Confederations Cup 2013: Players to watch (Part 1)

The Confederations Cup 2013 is here and Brazil gets ready for a glimpse of the football that will be in full swing next year. Let’s have a look at the players to watch out for through the tournament.

Brazil

Neymar, Barcelona (Forward)

He has the tricks, the multi-million dollar sponsorship deals, the recent big money move to Barcelona along with the media buzz and hype; but all of that will count for nothing if the ‘most marketable athlete in the world’ falls flat in the famed yellow shirt of Brazil.

This year will mark the beginning of a new and more challenging phase for Neymar; he will turn out for Barcelona next season after his €57 million transfer, a new environment and one where the level of football is obviously a huge step up from the Brasileirao. And then, there’s the pressure of delivering the World Cup for football crazy Brazil after the disappointments of the two previous editions.

There is no questioning the talent of Barcelona’s newest acquisition; however, the terms ‘overrated’, ‘over-hyped’ and the like have been aimed at his feet in the last year or so after his failure to replicate his brilliant form for the national side. His performances at the last Copa America and the London Olympics didn’t help matters either. There are some elite teams in the fray in the Confed Cup and the tournament presents him with the chance to show everyone that he can cut it at the highest level.

Hernanes, Lazio (Attacking Midfielder)

The Lazio man will be a key component for the Brazilians as he is the one true playmaker in the side. While Oscar is very good in moving forward with the ball and initiating the neat one-two’s, it is Hernanes who will be key to Brazil having good possession. He is good with both feet and has the ability to spray the ball out wide to stretch the play. He also has a good and powerful shot on him. He has struck up a nice partnership with Miroslav Klose at Lazio, and will be looking to develop a similar understanding with Fred and Neymar.

David Luiz, Chelsea (Centre-back)

Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has partnered Luiz with captain Thiago Silva in most of the friendlies. Luiz has great skill on the ball, but his defensive capabilities have been found wanting at times with the odd mistake often seen from the bushy-haired defender. He will come up against some of the best attacks in the world at this event and how he fares could determine whether he starts the World Cup on the field or on the bench. It’s also an opportunity for him to show new Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, who we hear is not entirely convinced about the Brazilian, his ability to hold his own in that position.

Japan

Keisuke Honda, CSKA Moscow (Attacking Midfielder)

Japan became the first nation to qualify for Brazil 2014 after Honda converted an injury time penalty against Australia to earn a 1-1 draw for his team. He has had an injury-riddled season, but is one of the main stars in this Japanese team. He plays in that central attacking midfielder’s role and sometimes even behind the main striker. Honda is a great dribbler and very good from set piece situations, especially his superb free-kicks. He has 14 goals in 42 appearances for Japan with 5 of them coming in the qualification campaign for next year’s World Cup.

Shinji Okazaki, Vfb Stuttgart (Forward)

The Japanese front man has been in good form for the ‘Blue Samurais’ in 2013 with 4 goals from 5 games; he has 8 overall in the World Cup 2014 qualifiers. Okazaki is a prolific goal scorer at national level with 33 goals in his 63 appearances overall. He picked up a runners-up medal in the DFB Pokal Cup where Stuttgart were beaten 3-2 by Bayern Munich.

Yasuhito Endo, Gamba Osaka (Central midfielder)

Endo is one of the most long standing icons of Japanese football. Now 33, he is been around on the international scene for almost 12 years. Widely revered as one of the most creative players of his generation, Endo has exceptional passing ability and is great with free-kicks. Along with Honda, the duo will pose a threat to all opponents from set pieces. Also, as a veteran in the game, he brings a calming influence to the Japanese team.

Mexico

Giovanni Dos Santos, Mallorca (Attacking midfielder/Winger)

It feels like Dos Santos has been around forever, yet he’s only 24. Ever since his triumph at the U-17 World Cup in 2005, Dos Santos has been something of a ‘golden boy’ for Mexico, with many expecting him to emerge as a real superstar. That hasn’t happened, partially down to his club hopping; in the last 4 seasons, he has played for a different club each time.

He is a veteran at the international stage with 62 caps already to his name in which he has scored 14 times. He was a member of the Gold medal winning team at last year’s London Olympics where they beat Brazil in the final. In the 2010 World Cup, he finished 2^nd in the votes for the ‘Young Player of the Tournament’ award behind Germany’s Thomas Müller.

Mallorca have been relegated from the La Liga and the tournament will serve as an important platform for Dos Santos to try and resuscitate his career by drawing the attention of some of the big clubs.

Javier Hernandez, Manchester United (Forward)

‘Chicharito’ played in the shadows of Robin Van Persie and Wayne Rooney during the 2012-13 season and yet managed 10 goals and 5 assists for Man United in 22 appearances (only 9 of which were starts). Overall, he had 18 goals from 36 appearances, a goal every other game. For Mexico, he has an even better scoring average with 32 goals from 47 caps, 0.69 goals a game.

All of which point to the inescapable fact that the 25 year old is a proven goal scorer, something that his national side will be relying on as they look to go deep in this year’s Confederations Cup.

Andres Guardado, Valencia (Winger)

A key player for Valencia last term after his move from Deportivo La Coruna, Guardado predominantly plays as the left winger and is adept at taking on full backs and whipping in crosses. He has already represented Mexico in 2 World Cups as well as the 2007 Copa America.

Italy

Mario Balotelli, AC Milan (Forward)

Following his move to Milan from Manchester City, there was a breath of fresh air for Mario as he guided Milan to 3^rd spot in Serie A, clinching Champions League football in the process. After ending his fractious stay at City, Balotelli has had a wonderful second half of 2012-13 as he scored 12 goals in his 13 appearances for Milan.

He did have that memorable semifinal performance against Germany in the Euros last year, but save for that, his performances have been nothing spectacular. For all his talent, he is yet to display that consistency and there is still that little bit of immaturity from him on the field.

Former Brazil striker Ronaldo recently had some words of advice for Mario, asking him not to throw away his talent like Adriano did. Balotelli, in all likelihood, will be leading the line for Italy at next summer’s World Cup. Like Neymar and Dos Santos, he needs to show us that he’s worth the hype.

Riccardo Montolivo, AC Milan (Midfielder)

Like Michael Carrick for Manchester United, Montolivo will not blow you away with any great stats. But his importance to Milan and Italy is unquestionable. Montolivo primarily operates as a deep lying playmaker, but can move into a more attacking role when the situation calls for it.

He has great passing range and good ability on the ball and is viewed as the successor to Andrea Pirlo in the heart of Italy’s midfield. He has had a great season with Milan after he moved there last summer, following 7 seasons at Fiorentina. Italy will look to him to set up their attacking rhythm. And like Carrick, he is a very neat interceptor which helps his side break up the play of opponents.

The Trio of Andre Barzagli, Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, Juventus (Centre-backs)

Sumptuous goals, dribbles, stepovers, cute backheels all make for great viewing. So does the art of defending, as exemplified by this famed trio. It does help when you play with each other so often as these 3 do for both club and country.

Watching Bonucci, Chiellini and Barzagli go about their defensive duties is a joy to behold. The organization and synchronization of their play is simply outstanding. Their positional play is so wonderful that it feels like they have an almost telepathic understanding of where the other is. The way they get their tackles and interceptions in, then recycle the ball and release it forward is like clockwork. Apart from the final, where Spain literally picked them apart, the Italian defence stood firm against all and sundry.

The Azzuri will look forward to more of the same from its 3 defensive specialists.