bayern & Germany TOTW Apps: 3 |
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| Ajax retained their Eredivisie crown after a 2-0 win over VVV in midweek but it was Van der Wiel who set the team on their way to title glory last weekend. The right-back won a penalty for his side against Twente before scoring the winning goal late on. Puyol makes his second appearance in the team with a composed and assured showing against Malaga. He scored the opening goal in the 4-1 victory and also commanded his defence astutely against the Andalusians. Badstuber retains his place in the Best XI from last week, which is testament to his consistency for Bayern this campaign. Even though the Bavarians had surrendered the Bundesliga title to Dortmund, the defender did not let his performance drop in the 2-0 win against an in-form Stuttgart side. |
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| MIDFIELDERS |
 Claudio MARCHISIO Juventus & Italy TOTW Apps: 1 |
 Mesut OZIL Real Madrid & Germany TOTW Apps: 2 |
 Sebastian GIOVINCO Parma & Italy TOTW Apps: 1 |
 Rafael V. D. VAART Spurs & Netherlands TOTW Apps: 2 |
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| Juventus could have moved one step closer to the Serie A title in midweek after Marchisio headed the Old Lady in front against Lecce, but Gianluigi Buffon's late error allowed the visitors to steal a surprise draw. Ozil played his part in securing the Liga title for Real Madrid when he scored a goal in Los Blancos' 3-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao at San Mames. Making his second straight appearance in the Best XI, he also chipped in with an assist, laying the ball off for Gonzalo Higuain to score the opening strike. Giovinco did his chances of making Cesare Prandelli's Italy squad for Euro 2012 no harm at all with a sensational week for Parma. He scored from a free kick against Lecce at the weekend, and followed that up with a sublime display against Inter when he netted once and made two others in a 3-1 triumph. Tottenham returned to winning ways with back-to-back victories, and they had Van der Vaart to thank. He scored goals against Blackburn and Bolton, and even chalked up an assist at Reebok Stadium in a 4-1 demolition. |
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| FORWARDS |
 Roman ZOZULYA Dnipro & Ukraine TOTW Apps: 1 |
 Antonio CASSANO AC Milan & Italy TOTW Apps: 1 |
 Fernando TORRES Chelsea & Spain TOTW Apps: 2 |
| Zozulya netted twice for Dnipro against Metalurh Donetsk in a 3-0 victory that ensured his side finish in the top five of the Ukrainian Premier League this season to secure qualification for the Europa League. Cassano's return to to the pitch this season after a heart problem has been nothing short of miraculous, and it has been made even more remarkable as he has become a key player in Milan staying alive in the Scudetto race. He scored once and provided two assists against Siena in a 4-1 win and put on another dazzling display against Atalanta midweek. Torres could not have chosen a better time to hit form as his resurgence continued just one month before Euro 2012. The Spaniard bagged a hat-trick for Chelsea in their 6-1 rout of QPR last weekend, although he failed to find the net in his team's 2-0 loss to Newcastle in midweek. |
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| TOTAL NOMINEES BY COUNTRY (THIS WEEK) | |
 Spain 13 (2) France 11 (0) Germany 11 (2) Netherlands 10 (2) England 7 (0) Poland 6 (1) Italy 8 (3)  Ukraine 5 (1) |
 Ireland 3 (0) Croatia 2 (0) Czech Republic 2 (0) Greece 2 (0)  Portugal 1 (0) Russia 1 (0) Denmark 1 (0) |
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