Inspired by an article on the best young players in the Serie A, I have decided to publish my take on the best young players in the current Bundesliga campaign. My judgement is solely based on recent performances. I have included the average grades given by German football magazine "Kicker", but my selection is not based on those grades (explanation of the grade system: "1" (A) is the best , "6" (F) the worst possible grade).
Goalkeeper: Rene Adler (Bayer Leverkusen, 23 y.o.)
(14 Bundesliga matches, average kicker grade: 2.89)
Rene Adler is one of the rising stars in German football. The East German goalkeeping sensation has made his Bundesliga debut two seasons ago and has managed to become Germany`s no.1 - earning accolades for his debut match against Russia.
However, after two flawless seasons at Leverkusen he also had to deal with some major setbacks this season: a mistake in the friendly against England and some mediocre performances at club level. Nevertheless, Rene Adler is still the best goalkeeper in the Bundesliga.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIxdoN3p2O4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeDbYbPEr0E
Left Back: Stefano Celozzi (Karlsruher SC, 20 y.o.)
(15 matches, average kicker grade: 3.36)
Stefano Celozzi is the product of Bayern Munich`s acclaimed youth system. At the age of 16, Hermann Gerland, the legendary coach of Bayern`s reserve team, invited him to play for Bayern II and he soon established himself as a regular in the third division of German football.
After three seasons in Bayern`s reserve team, Celozzi made the next step and moved on the Karlruhe for a mere 200,000 euros. Bayern will likely regret his sale. The German-Italian has left a strong impression after the first half of the season and was voted Karlsruhe`s best player in an online poll.
http://www.ksc.de/aktuelles/anzeigen/news/celozzi-ist-spieler-der-hinrunde/29.html
Centre Back: "Geromel" (1.FC Cologne, 23 y.o.)
(17 matches, average kicker grade: 2.94)
The tall and pacy Brazilian Tonon Pedro Geromel moved to Cologne from Portuguese club Vitoria Guimaraes last summer and quickly established himself as one of the best centre backs in the Bundesliga. At times world-class, Geromel`s performances are one of the main reasons newly promoted Cologne has finished the first half of the season in eleventh place with little worries about relegation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPJ8pIewg9I
http://de-de.facebook.com/people/Pedro-Geromel/549100616
Centre Back: Neven Subotic (Borussia Dortmund, 20 y.o.)
(17 matches, average kicker grade: 3.29)
Neven Subotic has become one of the most discussed topics among American football fans. Although he represented the US at youth tournaments, Neven has recently decided that he wants to play for the country of his heritage, Serbia, in the future. Subotic has risen to one of the best centre backs of the German top flight. He belongs to a new generation of centre backs who read the game and are capable of containing forwards without using tackles.
Furthermore his height make him dangerous at set pieces and he has already scored five goals in his first Bundesliga season. Recently, rumours have emerged that he was heading to Serie A side SSC Naples. He quickly rubbished those talks on his facebook site: "Guys, calm down, I am staying at Dortmund..." Dortmund fans hope that he will stay for years to come.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lKNuc7pnD8&feature=related
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