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Come June and you’ll find Europeans flocking towards Poland and Ukraine to witness the biggest event in football after the World Cup, which is the EURO. This years’ Euro promises to be a fascinating duel between the European powerhouses and there’s definitely going to be some breathtaking football on view for the audiences.
So, without further ado, lets have a look at five of the most promising football talents who either missed WC2010 or rarely featured back then but are now a pivotal part of their respective national teams.
1) Mario Gotze -
Mario Gotze has been fantastic in the last two seasons for Dortmund and guided them to the Bundesliga crown last season. He is touted as the next big thing in football and rightly so.
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Strengths - His main strength is his ability to run at the opposition with pace and skill, which is helped by the fact he is naturally two-footed. He is technically gifted and also has a good eye for goal.
What he brings to the German national team - He would be the perfect replacement for Podolski who doesn’t bring much to the side. Also, his presence will provide more creativity in the final third for Germany. Just imagine a midfield pairing of Ozil and Gotze!
2) Juan Mata -
Mata joined Chelsea at the start of the season and people cast their doubts about him adapting to life in the Premier League. 10 goals and 14 assists so far-the stats speak for themselves.
Strengths - He is technically superb, his close control and vision are excellent and he has the ability to beat his man and set up chances. Also, playing in the Premier League has improved his physical aspect of the game as well.
What he brings to the Spain national team - It’s a pity he plays for Spain who have midfield talents like Silva, Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas and Alonso. But with the injured Villa unlikely to feature, this might finally be his chance to cement his place in the national team. He can play on either flank as well as an attacking midfielder and what will stand him in good stead is his partnership with Torres at Chelsea which will definitely benefit Spain at the Euros.
3) Christian Eriksen -
He’s just 20 and he’s already touted as the next Micheal Laudrup. All major European clubs are tracking down the Ajax youngster’s progress and it won’t be surprising if he’s with a European powerhouse next season.
Strengths - Comfortable on the ball and has a great range of passing. Has all the attributes of a traditional No.10.
What he brings to the Danish team - A creative force that he is, he can play the perfect partner in crime to Bendtner. Denmark do need a creative spark in the final third which they missed at the WC and Eriksen fits the bill perfectly.
4) Joe Hart-
Though he is not as young as the others, he didn’t play for England in the last WC and this would be his first major tournament for England. He has single-handedly kept Manchester City alive in many games with his brilliant reflexes and shot-stopping abilities and England would expect the same from him.
Strengths - He is really good in the air, has lightning quick reflexes, has got good positional sense and is comfortable with the ball at his feet.
What he brings to the England national team - England have always missed a reliable goalkeeper after David Seaman left. Another ‘Green howler’ is the last thing England need at the Euros. In Joe Hart, they’ve one of the best goalkeepers in the world and with Rooney missing upfront in the initial games, they’ll certainly look to be at their best,defensively.
5) Karim Benzema-
Why he didn’t make it to the French squad in WC’10, only Raymond Domenech could tell. They certainly won’t be making the same mistake this time. He has been phenomenal for Real Madrid this season scoring 29 goals and is finally living up to his potential after his move from Lyon.
Strengths - Strong and powerful, he has pace to burn and is a potent finisher from inside the box. His link-up play is fantastic and is easily every defender’s nightmare.
What he brings to the French national team - A major reason for France’s poor showing at the WC was the absence of a quality centre-forward. Benzema is the perfect replacement for Henry and with the likes of Nasri, Ribery and Gourcuff operating in midfield, we can expect fireworks from him at the Euros.
The Euros is going to be really interesting this time around and with talents like these on display, its going to be all the more worthwhile. May the best team win!
You might also like
https://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/04/09/key-players-in-euro-2012-part-1/
https://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/04/07/five-young-prospects-from-big-footballing-nations-part-1/
