For the last couple of years, the Toulouse midfielder has managed to fly
under the radar of many fans due to the prominence of Yann M'Vila, but
with the Rennes' man's fall from grace, the more defensively astute
player can now step into the spotlight. Boasting plenty of Ligue 1
experience from his time with les Violets, he is a more
physically imposing player than his compatriot, smarter positionally and
stronger in the air. Technically he is strong too, and now is his time
to shine in the national team. His pedigree is well known among the top clubs, and the likes of Barcelona and Arsenal have been following him for several seasons now.
Having joined Atletico Madrid on loan from Chelsea to replace David de
Gea, the 20-year-old Courtois put in a number of fine displays last
season. Despite De Gea's critics since moving to the Premier League, the
Belgium international certainly had big gloves to fill at the Vicente
Calderon, and fill them he did. Producing some scarcely-believable saves
to complement his commanding performances, he picked up where the
Spaniard left off. If this promising Belgium side are to live up to the
hype, then they are going to need a solid base on which to build.
Fortunately, Courtois can be that very cornerstone for the next two
decades.
The versatile midfielder made his Oranje debut in the friendly against Ukraine in August 2010, but had not been called up since. However, due to his excellent start to the Eredivisie season with Twente,
national team coach Louis van Gaal had no other option but to recall
the 22-year-old for Netherlands' first World Cup qualifier against
Turkey. Fer, nicknamed 'The Bouncer' for his impressive physique, is a
typical modern midfielder, who not only does plenty of work defensively,
but brings something to the table in attack. He has shown over the
years that he has an eye for goal, and his well-timed runs forward can
trouble any defence.
At 21 years old, Lorenzo Insigne received his
first international call-up on Sunday evening. The diminutive forward
has spent the last two seasons away from parent club Napoli, but
impressed while at Foggia and Pescara
with his eye for goal. The departure of Ezequiel Lavezzi has opened the
door for him at the San Paolo, and his frightening dribbling ability in
one-on-one situations and from set-pieces marks him out as a notable
prospect. He has scored twice in three Under-21 appearances for his
country, and the 2014 World Cup qualification campaign could be the
perfect platform for him to burst into football's global conscience.
The curious case of Javi Martinez. At the age of 23, he has
already won the World Cup and the European Championship, but he has been
little more than a squad player in both of Spain's most recent
successes. Fresh from his €40 million move from Athletic Bilbao to
Bayern Munich, he will be keen to show that he has what it takes to
thrive at one of Europe's biggest clubs. And with La Roja coach
Vicente del Bosque likely to need defensive or midfield reinforcements
along the road to Brazil, the Basque midfielder will have ample
opportunity to cement a first-team place for himself.
Pablo Osvaldo has been threatening to explode for a couple
of seasons now after two promising terms at Espanyol and Roma, but the
2014 World Cup qualifying campaign could be when he really hits his peak
internationally. The 26-year-old has enjoyed a stunning start to the
Serie A season, scoring a brilliant acrobatic bicycle kick against
Catania and a delightful chip at San Siro to down Inter. Blessed with
power, pace, technique and a bullet header, Osvaldo is expected to start
for Italy in Bulgaria and has set his sights on a long-term partnership
in the Azzurri attack with the currently injured Mario Balotelli.
From keeping Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga to
firing them into the Champions League, Marco Reus has been making quite
the name for himself. His progress on the international scene, however,
has been stunted. Blighted by injuries, he was unable to make his
Germany debut until October 2011, some five months after receiving his
first call-up to Joachim Low's squad. Since then, though, he hasn't
looked back, and now looks set to be an automatic pick at the expense of
either Thomas Muller or Lukas Podolski. Now with champions Borussia
Dortmund, he has all the ability to star not just in qualifying, but in
Brazil itself.
One year on from joining Benfica, Witsel is on the move
again, this time to Zenit St Petersburg in the Russian Premier League
for a whopping €40m. He has been in and around the Belgium set-up for
around four years now and, like many of his undoubtedly talented
team-mates, he has yet to make a significant impact in the international
arena. He gained notoriety for his unedifying stamp on Marcin
Wasilewski in a Belgian league game between Standard Liege and
Anderlecht in 2009 but, the occasional red flash aside, he is
undoubtedly one of the key figures in this most promising of Belgian
outfits.
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