Women's Euro 2022 Best XIs revisited: England, Oberdorf, Van Domselaar dominate

So, the Women's Euro 2022 ended with England crowned as champions over Germany following a gripping final at Wembley on Sunday. And now it's time to reflect on the tournament as a whole with our Best XIs, then compare and contrast with the XIs we were most excited about heading into the competition.

ESPN's Kathleen McNamee, Sophie Lawson, Julien Laurens and Tom Hamilton have bravely chosen to reflect upon their pre-tournament choices and revise accordingly given how the results played out. (If you need a reminder of their early picks, look here.)

Which players lived up to expectations and who fell short? Which stars surprised us from nowhere to burst into Best XI consideration?

Kathleen McNamee: Oberdorf stars, as do England

(4-3-3): Daphne van Domselaar (Netherlands); Sakina Karchaoui (France), Mapi Leon (Spain), Millie Bright (England), Lucy Bronze (England); Keira Walsh (England), Lena Oberdorf (Germany), Lina Magull (Germany); Beth Mead (England), Alex Popp (Germany), Alessia Russo (England).

When I did my pre-tournament XI, I wrote that I would likely be eating my words after the tournament, and here I am doing exactly that with just two players retaining their places. In fairness, some are down to injuries, but others are purely for standout performances.

Few people knew Daphne van Domselaar's name before the tournament, with the 22-year-old goalkeeper having just one national team cap before this summer. An injury to the prolific Sari van Veenendaal in the first game threw her into the spotlight, and she reacted with the confidence of someone much older. She wasn't the only young player who announced herself on the big stage either, with Alessia Russo also pulling off some outrageous goals and competing with her England teammate Beth Mead for top scorer in the squad despite coming off the bench every game.

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Mead may have won Player of the Tournament, but I think there was a strong argument to be made that Keira Walsh deserved that title. The defensive midfielder was the lynchpin to every move England made and carefully distributed some of the best passes of the tournament to help set up the attack. Largely underappreciated, she deserves a lot of plaudits. Lucy Bronze also provided a key angle in England's forward play and spent a lot of the tournament driving up the right and supplying Mead.

While Lauren Hemp was tipped to have a great Euros and didn't quite live up to it, Lena Oberdorf took the hype around her before the competition started and fully delivered on that promise. It was hard to see her so upset as she received the Young Player of the Tournament award after the final, but she should get several more opportunities for silverware.

With it being Alex Popp's first European Championships, it was hard to know what to expect from her, but the Germany captain was a beacon for her side -- she scored 46% of their goals -- and they really struggled with not having her in the final. Her physicality meant she could out-muscle most defences to get on the end of crosses, but her movement and leadership on the pitch were also phenomenal. It was a joy to watch her play, and such a cruel end to her Euro 2022 experience.

Sophie Lawson: Surprises galore as Scandinavian sides fall short

(4-3-3) Daphne van Domselaar (Netherlands); Giulia Gwinn (Germany), Leah Williamson (England), Marina Hegering (Germany), Verena Hanshaw (Austria); Lena Oberdorf (Germany), Aitana Bonmati (Spain), Grace Geyoro (France); Kadidiatou Diani (France), Alex Popp (Germany), Beth Mead (England)

And that is why you never predict the Best XI before the start of the tournament; frankly, yikes. The Scandinavians were hugely disappointing this summer and I should not have hung my hat on them pre-tournament, but c'est la vie.

There are certainly some 50/50 choices in here, but going with my gut, it's got to be tournament breakout, Van Domselaar in goal, for a start. The 22-year-old was fantastic this summer, coming up with some big time stops as well as taking care of all the basics without panicking.

The backline is rather straightforward -- two defensive rocks in the middle, plus two players who exemplify modern full-back play -- but liberties have been taken in midfield to fit three central players. Aside from her goals, France's Grace Geyoro really demonstrated how far she's come in the last season or two as a rounded midfielder, and she more than earned her place in my Best XI. Next to her, Aitana Bonmati ran the show for Spain from the heart of midfield and with Oberdorf, you've got two of the most intelligent players at the Euros -- even if I did 10 versions of a Best XI, they are the two who would be omnipresent.

The attack is a little obvious: Mead and Popp scored 12 goals between them, rather dwarfing most of the other attackers at the Euros even if they're worth extra plaudits. (Hello, England's super subs!) France's Kadidiatou Diani, with her silky first touches and ability to tie defenders in knots, rounds out both the attack and the team.

Julien Laurens: Popp by far the best up front

(4-2-3-1): Mary Earps (England); Lucy Bronze (England), Mapi Leon (Spain), Leah Williamson (England), Sakina Karchaoui (France); Lena Oberdorf (Germany), Keira Walsh (England); Kadidiatou Diani (France), Beth Mead (England), Kosovare Asllani (Sweden); Alexandra Popp (Germany)

My pre-tournament XI was pretty good. It was just unlucky that Marie-Antoinette Katoto got injured 15 minutes into France's second game; that Netherlands star Vivianne Miedema tested positive for COVID-19; that Caroline Graham Hansen was anonymous like her team, Norway; that Sandra Panos' campaign with Spain ended in the quarterfinals; that France's Wendie Renard, despite being taller than almost anybody else ay 6-foot-2, cannot score a header; that Sara Dabritz was not decisive enough for Germany; and that Manuela Giugliano, like Italy, never got going...

For the rest, I was spot on!