DREAM TEAM EUROS managers should be paying close attention to which players are thriving in Matchday 1.
One individual who certainly falls into that category is Fabian Ruiz (£3.5m).
The Spain midfielder produced three minutes of magic to put his side firmly in the ascendancy against Croatia on Saturday, an advantage Luis de la Fuente’s side converted into a 3-0 victory.
Just before the half-hour mark, Ruiz slipped a perfectly-weighted throughball into the path of Alvaro Morata (£5.5m), who finished in a one-on-one situation to break the deadlock.
Moments later, the PSG playmaker exhibited great skill and composure to beat two defenders on the edge of the box and fire home a second.
Ruiz’s goal is among the best scored at the tournament to date and would perhaps have been lauded more had it been scored by one of Spain’s more celebrated players.
The 28-year-old is the unsung hero in midfield alongside Rodri (£4m), widely acknowledged as the best player in his position in world football, and Pedri (£4m), Barcelona’s supremely talented 21-year-old.
And it’s probably because Ruiz has a lower profile among Dream Team Euros bosses that he features in just 1.3% of teams at the time of writing.
What matters most is that is that he returned 13 points against Croatia in a fixture that, on paper, promised to be among the most competitive at top end of the scale in Matchday 1.
As it turned out, La Roja overwhelmed Luka Modric (£4m) and company in the first half and while they had to withstand some pressure after the break, they ultimately completed a statement win that has made them favourites to top Group B.
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As one of the most successful Dream Team Euros assets in his position so far, Ruiz will be viewed as a potential differential option ahead of Matchday 2.
However, Spain will once again be involved in arguably the standout match-up of the lot when they meet Italy in Gelsenkirchen on Thursday.
That being said, gaffers who stayed clear of Spain assets in Matchday 1 because of their potentially tricky fixture missed out plentiful points.
Ruiz is a typically Spanish midfielder in that he is an accomplished technician who is comfortable in tight spaces and progresses the ball smoothly.
Truth be told, he generally does his best work in the middle third of the pitch but it’s worth noting he also scored in his side’s final pre-tournament friendly; a real poacher’s effort too.
If Spain outclass Italy then gaffers will surely be keen to back them in Matchday 3 (vs Albania) and the round of 16 (potentially a third-place finisher).
Dream Team Euros managers should be aware the deadline for Matchday 2 is 1pm on Wednesday (June 19th).
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
