Marco Reus, Daniel Sturridge & the Potential Breakout Stars of Euro 2012

On the 8th of June 2012, the 14th UEFA European Football Championship will officially kick off. 16 European nations will be striving to out score, out think and out maneuver their opponents in an attempt to wrestle the trophy from all-conquering Spain. 

With every major football tournament comes the exciting prospect of seeing the emergence of young, talented players. In 2010, many football fans may have been naive to the inherent footballing ability of a player such as Thomas Müller. Following his Golden Boot-winning exploits in the tournament he became one of the most highly regarded young footballers in the world. 

This list will present eight players who may make a similar impression this summer.

Marco Reus

22-year-old Marco Reus is the latest young product off the German conveyor belt.

Germany's decision to focus on developing young talent has again paid dividends with Reus, who is leading his current club, Borussia Mönchengladbach, from relegation candidates last season to a potential UEFA Champions League spot.

Reus is an attacking midfielder in a similar mould to Thomas Müller—able to play both wide and through the middle. But Reus has a better eye for the goal than Müller, having scored 11 goals in 15 league appearances this season.

He scored the opening goal against Bayern Munich in their last meeting, which was particularly painful to the Bavarians. Reus had recently signed a contract to join their rival, Borussia Dortmund, in the summer— reportedly turning down the chance to join Bayern.

Reus is relatively inexperienced at the international level, having only made three appearances. However, in Joachim Löw he has a coach willing to take a chance on youth. Reus may not receive a starting berth with Müller, Mesut Özil and Lukas Podolski firmly established as the creativity behind goal scoring phenomenon Mario Gomez, but expect Reus to be given his chance from the bench.

Given his form so far this season, expect him to fire this opportunity into the back of the net.

Daniel Sturridge

Daniel Sturridge could potentially be a game changing player for England.

With Rooney set to serve a two-game ban at the competition, missing the opening group games against France and Sweden, England will require fresh talent in attack.

Sturridge, age 22, can provide this.

Blessed with lightning pace, strength and finishing ability, it is Sturridge's developing versatility that could be most useful for England. Currently one of the first names on Chelsea's team sheet on the right wing, his ability to play as the main striker, or in support of one, will be crucial given Rooney's ban and the inability of other players such as Theo Walcott, Aaron Lennon and Adam Johnson, to claim the right wing position as their own.

So far, Sturridge has only been given one cap by Capello, coming on as a substitute in the friendly win against Sweden. However, if he keeps up his form for Chelsea, having scored 9 goals and got 3 assists in 17 league games for the club this season, expect him to not only be on the plane to Poland and Ukraine but also to establish himself as one of the players England will be basing their attack around for years to come.

Dejan Lovren

In 22-year-old Dejan Lovren, Croatia may have finally found the replacement for defensive stalwart Robert Kovač.

Since arriving at the Stade De Gerland in January 2010 from Croatian giants Dinamo Zagreb, Lovren has established himself as perhaps the most important member of Lyon's defence. His superb reading of the game, combined with good pace and passing abilities for a defender have provided a stabilizing presence in both Ligue 1 and the Champions League, where Lyon are through to the last 16. 

Croatia have drawn Spain and Italy in Group C of the Euros. They will be depending on Lovren to try and shackle the likes of Fernando Torres, Roberto Soldado, Mario Balotelli and Antonio Di Natale.

If he continues to develop at his current rate, Lovren could potentially help inspire Croatia to a surprise progression at one of these European giants' expense.

Sebastian Giovinco

Sebastian Giovinco, 25, has always stood out on the pitch. At only five-foot-four, he gained the nickname Formica Atomica (the Atom Ant).

However, it is his incredible contribution to Parma's season that has been drawing attention recently. Giovinco came through the ranks at Juventus, but like many young players in Italy, was not given many chances to prove himself despite his obvious talent.

A move to Parma in 2010 reinvigorated his career, and this season he has scored 7 goals and provided 4 assists from his favoured position behind the striker. Extremely quick and agile, Giovinco has added the goals and creativity to his play that was perhaps lacking at The Old Lady.

Italy were rocked by injuries to both Giuseppe Rossi and Antonio Cassano, both of whom are doubts for the Euros. In Giovinco, however, the Azzurri have a player who could potentially come off the bench to change a game with his directness.

If he is given this opportunity, Giovinco may well find himself gracing the pitch of a big European club once again.

Sven Bender

Next up is another young German talent, Sven Bender, 22. Bender, whose twin brother Lars plays for Bayer Leverkusen, has benefited greatly by the faith Borussia Dortmund manager Jürgen Klopp has put in his young squad.

On a team frequently defined by its attacking players such as Mario Götze, Shinji Kagawa, Kevin Großkreutz and Robert Lewandowski, Bender's role in protecting the defence from midfield is perhaps one of the most important areas in Dortmund's play. Bender is neither the fastest nor biggest of players, but his superb reading of the game, incredible stamina and tidy, simple distribution, allow his more attack-minded teammates to flourish. 

Germany's formation has more often than not featured two central midfielders. Both protect the back four and help start attacking moves.

At the last World Cup these positions were given to Bastian Schweinsteiger and Sami Khedira. However, while Schweinsteiger is still guaranteed his place, Khedira, who has fallen down the pecking order at Real Madrid, may no longer have this guarantee, and, if Löw does decide to go with another option, expect Bender to be as effective for Germany as he has been for Dortmund.

Alan Dzagoev

The Russian football national team has been on a roller coaster ride over the last several years.

In Euro 2008, they were one of the teams of the tournament, wowing football fans around the world with their highly creative and fluid attacking play. However, come 2010, they shockingly failed to qualify for the World Cup, being eliminated in their playoff match by European minnows Slovenia.

But in Alan Dzagoev, they have a player that can potentially lead them for the next 10 years. Still only 21, Dzagoev has made 148 appearances for CSKA Moscow in all competitions since moving there in 2008, and the capital club have done nothing but benefit from his pace, technique, stamina, versatility and incredible footballing brain.

While English fans bemoan the lack of perceived footballing intelligence in players, who could perhaps more appropriately be called athletes, such as Theo Walcott, this is not a criticism that could ever be levelled at Dzagoev, whose ability to gel into a team and improve the performances of those around him as been highlighted by none other than Guus Hiddink.

Dzagoev was the star of Russia's Euro 2012 qualifying campaign, scoring 4 goals in 6 starts, and fans will expect this form to continue into the tournament itself, with Russia being drawn into the relatively easy Group A alongside Poland, Greece and the Czech Republic.

The player himself is known to favour a move to the English Premier League when he inevitably leaves Russia, with Frank Lampard a known role model, and if he plays to the level he is capable of, it appears likely he will be gracing a pitch such as Old Trafford or Stamford Bridge sooner rather than later. 

Adrian Mierzejewski

As co-hosts of Euro 2012, expectations in Poland will be extremely high come the summer.

However, truth be told, Poland's squad is severely lacking in both big names and genuine quality. While Robert Lewandowski and Jakub Błaszczykowski are obvious exceptions, it is perhaps playmaker Adrian Mierzejewski, 25, who will most keenly feel the weight of his country's hopes on his shoulders.

In what is a largely functional midfield, Mierzejewski provides pace, trickery and creativity to help compliment star striker Lewandowski. Awarded Ekstraklasa player of the year in 2011 for his form with Polonia Warsaw, Mierzejewski earned a move to Turkish club Trabzonspor, who were looking to improve upon the overall quality of their squad before embarking on their first ever foray into the UEFA Champions League.

Although Mierzejewski did not start every one of these matches for the club, he would often come off the bench to help stabilise and provide an outlet for his team. 

This Champions League experience will be crucial to a team lacking in players that have played at the highest level, and given Poland have been drawn against the relatively weak Greece and the Czech Republic in Group A, you can expect Mierzejewski, carried by the home crowds, to leave a lasting impression on the tournament.

Andriy Yarmolenko

Last on this list is a player once dubbed the "new Shevchenko" by Ukrainian journalists, Andriy Yarmolenko, 22.

Currently starring for Ukrainian powerhouse Dynamo Kiev, Yarmolenko is in reality not quite the second coming of Sheva, as he is more comfortable on the wing, however his goal scoring prowess is not to be marginalised.

Currently joint top goal scorer in the Ukrainian league, with 11 goals in 19 games, Yarmolenko is making an extremely effective case that it is he that the Ukrainian attack should be based around. Able to play on both wings, though favouring the left, and up front, Yarmolenko possesses good speed when he gets going, excellent technique and a fine range of both passing and shooting ability. 

Yarmolenko is likely to prove a key figure for a Ukrainian team that has been in decline over recent years, but that should be buoyed by the home crowds. Linked with Liverpool over the recent winter transfer window, expect scouts from other big clubs to be after Yarmolenko following the tournament. 

Conclusion

Euro 2012 is only 5 months away, and already the excitement is palpable amongst football fans across not only Europe but the rest of the world.

As millions of eyes are fixated upon Poland and the Ukraine, hopes will be high that an unproven, untested, or even unknown talent will establish themselves on this huge stage, just as Thomas Müller did in South Africa two years ago.

These eight players are my picks for possible breakout stars, but who do you think will emerge as a world class talent this summer?