2010-11 Bundesliga Season: Top 10 Youngsters to Watch Out For

The Bundesliga has witnessed a new rise recently; For years since the early decade it had been cast aside by the ever-growing Premier League, La Liga, and Seria A as it has slowly lost its respect on the European club stage.

But while it seemed that the league, known for its ruthlessly efficiency and boring representatives on the European stage, had seemed to be falling into the shadow of the Big Three, there was something growing in the background, in the training fields far from the eyes of the World.

That growth had come to full light this summer in the World Cup, as Germany represented not only the new found essence of its league but the new mentality prevalent in the footballing community. A new emphasis on the growth of the youth teams, not the first teams.

After realizing that the league was no longer the powerhouse it once was, capable of reeling in any of the world starts its big clubs demanded, it decided to look back into the streets at the kids growing up, and decided to make their own stars.

The 2009-10 season was one of the most exciting witnessed in the last decade with a number of youngsters such as Ozil, Marin, Hummels, Mueller, and Badstuber outperforming their more renowned elders. The next season holds the same promise.

Here is a small list of the new batch to watch out for.

10. Mario Goetze

At 18 years of age, Mario Goetze is heralded as the best player in his age group. The diminutive playmaker, currently on the books of Borussia Dortmund, finds himself under the guidance of a young manager, Jurgen Klopp, who has found success grooming an inexperienced Dortmund side into challengers for the UEFA Champions League spots.

While only making a few sub appearances last season, it was on the Germany youth stage where he has made his name and reputation. A star during the 2009 European U-17 tournament in which his team won, he followed that form into the World version of the tournament and scored three goals in four matches as Germany were knocked out by the eventual winners, Switzerland.

A player blessed with speed, dribbling ability, and a wonderful pass, he is looking to follow in the footsteps of Dortmund and German legend Andi Moller to become one of the world's top playmakers. It's doubtful whether he will get to see much playing time this season being only 18, that is why I have decided to put him at number 10.

9. David Alaba

Many football players know of David Alaba already, as he has been crafted into one of the best young central midfielders in the game and a must-have for most players. The game has been known to jump the gun while predicting the growth of some young players but they seem to be on the right track when it comes to this Austrian sensation.

Signed from Austria Vienna in 2008 as a youth player, Alaba already had the hopes of a nation surrounding him; in the public's defence, he did go on to become the nation/s youngest ever player at barely 17 years of age.

Not only that, but Alaba also signed a professional contract with the Bavarians in early January 2010 and made his first start in a vital UEFA Champions League clash with Fiorentina in the Round of 16 second leg due to a parade of injuries in the Bayern squad. He went in to complete the most passes in the match, even more than Schweinsteiger.

Did I also mention that he played a game at LB? A position even people in Austria didn't even know he could play in. The performance was an extraordinary accomplishment for someone who had only appeared once before for his club and was a testament to the strong mentality already ingrained into him. He followed up that performance with a couple more appearances in the rest of the season, but his talent was best displayed on that night of nights.

With Van Bommel reaching the end of his time at Bayern, odds are that Alaba will step in alongside Schweinsteiger in the center of Bayern's ever strong midfield. While, like Goetze, it is unlikely he will start many games, it is likely that he will make at least consistent sub appearances and maybe a couple of starts in the Pokal.

8. Diego Contento

In case you were wondering, Alaba was the guy on the left of his page's picture, the person on the right is Diego Contento, the person who would've filled the LB spot had he not been injured before the game in which Alaba started.

Another Bayern youth product (finally we have someone to match those red and blue Catalan's over in Spain!), Contento was one of three youth players who signed a professional deal in January 2010. He, like Alaba, then followed to make appearances for Bayern in the league, Pokal, and UEFA Champions League.

Being a LB, Contento had only Badstuber to compete with for that role and thus was able to make more appearances then his youth team compatriot Alaba. His debut came as a sub against Fiorentina in the first leg of their Round of 16 clash and it didn't start off well with the Italians scoring of his error. Though just 19 at that time, he managed to pick himself up and perform admirably for the rest of the match, holding winger Marchionni for most of the second half.

After that, his potential level grew only more and more as he went on to start more matches at the league level and also starte in one further match in the UEFA Champions League against Lyon in the semifinal second leg where he gave by far his best performance of the season.

Against a side that beat the mighty Real Madrid, Contento gave a fantastic display of attacking and defending against players like Govou and Bastos as Bayern won 3-0.

Bayern have been looking for a new LB but have thus far failed to reach an agreement with Benfica for Fabio Coentrao. If Bayern don't manage to find a LB, then Van Gaal has stated that he would be more than happy to give the starting role to Contento, so the next season has the potential to be the homecoming for the Munich born LB.

7. Richard Sukuta-Pasu

Another player to make his name at the international youth stage, Sukuta-Pasu has been a proven goalscorer at the U-17, U-19, and U-20 levels. Part of an impressive U-19 squad that won the European Competition in 2008, Sukuta Pasu hasn't been able to break through into his club team as of yet, though he continues to show his promise at the youth level.

A pacy and strong striker, Sukuta Pasu can be a pain for all defences with his all-round ability. A player who came through the youth ranks of Leverkusen, the board and manager decided to loan him out to to Bundesliga high flyers, St.Pauli, and he managed to make a number of substitute appearances for a team that wasn't having trouble finding the back of the net on their way to promotion.

Now, with the Bundesliga season upon them, St Pauli decided to extend his loan deal for the new season in hopes that he will help them maintain their Bundesliga status for at least another season. The striker himself will be hoping he can have a greater impact as he grows as the season progresses.

6. Joel Matip

When Magath came to manage Schalke last season, he had thrown himself into a team with a complete lack of finances and an aging under-performing squad. He then decided to take a different route to proceedings and authoritatively cut out the failed signings of past managers and took in a new batch of youngsters, some signed from fellow clubs and some brought through from the youth squad.

The then 18 year old Joel Matip was one of those players brought though. With his tall imposing figure, he slowly grew into the squad and by the end of the highly successful season, made the DM spot his own. He also managed to make his way into Cameroon's World Cup squad.

He has the look of a young Patrick Vieira to him and his performances say the same. A tidy player in midfield, he is able to dominate the center with his size and intelligence on and off the ball. He is also a threat from set-pieces as his three goals in the season prove, including a goal on debut against Bayern Munich.

After making one substitute appearance for Cameroon in the World Cup, Matip will now find himself in the next biggest stage, the UEFA Champions League.

Magath has been given a big transfer kitty to reinforce the squad and has yet to display interest in any DM, thus showing his faith in the young German born Cameroonian. Schalke's main strength last season was their defence, and if they are to repeat their achievements of past then you can be sure that Matip will have a huge role to play in it.

5. Tobias Sippel

At 22 years, Kaiserslauten keeper Tobias Sippel is the oldest of the group of youngsters in this presentation. He is also by far the most experienced with over 70 league appearances for the newly promoted club.

One of those early appearances came towards the end of the 2007-2008 season as he had taken up the No. 1 spot after current Hannover keeper Fromlowitz's injury and Kaiserlauten were on the verge of being relegated into the 3rd division (though conceding only 37 goals in 33 matches), he managed to keep a clean sheet in a 3-0 victory and the club avoided their fate.

He has grown stronger and stronger since then and was unlucky to receive a similar fate to Fromlowitz, injured early on the following season. Last season, though, saw Sippel command the Kaiserlauten defence for the whole season and it wasn't surprising to see them walk their way onto a promotion spot in the 2.Bundesliga table on the back of a superb defensive performance, conceding only 28 goals in 34 matches.

Sippel also managed to impress a Pokal fixture against Bremen, though his side lost 3-0, Sippel managed to save them some embarrassment by saving countless shots.

Now in the big leagues for the first time, Sippel is set to face a similar barrage of shots in goal and will have to continue to show his superb reflexes, and drown out a bit of his eccentricity, if Kaiserlauten stand any chance of staying in the league they won only 11 years ago as a promoted side.

4. Philipp Bagfrede

Werder Bremen have built themselves a quite brilliant offensive unit. Marko Marin, Mesut Ozil, Aaron Hunt, and Claudio Pizzaro put in outstanding performances in the 2009-10 season as Bremen blitzkrieged their way to third place in the standings.

The offensive quartet took most of the praises, but a forgotten man, especially towards the end of the season when Bremen found back the form they had lost early in 2010, was 21-year-old Philipp Bagfrede.

The offensive midfielder turned deep playmaker was instrumental in maintaining Bremen's dominance in midfield along with Frings and allowed Ozil, Marin and co to cut their way through opposition defenses. With his passing, concentration, and close control, Bagfrede was able to keep Bremen's attack ticking and was always on hand to win back possession as soon as the attack lost the ball. Also always putting himself as an option for the backline to pass to as they preferred to play the ball out of defence.

With a new season, Philipp will be put through a new test as Bremen try to get through the qualifying stage of the UEFA Champions League and into the group stage, something that is expected of them. If they do manage to do that then the midfielder will be given a new set of experiences playing in the biggest stage in club football and could make a name for himself in the eyes of the European crowd if Bremen get into the knockout rounds, something they haven't done in their last two tries.

3. Deniz Naki

You know when I said that Richard Sukuta-Pasu's side, St. Pauli, were scoring freely? This 20-year-old kid is one of the reasons why. Like Sukuta-Pasu, Naki was part of the Leverkusen youth squad who went on to be sold to St. Pauli last season, he was also an integral member of the German U-19 European Champions in 2009.

A player labeled a striker but more of a trequartista in the mold of Roberto Baggio, Deniz Naki is someone who likes to come deep to collect the ball to start his team's attack and also be on the end of them. Great control, dribbling, and set-piece delivery makes Naki a danger at any area of the final third and also a highly versatile player difficult to mark.

A fantastic season culminating in seven goals and eight assists in 30 games helped his side to an automatic promotion spot. He will want to follow in the footsteps of Marko Marin who himself went through a similar path on way to becoming one of Europe's finest youngsters today.

2. Levan Kenia

People want to label him the next Mesut Ozil because of a mere situation rather then playing style, as young playmaker and part of the Schalke team, but I would want to go further and label him the next Messi.

It might be crazy but this 19-year-old has already performed on fantastic levels in not only the Bundesliga but also on the international level for Georgia. Making his national debut at 16, Kenia has gone on to make 14 further appearances for his national team in friendly and competitive matches.

He has scored against accomplished national sides like Ireland and Wales and provided the spark for his team against the Italians, coming on as a second half sub. He wriggled his way past some of the best defenders in the world and didn't look at all awed at the occasions.

An exceptionally talented player technically, he has great acceleration and dribbling to enable him to get past players with ease no matter where on the pitch. Played primarily as a CAM by Magath in his 4-3-3 formation, Kenia made a number of appearances in the first half of the season and continuously impressed with his boundless energy and creativity on the pitch.

Unfortunately he wasn't able to continue those appearances as an injury ruled him out for some time, and he then found it difficult to get back into the squad with Ivan Rakitic finding his form.

Next season, though, holds new expectations for the playmaker/winger, he is most likely going to be part of Magath's first team plans and will be playing in the UEFA Champions League which will no doubt be a fantastic experience and also an opportunity to show his fantastic ability.

1. Lewis Holtby

Another member of the new Schalke squad, 19-year-old Holtby spent the second half of last season on loan at Vfl Bochum, and while impressing tremendously, he wasn't able to help them avoid relegation. The next season, though, holds new promise as he has again been loaned out to gain more experience, this time to FSV Mainz.

A player very similar to Levan Kenia, the pint sized playmaker has played in the center most of his career including for his first club, Alemannia Aachen, where he made his name in the 2.Bundesliga. While he might not have the dribbling quality of Kenia, Holtby possesses a better eye for a pass and thus is more suited for a central role in his team enabling him to provide some fantastic assists for his sides.

Holtbly, like many on this list was part of the U-19 European Championship winners with Germany and has since promoted himself to the U-21 side despite his very young age. The reason I did put him above Kenia is not based on talent but rather because he will be a more consistent starter at Mainz then his fellow midfielder.

Whatever the case, this season is going to be highly important for Holtby's development and how he will fare in the future Schalke filled with exciting and extremely talented attacking players. Also of concern is whether he will be able to break into the German national team for the 2012 European Championships.