Champions League players to keep an eye out for.

It’s already that time. The champions league returns this Friday, the 7th, after what will be a 149 day break (and here I was thinking that you could come out of self-isolation after two weeks!) Europe’s premier club competition was snapped off messily before lockdown, and so, it will return in an equally confused fashion later this week. Unfortunately, my team, the mighty Liverpool, were caught up in this clumsiness, as Atletico dumped us out of the competition in a game that should never have been played. That’s a matter for another time, though: I’m here to talk about the teams which do remain in the tournament. More accurately, I’m hoping to talk about a few exceptional players who have unfinished business in Europe this season. In this post, I will select five players from the pool of remaining Champions League squads as candidates for special attention - ones to watch, if you will. I’ve tried to avoid the big-hitters (Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar, etc.) in favour of some more understated performers. Oh, and I’m limiting myself to two hundred words (give or take) for each recommendation. I hope you enjoy it.

I shall begin with my pick from Atalanta’s ranks: Alejandro ‘Papu’ Gomez. The Italian side are the neutral’s favourites in Europe this season, for good reason: they’re the highest scorers in Serie A; their squad only cost 93 million Euros, and they only seem to be improving as the tournament progresses. Gomez, standing at a mere 5’4” tall, is Atalanta’s chief creative dynamo - he assisted 16 goals and scored 7 more in Italy’s latest top-flight season. Admittedly, his presence has not been so formidable in Europe, but his stunning strike versus Dinamo Zagreb is evidence enough that he can mix it with the creme of the continent. Atalanta’s nippy captain has played in all of the side's Champions League fixtures so far. With Josip Ilicic all but ruled out for their forthcoming quarter final tie against PSG, full creative responsibility falls upon Alejandro’s shoulders. It’ll be his toughest test yet, and I can’t wait to see whether he can rise to the occasion.

Now that I’ve mentioned Paris Saint Germain, it seems sensible to swing my attention onto their squad. As I laid out earlier, I’m keeping away from the big names - I don’t need to tell people to watch out for Neymar. Moreover, injury has ruled Kylian Mbappe out of a Champions League return any time soon. As such, I’m forced to look elsewhere for a Parisian to pin my hopes on. Marco Verratti, a tenacious Italian midfielder, is the man who wins my attention. Mr. Verratti has been in solid form recently, winning the man of the match accolade in the Coupe de la Ligue final (France’s FA Cup) last week. His stats from that game - 76 accurate passes, nine dribbles, 21 ground duels - illustrate a dominant midfield general. Clearly, then, he’s been unaffected by the footballing hiatus in France. Verratti, at his best, is a world-class midfielder. The duel between PSG and Atalanta may be determined by his performance: he’ll need to support Neymar and Icardi (with the absence of Di Maria and Mbappe), whilst retaining his defensive discipline, what with Papu Gomez floating around. It’s worth keeping an eye on the Italian, in this juiciest of European fixtures.

From one combative midfielder to another, I present Atleti’s Thomas Partey as my next ‘one to watch’. The Ghanaian caught my eye with his silky coolness against Liverpool at the Wanda Metropolitano. I’d imagine it’s rather tricky to remain level-headed when blasted with heavy metal football, but Thomas seemed to manage just fine - this bodes well for Los Rojiblancos’ upcoming European encounter with RB Leipzig (they employ a similarly frantic style to LFC). Partey should have plenty to do against the Germans, sweeping up in front of the back four whilst dealing with the craft of players like Sabitzer and Nkunku. I’m eager to see him in action again, especially given this responsibility on his shoulders. Thomas has exerted a large influence on Atletico’s run in Europe so far: he’s played in all of their matches up to this point; he has 85% pass accuracy with an average of 78 touches per match, and he’s completed 66% of his duels. I can see him becoming one of the tournament’s key players if Atletico manage to overcome Leipzig: Simeone’s anti-football clearly suits the Ghanaian’s style! That said, I detest Atleti, and I’d hate to see them progress any further in Europe. I wouldn’t mind seeing another Thomas masterclass though.

There seems to be a bit of a theme emerging with a few of my picks so far: I’m apparently inclined to recommend players I’ve seen performing against Liverpool in Europe (Veratti with PSG last season, and obviously Partey-time with Atletico a few months back). Well, I’m not looking to buck this trend quite yet. You might be able to guess where I’m going with this. Klopp’s Army have had their fare-share of run-ins with Napoli in the Champions League over the past few seasons, so you shouldn’t be surprised to hear that my next recommendation (or recommendations) can be found on the pitch donning Neapolitan blue. My original selection from Gattuso’s ranks was centre-half Kostas Manolas, what with his history against Barcelona and all. The Greek makes up half of Napoli’s mouth-watering defensive duo, alongside Kalidou Koulibaly. Whilst I am interested to see how this partnership fares up against Messi and company, I’m more intrigued by Napoli’s midfield. ‘I Partenopei’ are excitingly strong in the central third of the pitch - the midfield three proffered by Gattuso for their final league game (Fabian, Zielinski and Lobotka) was only one exciting combination of the multiple young talents at his disposal. Half of my interest in Napoli and Barca’s knockout tie stems from a desire to see who Napoli’s coach picks in the midfield. Whatever he decides, I’ll be satisfied; Barcelona’s aged and depleted engine-room will have a real job-on competing, all ends-up.

My article has been mired in the midfield so far: just like a good old-fashioned rumble between Stoke and Burnley would be. I’ll be using my final pick to change the direction of things - I don’t want to be associated with the Brexit of football fixtures. Therefore, as the time arrives for my final recommendation, I’ll be casting a glance over Europe’s premier defenders to find my fifth man. I’ve got someone specific in mind: Austrian national and honorary Bavarian, David Alaba. The Bayern Munich stalwart has always been lauded as an exceptional talent, but his progression seemed to stall somewhat after his explosion onto the scene as a teenager. His recent reinvention as a centre-back, however, has acted almost like a career defibrillator - or so it seems. I’m wary of painting him as a world-class centre half, what with him being a Bayern Munich player in the Bundesliga (it’s a walkover in Germany if you play in the Allianz Arena!) This provides even more reason to look out for him on the continent though: I’m interested to see how he copes against a higher level of opposition (he has already stood up to one round of Chelsea’s best, though) Don’t get me wrong, Alaba’s distribution is a joy to behold (91% pass accuracy in the league), and his defending isn’t to be sniffed at either (he’s won 75% of his tackles in the Champions League, and he hasn’t conceded any fouls). I’m just interested to see how these stats stand the test of Man City, or someone like that. I hope we’re able to find out.

I’m writing this conclusion 40 minutes before Man City kick-off against Real Madrid - I’m trying to force words and it isn’t really working. All I can think of is this: if you’re arsed to watch the Champions League upon its imminent return, please keep a special eye out for the players I’ve mentioned. Let’s be honest, I’ve not gone too far out of the box with my suggestions, so it shouldn’t be too tricky to keep track of my men. Thanks for reading - I’d love to hear who you’re keeping an eye out for in Europe too - please tell me, @Torpaldo. I might write another article, when the tournament is finished, reviewing how each pick actually performed as their games played out.


Thanks.