Part 2: Players to Watch
1. Eden Hazard, Belgium
Eden Hazard is the shining star of the
fast-rising Belgium team that cruised through the qualifying rounds undefeated.
The 23-year old Hazard plays on the left side as part of a three-pronged attack
for his English club Chelsea, and in a similar position (a central attacking
midfielder) for Belgium. Eden was named the Young Player of the Year in England
by the Professional Footballers’ Association in recognition of a stellar
2013/2014 season where he scored 14 goals and assisted 7 others.
Hazard is small in stature, but has
explosive speed and quickness. His control is outstanding, giving him the
ability to weave between defenders as though the ball were welded to his feet. He
is very creative and reads the game well, often baiting defenders into
ill-timed lunges or simply blowing by them with his electric pace. As a wide
player, his first instinct is often to set up teammates with good opportunities
in front of goal, but he is not afraid to shoot either.
Hazard’s dribbling and passing skills are
already among the best in the world, and if he can continue to improve, particularly
his shooting, he could find himself mentioned in the same breath as Lionel
Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
2. Yaya Toure, Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast is a team with plenty of tall,
powerful players such as Didier Drogba and Wilfried Bony, but at 6’3”, 175 lbs,
central midfielder Yaya Toure is their intimidating colossus in the middle of
the field and the engine that drives the team. There are few players in the
modern game built like Toure, and most are defenders as they do not possess his
passing skills or uncanny knack for scoring goals.
In the past season for English champions
Manchester City, Toure notched 20 goals and 9 assists, a total any striker
would be proud of. What makes it all the more impressive is Yaya did this while
operating from a deep position – putting in tough, bone-crunching tackles, winning
aerial duels, making interceptions and harrying opponents into giving up the
ball, then keeping possession and feeding forward players to start new attacks.
He completed the most passes of any player in the league by a wide margin. On
the offensive, Toure has a thunderbolt shot, can score with either foot, and is
especially dangerous from free kicks and penalty kicks.
Toure is 32 years old and this will be his
third World Cup, along with fellow veterans Drogba and brother Kolo. Their
experience will be key if the Ivory Coast are to move beyond their
disappointing group stage exits in 2006 and 2010.
3. Thiago Silva, Brazil
The Brazil squad is known more for their
attacking play, but team captain and defensive rock Thiago Silva is the
foundation they are built upon. At 29, he is widely regarded as one of the top
defenders in the world. He shows his leadership on the field by organizing the
defense and making sure everyone is on the same page and maintaining their
responsibilities. He can mark any type of attacker out of the game as he has
the strength and height to take on bigger forwards and win aerial battles, as
well as the nimbleness, positioning sense and tackling ability to keep smaller,
quicker players from threatening his goal. While he will occasionally chip in
offensively with a goal here and there, most often from set-pieces, his
unwavering determination is on preventing goals.
Silva plays for French club Paris St.
Germain, and won the French league title with them the past two seasons, as
well as the French Cup in their most recent campaign. He also captained Brazil
to victory in the Confederations Cup last summer, where they beat Spain 3-0 in
the final. With Brazil playing on home turf in 2014, emotions will be high. The
crowds will be demanding nothing less than victory in every match, and it will
be Silva’s responsibility to keep his cool and help his teammates focus on the
task at hand.
4. Luis Suarez, Uruguay
Luis Suarez has made news many times in his
career, often for the wrong reasons. On two separate occasions he has been
banned for biting an opponent. Yes, biting - with his teeth. He also received
an eight match ban for racially abusing France and Manchester United defender
Patrice Evra, and a one-match ban for making an obscene gesture to opposing
fans. Many will also remember his intentional hand-ball to prevent a certain
goal by Ghana in the dying seconds of extra-time at the World Cup 2010,
resulting in a red card. Uruguay miraculously went on to win that match after
the resulting penalty kick was missed. With all this negative press, one might
think his confidence and form would suffer, but Suarez has been nothing short
of spectacular this past season for English club Liverpool.
At age 27, Suarez will arrive in Brazil as
joint top-scorer in European domestic leagues, tied at 31 goals with Cristiano
Ronaldo. Suarez is simply ruthless in front of goal. He shoots often, puts his
shots on target at an impressive rate, and scores frequently. For Liverpool this
season he attempted 181 shots, put 81 of them on target, and scored 31. In
2013/2014 for Uruguay he had an even better success rate, shooting 56 times,
with 27 on target and 16 goals. Suarez is the definition of a complete forward.
He can score with his head, or shoot from distance, but most importantly he can
play in a wider position and use his speed, exceptional first touch and guile
to beat his direct opponent and provide excellent chances for his teammates. He
tallied 12 assists in the Premier League this season, the second-most of any
player, and added 3 more for Uruguay.
Suarez suffered a knee injury and underwent
surgery that will prevent him from practicing with his squad in the buildup to
the tournament, and may limit his involvement during the Group Stage, but he is
one of the hottest players at the moment, and if Uruguay can make it out of a
difficult group that includes England and Italy, he should be able to make his
mark in the knockout phase. Hopefully it will not be a bite mark.
5. Thomas Muller, Germany
Some will remember Thomas Muller from the
2010 World Cup where at age 20 he took home the Golden Boot and Best Young
Player awards. In South Africa, Muller racked up 5 goals and 3 assists in
Germany’s campaign that ended with a semi-final defeat to eventual winners
Spain (three other players also had 5 goals but Thomas was awarded the Golden
Boot based on the assists tiebreaker). Amazingly, Muller scored with every shot
he put on target. It will be a tough feat to replicate, but since 2010 he has
only gotten better.
In that span his club team Bayern Munich
has won every major trophy possible, including an incredible 2012/2013 season
where they were undefeated in the German league, en route to the championship.
They also claimed the German Cup, and the most prestigious of all club
competitions, the UEFA Champions League. Muller is a very versatile player with
a rare blend of skills. Equally comfortable out wide or as a central forward,
his combination of height, pace, power and technique are too much for
defenders. One moment he is burying a towering header into the top corner of
the net, and the next he is streaking toward goal on a counter-attack before
unselfishly setting up a teammate for an easy tap-in. His style is unorthodox,
and not always pretty but put simply, he gets the job done. For Bayern in
2012/2013 he scored 22 goals (including 8 in the Champions League) and added 15
assists. He followed up that performance in 2013/2014 with 26 goals (5 in the
Champions League) and 12 assists.
Perhaps the most valuable aspect of Muller’s game
is his ability to step up in big matches. He thrives in knock-out competitions,
and his enthusiasm, energy and focus are infectious. He will likely be used as
a central forward in a Germany lineup that boasts some of the best passers and creative
players in the world, so his chances will come. Already a veteran at age 24, Muller
will undoubtedly be looking to build on his impressive international legacy.
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