Top Bundesliga "Young Guns" To Shine at Champions League

It was some two decades ago that Germans tried to install a complete and long-lasting youth set-up with splendid nourishment of home-talent for their Football league.

Their fore-sightedness made a revelation that if they were to succeed on all levels at Football grounds then success had to come from home.

They came up with a strong and state-of-the-art youth system which, after toiling and hard work of two decades, stands second to none.

Their home-talent only causes the envy and burns the eyes red of their rivals.

They also adopted an approach that if the players are good enough then they would provide them golden opportunities to play for the national team, Germany—regardless of the players’ birth countries.

The national team has never been afraid to include multi-ethnic players in their national team where players like Miroslav Klose, Lukas Podolski, Kuranyi, Mesut Ozil, Sami Khedira, Marko Marin, and likewise have proved their mettle while none of them has sound German origin.

It is highly evident when you look at the players who have played for Germany in last two decades i.e. you will see Poles, Turks, Balkans, and even South Americans plying their trade in German national team.

One must conclude that there is no downfall for Germans as far as Football is concerned and they would only cement success after success for the times to come.

Home-Grown and Youth-Policies are serious business in Bundesliga.

While, in other leagues it is a big joke!

Here, we would take a look at Bundesliga teams who will play in Champions League and would try to spot some potential “young guns” amongst them that are the result of this strong Bundesliga system.

"Flying Horse": Diego Contento

Contento

Club: Bayern Munich.

Age: 20 Years.

Position: Left-Back.

National Team: Germany.

Origin: Italia.

Diego Contento has come up from Bayern Munich’s youth ranks.

This speedy young-man started with Bayern Munich II, where he spent two good seasons learning the trade and menace required to play at wing-backs.

People at Bayern’s hierarchy had so much faith in him that he was included in Champions League fixtures last season. He was in the starting line-up against Lyon in Champions League Semi-finals last season.

When you play a bloke like Contento in one of those high-pressure games and he excels in it then you have already given him confidence and mental attributes which will play big part in his character building as a player and nourishing mental toughness.

His hard-work earned him the first-team place at the start of 2010 pre-season and was given a new first-team contract.

He possesses pace, good crossing skills, attacking-approach, sharp-tackling, and is already weaving game-reading required for a left-back.

The only draw-back he had was that he couldn’t track-back to defend when he would go up on flank to attack. But, improvements have been observed in that department as he is getting more and more game-time.

He is the one defender to watch in Champions League this season.

"The Renegade": Marko Arnautović

Arnautović

Club: Werder Bremen.

Age: 21 Years.

Position: Attacking Midfielder.

National Team: Austria.

Origin: Serbian-Austrian.

Marko Arnautović started his Football education at the tender age of six in his homeland Austria. He spent good ten years with his childhood local team. His first potential move to further up his football career came in 2006 when he signed for Dutch side FC Twente.

He polished his abilities and spent his youth career making appearances for the first team now and then but never made the cut to sustain his stay in first team.

He spent a fruitless loan-spell at Inter Milan last year.

At one point, it all started looking bleak and darkness was about to scatter around his Football career.

But then Thomas Schaaf signed him in this summer transfer-window.

When you are young Football player and a manager like Schaaf spares a gaze for you then you are something because that guy—Schaaf—never goes wrong with his prospect signings.

In true meaning, Marko’s career in Football and to attain the heights of greatness has just started.

All what was before Werder was just a trailer and only now it seems that he is the one who has a crucial part to play in this big picture.

Already given the No.7 shirt, Arnautović plays behind the strikers and sometimes likes to lunge to the wings then abruptly coming in to box again. He is nicknamed as “Astronaut”.

He possesses sharp-shooting skills which for now goes wide-off-the-mark. He likes to surprise his opponents with his unexpected movements around the pitch. The most intriguing attribute which is more important about this guy is that this guy has hunger for goals.

He made his Bundesliga debut as a substitute and just started rampaging shots towards goal. What he didn’t get was goals, actually.

But all was there to see with his frustration and the empty look in his eyes that all he wants is to smash the ball in net.

Schaaf put his trust in him—because that’s what Schaaf has always done—and gave him the first full start the next week and Voila! He scored two goals in the match.

He came in Bundesliga to shine and surely would show some glimpses in Champions League of what he is capable of doing.

"Glistening Glass": Ivan Rakitić

Rakitić

Club: Schalke 04.

Age: 22 Years.

Position: Left Attacking Midfielder-Turned Center Midfielder.

National Team: Croatia.

Origin: Swiss-Croatian.

He is a graduate of best Swiss club football FC Basel. He signed for FC Schalke 04 three years ago.

Ivan Rakitić had enormous potential then. He showed his radiance through his tricks and good work on left-flank. But, never hit the peak.

This guy, at the age of 22, still has enormous talent. But, he is just lagging behind.

Surely we have seen his glitter, the glow in his performances but he fades at wrong times. This guy is radiance. All he needs is consistency.

That’s why I tag him as “Glistening Glass”. Shine is there to see but frail as glass to shatter.

And trust me, this is his make or break season literally. It’s all in his own hands whether he attains the success and reaches his potential or just fades to black. It’s solely upon him.

And, something tells me that he will make it eventually.

And if you are wondering about what I meant with his position i.e. Left-attacking Midfielder turned Central Midfielder then I can simply describe it in one legendary German “term”—Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Felix Magath has tried to transform Rakitić in a more useful player thorough the middle rather than sulking at the flanks. I can see that he can excel in that and can make it in his new role.

The arrivals of Raul, Huntelaar, and Jurado will surely help in his progress.

Jurado will be mostly used on left-flank so Rakitić has only his position to worry about and master in which is surely at the middle.

Farfan’s transformation in to more attacking player will be a helping hand in the exponential progress of Rakitić, only if he works consistently and fights his demons out.

This player is an intelligent individual at taking set-pieces but that’s the only significant trait that he is left in his repertoire with.

People say Champions League experience has upturned the careers. May be, this is Ivan Rakitić season to shine on.

"Intellectual Maestro": Toni Kroos

Kroos

Club: Bayern Munich.

Age: 20 Years.

Position: Midfield Maestro.

National Team: Germany.

Origin: German.

When Uli Hoeneß comments about you that you will be the future No. 10 at Bayern Munich then it’s the highest praise you could accumulate at teenage. Well, you didn’t! But one Toni Kroos earned this respect and praise.

Starting the Football education at the age of seven and climbing up the ranks and becoming potential prospect for the biggest club in your country requires a clear mind-set with high ambitions only.

That’s how this young lad has attained that honor.

What he did at the age of 17 in his European debut was the hallmark of what he was becoming to be! In that UEFA Cup game, he was introduced in last ten minutes. He provided an assist to Klose and also poached the goal for himself in dying moments to ensure victory to Bayern Munich.

But, as everyone knew that he was little far from finished article so he spent his one and half year at Bayer Leverkusen 04 as a loanee.

This is where he prepared himself for his potential No. 10 role at Bayern which was coming sooner than later.

Toni Kroos was so influential for Bayer Leverkusen that if Leverkusen won the league last season then it surely would have been due to huge impact that Kroos had at BayArena.

He outgrew his progress and became a real midfield-maestro with intellectual game-play. He scored 10 goals in first half of the season and was an integral figure in providing assists from behind the strikers.

He has returned to Bayern Munich and is already in for first-team place battle. He provided a sublime assist to Thomas Muller in first match of Bundesliga this season which ensured 2-1 victory against certain Steve McLaren’s Wolfsburg.

He will be the player to watch in this Champions League if you like play-making intellectual craziness.

"The White Wizard": Marko Marin

Marin

Club: Werder Bremen.

Age: 21 Years.

Position: Left-Flank (cuts inside).

National Team: Germany.

Origin: Bosnian Serb.

And here is the next “Big-Bang”.

Every club needs a player like Marko Marin.

Some have got Messi, some have got Ronaldo, and others have got Wayne Rooney while Werder Bremen have got Marko Marin.

His transformation to next big thing is identical to the names asserted above.

Just when we used to talk a few years back about how Messi, Ronaldo, and Rooney will become big players in next few years same way Germany is stormed with the very talks about Marko Marin.

He is just a phenomenal player. I really don’t know what to write about this tiny little hobbit! Because he will show himself what his worth is and what this buzz is all about when Champions League starts next week. I am awe-struck.

Werder have been home of producing outstanding youth products and the way they have polished the raw material in to finished articles like Frings, Diego, Oezil, and Aaron Hunt then Marko Marin is next in that line.

Agile, pace, ball-control, freak set-pieces, controlled passing, and an eagle eye for scoring goals and as well as hitting the post define this young lad.

This player is surely the “must-watch” player from Bundesliga in Champions League this season.

 

Hope you enjoyed all the slides! Cheers.