After hand-picking five young defenders for glory in this summer’s World Cup, we turn our attentions to the middle of the park. Our quintet are no more than 24 years of age and if they can live up to their undoubted talents during Brazil 2014, our five have every reason for optimism for the forthcoming tournament and beyond:
Paul Pogba
Allowing the youngster to depart Old Trafford is turning out to be a rare error from Sir Alex Ferguson. As United struggled for any real presence in the middle of the park last term, Pobga’s star was on the rise after his commanding performances helped secure the Serie A title for Juventus. Seven goals and seven assists from 36 appearances eclipsed Andrea Pirlo’s four and six respectively and underlined just how important the Frenchman is to The Old Lady, with manager Antonio Conte going on to say:
“In comparison to last season, Paul is a different player. He grew on a tactical and technical level too. I’ve read recently in an interview in which he said he wants to become the world’s strongest player. I’m happy for this. He must have these ambitions and be working for this because he has all the possibilities. But he must keep his feet on the ground and follow mine and his team-mates’ suggestions.”
Pogba’s has already established himself as key for his country. Mainly utilised in a double-pivot alongside Blaise Matuidi in a 4-2-3-1 formation by Didier Deschamps, he benefitted from a recent shift to 4-3-3 and, afforded more freedom to bomb forward, grabbed a goal in a 4-0 win over Norway late last month. The Juventus youngster is a sure starter in the centre of the park for games against Ecuador, Honduras and Switzerland and priced at 6.7 in FantasyiTeam $215kin Fox Sports, has earned plenty of Fantasy owners.
Recent reports suggest United are looking to bring the 21-year-old back to Old Trafford but will surely be deterred by an alleged £60m price tag. Chelsea are also in the running as Jose Mourinho look to increase the Blues’ attacking prospects from the centre of the park after Frank Lampard departed the Bridge this summer.
James Rodriguez
The loss of Radamel Falcao has dealt Colombia’s prospects a bitter blow and the onus will be on the young Monaco playmaker to help guide them through the group stages. Luckily for the South Americans, Rodriguez is a man in form after serving up nine goals and 12 assists from 34 appearances in 2013/13 from the role in “the hole” in a 4-3-1-2 formation.
Almost exclusively left-footed, the 22-year-old’s jinking runs and creativity, supplemented by set-pieces duties, are a real feature of his side’s play. Colombia will look to Rodriguez to take the game to their opponents and with games against Japan, Greece and Ivory Coast, Jose Peckerman’s side have every reason to be optimistic.
Coming in at 6.5 in FantasyiTeam and $215k in Fox Sports, there is already plenty of interest in Rodriguez across the games, though it’s not only Fantasy managers who are optimistic. Compatriot and former midfield maestro Carlos Valderamma has high expectations for the Monaco man:
” He’s often consistent, incredibly talented, and he’s got more passion than any other player I’ve seen in all my years of playing and coaching professional football. James has the potential to be the greatest Colombian player to have ever lived, and perhaps as one of the greatest to have ever played the game.”
In terms of Premier League interest, Rodriguez was linked with a move to Liverpool last month, though rumoured United interest may have ended since Louis Van Gaal was appointed. If the youngster brings his domestic form to Brazil, Fantasy managers could be in for a treat.
Miralem Pjanic
The Bosnia and Herzegovina playmaker arrives on the back of a season which saw him play a pivotal part in guiding Roma to second spot in Serie A. Handed a role on the right of central midfield in a 4-3-3 formation under Rudi Garcia, Pjanic served up six goals and six assists for his club side, though his attacking returns don’t do any justice to his level of performances.
Available for 5.3 in FantasyiTeam and $175k in Fox Sports, Pjanic’s role in “the hole” behind a front two for Bosnia – either in a 4-1-3-2 or midfield diamond – has brought him onto Fantasy radars ahead of the tournament. During the qualifying period, he chipped in with three goals and four assists to help steer his country to Brazil 2014 and if Safet Susic’s side are to prosper in a group which also contains Argentina, Nigeria and Iran, the 24-year-old will surely be key.
Linked with PSG, Barcelona and United in the last month, Pjanic has since signed a new contract with his club which suggests he may be staying put for now but if he can turn on the style like this stunning solo strike against Milan, the bids may well be forthcoming.
Xherdan Shaqiri
Whilst a German Cup Final victory over Dortmund clinched the domestic double for Bayern Munich, the Swiss international suffered a somewhat frustrating season under Pep Guardiola. With Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben nailed-on out wide, Shaqiri struggled to convince the Spaniard that he’s worthy of a regular role and started just 10 league matches last term.
In spite of his limited game time, however, the Swiss youngster still found the net on six occasions in the 2013/14 Bundesliga campaign – underlining the talents which made him such a hot prospect at previous club, Basel. Shaqiri also chipped in with a couple of goals and three assist as Switzerland ended the qualifying campaign unbeaten and although a game against France isn’t the most straightforward, Group E showdowns with Ecuador and Honduras will surely gave the 22-year-old the chance to realise his aattacking potential.
Liverpool are leading the race for his signature, according to reports earlier in the week, as Brendan Rodgers looks for alternatives to Adam Lallana, with Shaqiri offering options on the flanks and the tip of a midfield diamond.
Available for 6.3 in FantasyiTeam and $205k in Fox Sports, Shaqiri has already gone on record to strengthen suggestions he could be on his way out of the Bundesliga, offering the Reds – and Fantasy managers – hope that he may soon be plying his trade on these shores.
“I don’t want to go through another year like this. We will see what happens, but I only want to play for a major club – the Champions League is important to me. England would be an option. If I were to leave Bayern, it will be for a foreign club. But it will have to be a club challenging for the title.”
Kevin de Bruyne
A bit-part player under Jose Mourinho at Chelsea, the young Belgian was forced into a winter move in order to revive his World Cup ambitions. De Bruyne played three league games for the Blues prior to the turn of the year and was struggling to retain his starting role in the national XI before a switch to Wolfsburg in January.
Three goals and six assists in 16 starts for the Bundesliga side cemented the 22-year-old’s spot for his country and allowed de Bruyne to end the qualifying campaign with four goals and four assists to his name – double the number for either statistic for Mark Wilmots’ side. The winger spoke of his relief at the end of the 2013/14 campaign after helping his club to a fifth place finish.
“For myself I know what I do on the field. Physically I’m always one of the top players in the game and run a lot of kilometers. The second half of the season (at Wolfsburg) I showed everybody I’m a good player. But it’s difficult to prove yourself if nobody can watch you – that’s all I can say about it. I’m not at the club anymore and I’m doing fine at the moment.”
Fielded on the right of a 4-3-3, de Bruyne comes in at just 5.9 in FantasyiTeam and $230k in Fox Sports and with Eden Hazard priced significantly dearer, he’s picked up many investors across the Fantasy games.
As his Wolfsburg highlights show, de Bruyne has quickly rediscovered his self-belief and may soon have the suitors circling again, with a star turn in a recent 5-1 friendly win over Luxembourg prompting his manager to purr:
“He is happy and exudes confidence. He is the engine of the team, always receives the ball … He comes from a difficult period but sometimes that’s good.”
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