5 Players to Watch this UCL season

-

The UEFA Champions League is back with the first group games happening tonight. There are players who we will be looking out for this season from how they can make an impact at their new club or someone who's going to burst in the scene. How are the five players to watch this UCL season.

  • João Félix 


Atlético Madrid splashed the cash over the summer but raised a few eyebrows when they signed 19 year old João Félix from Benfica for €126m and whether the jump up was too soon. However, Félix looks at home at Atléti, continuing the work he did at Benfica. Last season, he scored 15 goals and 7 assists in the Primeira Liga Nos as well as becoming the youngest player to score a hat-trick in the Europa League against Eintracht Frankfurt. 2.3 shots per game and 1 key pass per game in the Europa League last season, Félix is the new face of Atlético Madrid as the Rojiblancos start life after Griezmann.


  • Kai Havertz 


Kai Havertz is one of the brightest young players to come out from the Bundesliga. Last season, he was instrumental in Leverkusen qualifying for the Champions League this season. A midfielder, Havertz was Leverkusen's top goalscorer with 17 goals in the Bundesliga, 20 in all competitions. An attacking threat, Havertz made 2.6 shots per game, 1 key pass per game and 1.4 dribbles in the Bundesliga last season. With Julian Brandt now gone, Havertz looks to become the man in Leverkusen as they hope for a good showing in Europe.


  • Houssem Aouar 


Lyon have lost three of their players in Tanguy Ndombele, Ferland Mendy and Nabil Fekir but their squad is still a talented one and it looks like Houssem Aouar will have a key role to play for Les Gones this season in the Champions League. Last season, Aouar made seven appearances in the competition, making three assists with an 88% pass completion rate, 45 passes per game and 1.4 key passes per game. Lauded by Pep Guardiola and been linked with the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Real Madrid, this could be the season Aouar reaches super stardom.


  • Jadon Sancho


Jadon Sancho had a breakout year last season as he's become one of the most sought after players right now. The winger was instrumental in Dortmund's title run last season in the Bundesliga scoring 12 goals and making 14 assists with only Eden Hazard creating making more assists than the Englishman in Europe's top five leagues. Sancho's speed, creativity makes him a threat for the opposition and in Dortmund's pursuit in Europe this season, Sancho is going to be a key figure for the Black and Yellow as his stock going much higher. 


  • Philippe Coutinho 


Philippe Coutinho had an underwhelming season at Barcelona scoring just eight goals and making five assists in all competitions as well as being subject to criticism from the Barcelona fans. Now, he's looking to rejuvenate his career at Bayern Munich where he will be playing his football this season. In the Champions League last season, the Brazilian scored three goals and made three assists in 11 games which is still healthy. He also made 2.8 shots, 1.8 dribbles and 1.4 key passes, showing he still is a top creator and with Bayern this season, he could answer his critics with some big performances in Bayern's quest for the trophy.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

UEFA Euro 2024: Group A Preview

-
Image
Germany 🇩🇪   Germany is hosting the European Championships for the first time as a united nation, having last hosted the Euros in 1988 as West Germany, and first hosting a major tournament since the 2006 World Cup. Since winning the World Cup in 2014, Die Mannschaft have declined. Being eliminated in the group stage in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and a round of 16 exit in Euro 2020. 2023 was a bad year, winning just two from nine matches. Forcing the DFB to relieve Hansi Flick of his position and appoint Julian Nagelsmann as his successor. At 36, Nagelsmann is the youngest coach in Euro 2024 and has made big decisions for his Euro 2024 squad. Toni Kroos returns to the setup while Mats Hummels, Leon Goretzka, Julian Brandt and Serge Gnabry miss out. Germany usually has high expectations going into tournaments. They have won the Euros three times, the joint most in the competition's history. The return of Toni Kroos is huge, providing a calm presence in midfield as this will be hi
Read more

UEFA Euro 2024: Group F Preview

-
Image
Portugal 🇵🇹   One of the highest-ranked nations in Euro 2024, Portugal has been one that is usually in the conversation as favourites, given their production of elite players. They shocked Europe in 2016, defying the odds to win the tournament, their first major title. Since then, the quality of their player pool has increased but they crashed out early in the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020 plus suffering a shock defeat to Morocco in the 2022 World Cup quarterfinals. After the 2022 World Cup, Roberto Martinez was appointed, succeeding Fernando Santos. Martinez was an odd appointment, given his time as Belgium coach, which ended poorly at the end of his tenure. Portugal were flawless throughout qualifying. Winning all ten matches, scoring 36 goals and conceding just two. The best side throughout the qualifiers. Despite being aged 39 and playing in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Nassr, Cristiano Ronaldo is in the squad for a record sixth appearance in the Euros. He’s still bagging in the
Read more

UEFA Euro 2024: Group B Preview

-
Image
Spain 🇪🇸   After impressing in Euro 2020, and making the semifinals, La Roja disappointed in the 2022 World Cup. Only made the Round of 16, losing to Morocco on penalties. Having dominated European and World football during the late 2000s and early 2010s, Spain has struggled to replicate their past success, with the past European Championships their best showing in the last five tournament outings. Now under new management in Luis de la Fuente, who has been in the Spanish setup since 2011, de la Fuente hopes to succeed in his first tournament as Spain's coach. Having won the U-19 and U-21 European Championships with the underage teams. Spain eased through qualification. Finishing first in their group with seven wins from eight games, scoring 25 goals. The most in the group. The squad going to Germany is relatively youthful, with only six players aged 30 and over. This is no surprise with de la Fuente's experience with Spanish's youth sides. Their midfield is their bigges
Read more