1. Yoann Gourcuff. Country: France. Age: 23. Position: Center attacking midfielder (CAM)
You can basically think of this guy as a French version of Cristiano Ronaldo. He's got the looks, a Howitzer cannon of a shot, and top of the line field vision. He's becoming known for being an extremely intelligent player who rarely makes mistakes and the French are going crazy over him. This guy is a dark horse for the Golden Boot, and definitely someone to watch for in this and the next three World Cups.
2. Gerard Pique. Country: Spain. Age: 23. Position: Center back (CB)
Pique is the new Puyol. The difference is, he's bigger than Puyol, faster than Puyol, more deadly with the ball at his feet than Puyol, and more reliable than Puyol. Basically, Pique is going to be the foundation of Spain's back four when Puyol gets a red card (which he will), and he can't even rent a car in the United States.
3. Lionel Messi. Country: Argentina. Age: 22. Position: Left winger (LW)
The heralded "best player in the world." La Liga's top scorer. The man who tied Ronaldo's impossible 43 goals in a season this year. He's five feet two inches and would be asked to show some identification at any night club in the United States. Messi's left foot has become synonymous (as every club in La Liga knows by now) with defeat. "Maradona's successor" is the penultimate striker in the world. He loves chipping keepers, whirling around defenders, and basically making football look like a cake walk. You definitely won't want to miss Argentina playing at the Cup this year, if only to see this kid play.
4. Gonzalo Higuain. Country: Argentina. Age: 22. Position: Striker (ST)
Yes, they have another one. La Liga's second leading scorer, and Real Madrid's newest star, Higuain has a nose for the goal, and an aptitude for finishing. A top pick amongst a lot of analyists to win the Golden Boot, Higuain has been jostling with other Argentine strikers Carlos Tevez, Diego Milito, and Sergio Aguero to be in the starting line-up, and most think he's a shoe-in. Though those other three are also pretty great. More on one of them right now.
5. Sergio Aguero. Country: Argentina. Age: 21. Position: ST
Are you going to watch Argentina now? Aguero is a very special player, and not just because he's married to Argentine manager and former international superstar Diego Maradona's daughter. Aguero is extremely skilled on the ball, and has garnered a lot of attention starting alongside Diego Forlan at Atletico Madrid. He may come in only a few times, he may start for Argentina. Again, with this country, they have so many options up top, it's hard to pick just two or three to play.
So those are my top five young players. Do you have other ones? Comment!
Do you think there is something to clubs with home country nationals having better win records than clubs coached by expatriates?
ReplyDeleteI would think that the mere fact that they do have better records proves that there is definitely something to it.
ReplyDeleteIt makes sense in many ways, the players probably respect the coach a lot more. They probably have a lot of commonalities and a more personal understanding of their players.
It would also in a lot of cases eliminate the problem of a language barrier, though some of the more elite clubs (sans Barca) are such a hodgepodge of nationalities that it doesn't really matter what language the coach speaks.
I would think that it would also mean more support from fans, and perhaps also sympathy if a rough patch were to strike. It would certainly make home matches much more manageable.
So, in short, yes, I think that there is something to that.