Watch: Capello on the EURO 2020 team and player of the tournament

UEFA EURO 2020 thrilled fans worldwide with some of the best international football has to offer – it was dramatic and entertaining – but also fascinating from a technical point of view.

UEFA's team of technical observers analysed all aspects of the tournament: the matches, the teams, the players and the coaching trends that emerged or were reinforced during the summer's festival of football.

In the latest of our series of videos with these technical observers, one of his generation’s leading coaches, Fabio Capello, discusses his key takeaways from the finals and explains the thinking behind how the team of the tournament, player of the tournament and young player of the tournament were picked.

Capello touched on the best exponents of the counterattack and the prominent role played by wing-backs. There was one development that particularly caught his eye, though. "The truly attractive thing I saw at these European Championships was the fact that we finally saw the players dribbling," the former England and Russia coach said. "Dribbling is imagination, dribbling is courage, dribbling is a crowd pleaser. Sterling, Insigne, Chiesa – it would often end with a goal. The risk they took paid off."

He then talked through the team of the tournament and why each player was chosen, giving a rare insight into why certain players were picked ahead of other contenders. Capello identified who the surprise packages were and how certain positions had to come down to a vote between the technical observers because there was no unanimous choice.

He explains the formation was picked as a 1-4-3-3 as "because it was the style of play we saw most during these European Championships and I would say that it is the style that has given us the best football". The former AC Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid coach explained how the personality of Gianluigi Donnarumma – and how it rubbed off on his team-mates – helped him win the Player of the Tournament accolade. For the young player award, he explained how Pedri "really impressed me in all aspects – he plays the ball forward and is not afraid of making mistakes”. Capello is sure he has a bright future. “This is a guy we will be hearing a lot about. A lot."