FedEx Performance Zone team of the group stage
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
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Final ambassador Patrik Andersson gives his thoughts on the team of the group stage, as defined by statistics from the FedEx Performance Zone.
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Patrik Andersson on the FedExPerformance Zone Team of the group stage
"There is some serious attacking talent in the team; Nikola Kalinić and Edin Džeko are well-established names, and it is great to see the Bosnian showing what he can do after a shaky first season at Roma. Giuliano and Leon Bailey are something else; the Brazilian has been brilliant in his second spell in Europe, while Bailey is really one to watch – fast, direct, agile, skilful, a real handful for a defender, and only 19. A word too for Virgil van Dijk; Southampton are out, but the centre-back is someone who can take great strikers out of a game. He reminds me of Rio Ferdinand in his prime; he can play football and defend too – something you cannot always say about modern defenders."
Patrik Andersson is a former Bayern München, Barcelona and Borussia Mönchengladbach defender. He won 96 caps for Sweden, reaching the semi-finals of EURO '92 and the 1994 FIFA World Cup, and was part of the Bayern side that won the UEFA Champions League in 2001 – he made the UEFA.com user's Team of the Year that year.
He retired in 2005 and now lives in Stockholm, venue for this season's UEFA Europa League final. He is serving as ambassador for the showpiece and is this campaign's FedEx Performance Zone ambassador.