Players to watch out for in 2020/21 Champions League

 We’re nearing the business end of the Champions League again, so I thought it apt to rehash an article that I produced for this phase of the tournament last year, which comprised a discussion of 5 players on the continental stage who I felt were deserving of more attention (at the time). I’m back again to do the same thing: I’ll be recommending 5 more players, from the pool of remaining Champions League squads, for you to keep an eye on - ‘ones to watch’ if you will. Once more, I’ll be avoiding Premier League players, and I’ll try my hardest to stick to about 200/250 words for each recommendation. The only difference between this and the first edition of the article is the fact that, I write, this time, with Liverpool remaining in contention for the trophy. What does that matter? Well, it might mean that I’m a little less bitter this time round - I still hate Atleti though. One more thing, I won't be talking about the superstars of the tournament - Messi, Mbappe, Milner, etc. - as one doesn’t need to be told to watch them. That’s about all, then. I hope that you enjoy it!

I started last year’s article with an Argentinian Atalanta player. Well, the Italian side have made it to the Champions League knockout round for a second consecutive year, and yet again, their star player hails from the land with a blue and white flag. Indeed, Cristian Romero - the man in question - is one of the revelations of this year’s tournament, finding himself sixth in the overall competition standings (based on his average match rating, which is 7.95 at time of writing), ahead of players like Ronaldo and Benzema. Romero, a 22 year old centre-half, is half-way through a 2 year loan in Bergamot from Juventus. I saw him shut-out Liverpool at Anfield in the penultimate fixture of this tournament’s group-stage, and I was mightily impressed. He passes more than the eye test, though, completing more interceptions per game than any other player in the competition (4.8 is his exact stat); as well as making 5.2 clearances per 90 (a figure which lands him in the overall tournament top 10 for this stat also), and he has 1 goal and 1 assist in 6 Champions League appearances this season. I would normally say something like, ‘I’m interested to see if he can maintain such impressive numbers against the tournament’s better offences’, but he’s done it against Liverpool already, and he almost kept the Galacticos quiet, with only 9 teammates, if not for a last-minute freak screamer from a Madrid defender. Why is he a ‘One to Watch’ then? Well, he’s an imposing figure on the pitch, and he plays for one of the weaker teams remaining in the tournament, so I’d say it’s worthwhile keeping an eye on him to see him in action - especially if Atalanta happen to match up with PSG or Dortmund (Romero v Haaland or Mbappe is a juicy prospect). Furthermore, despite his excellent standing amongst the world’s best players (on average rating) I’d say he’s rather unknown, so he deserves a little more attention for his efforts. He’ll have to negotiate a second-leg against Real Madrid before anything else though, so stay tuned for that!

Continuing on the South American theme, I’d like to guide your eyes over to the coastal city of Porto in Portugal (don’t worry, I know this isn’t South America), where Colombian winger Luis Diaz plies his trade for the local team (FC Porto). I can’t really afford to make such elaborate introductions on a 200 word budget (I can’t really afford to make observations like that either). Nevertheless, I want to properly set the stage for a footballer I’ve kept tabs on for a while - a footballer who is more than capable of putting on a show. Diaz first appeared on my radar when I saw him net a scorcher against Rangers in the Europa League last season; he repeated the feat against Citeh in the Champions League Group Stage this season, and then, only a few weeks ago, he bagged in Portugal’s version of the League Cup final. He’s most definitely got a goal in him for big games, then - something which makes him an interesting prospect for the business end of Europe’s premier tournament. In terms of his actual stats for the 2020/21 campaign - well - he’s scored 2 goals in 3 Champions League starts this season (on less than a shot per game), and he’s contributed to eight goals in 10 League starts for Porto too. Beyond this, I can tell you that Diaz completes one tackle per 90 in Europe, and he’s third in the Dragons’ Champions League squad (of players who’ve played 200 minutes or more in the competition) for dribbles completed per game too. I admit that I’m scraping the barrel with these stats, but they’re secondary to the evidence that I’ve acquired with my own eyes really. What one can deduce from these figures, though, is that Diaz is a bit of a wildcard: he dribbles, he tackles, he scores. It’s important for me to note here that Porto have had less possession than their opponents in every Champions League game they’ve played this year - if this continues into the tournament’s latter stages, Diaz might come alive as a counter-attacking threat. He’s fast and lethal, not needing many shots to score. Porto have a 2-1 lead over Juventus going into the second leg of their round of 16 tie: I’d imagine the Portuguese side will try and sit on their lead, and thus, if Diaz plays, he might have a chance to use his pace on the break. I’m keeping my eye out for this, and so should you be.

I’m continuing the allusion to last year’s article (as started in my choice of a second Argentinian from Atalanta) by turning to Paris Saint Germain’s ranks once again - but more specifically - I’m picking out another Italian who plays his home games in the Parc de Prince. Marco Verrati was my man of choice last time, but I won’t be recommending him again. That leaves only one person who fits these nationality/club criteria, then, and you’ll have to bear with me when I tell you who it is: Moise Kean. The 21-year-old striker signed for Everton last year for about £25million, but squarely flopped in his debut season on Merseyside (as I like to remind everyone on this website). It was much to everyone’s surprise, then, that the Italian bagged himself a move to the Champions League finalists in the 2020 summer transfer window (on loan). Kean’s switch to PSG acted like a needle up the arse: he’s finally showing signs of the potential that Everton paid for, having scored 10 goals (at time of writing) in 16 Ligue 1 starts, which makes him PSG’s second highest league scorer this season. More fittingly for this article, though, Kean has 3 goals and 1 assist in 4 Champions League starts this season, too - it’s quite a step up from his days of firing blanks against the likes of Norwich and Brighton. Indeed, he bagged a goal against Barca the other day. This is what put me onto him - it’s all well and good scoring goals against farmers in France’s domestic league, but netting against the crème of Europe’s crop is quite something different (although, Barca have been disgracefully poor recently). Truly, Kean’s been in scintillating form of late, with an average rating of 7.54, and 3 goals, in his last 4 club appearances in all competitions; I’d like to see how these pretty numbers stand up to a few more rounds with Europe’s best. He’ll certainly have his mettle tested in what remains of the Champions League for PSG: the French team have 3 of their starting attackers out injured (Neymar, Di Maria and Sarabia), so Moise is more-or-less guaranteed a game in PSG’s upcoming matches. Stats wise, barring Les Parisiens aforementioned injured players, Kean chalks up quite well: he’s third in the French team’s squad for shots per game in the Champions League (1.7 per 90 is what he can manage on average) and he completes more dribbles per game (1.3) than only one other available attacker as well. What you can say about Moise, as such, is that he’s a bit of a livewire - he means well. You’ve got to remember that the young Italian is in competition with Neymar and Mbappe - no less - for the striker spot in PSG’s squad, so I think it’s rather impressive that he’s scored so many goals this season. Anyway, I’m digressing here: what I’m really thrusting at is that, Kean has quietly revived himself this season, and I urge you to keep an eye out for him as such, if only to marvel at the remarkable difference a year makes. He couldn’t do it against Tim Krul and Grant Hanley, but can he do it against Manuel Neuer and Jerome Boateng?

It’s next stop: the Bernabeu for this article now, as I find that Real Madrid are always a safe-bet for advancing deep into the Champions League’s knockout rounds, even more so this year with the 1-0 away goal lead they currently hold over Atalanta. I want to hang my hat on someone who I feel has real legs yet in the competition; on the matter of which Galactico I’ve chosen, the lesser-known Lucas Vazquez recommended himself to me above all of his teammates. The baby-faced Spaniard is the quintessential ‘one to watch’ (as I understand the phrase), as he’s a bit of a grey man, but his stats - as you’ll find out in a minute - are seriously impressive and deserving of adulation. Although he’s naturally a winger, he’s played the majority of his games at fullback this season, as Madrid’s nominal players for this slot have been injured for large stretches of the season (and they don’t look like recovering any time soon). Vazquez has a similar ‘swiss-army knife’ quality to James Milner, in this regard. I don’t want to mislead you into thinking that he’s merely filling a hole in Madrid’s defence, though - no, Lucas has the statistical profile of a world-class career right-back (as did Milner when he played at left-back). He’s played the last four consecutive games for Madrid - at right back - in which time he got one assist and earned an excellent average rating of 7.6, as the team only conceded one goal. These excellent 360 minutes or so for Lucas might be viewed, accurately, as a microcosm for his whole season: he’s Madrid’s fourth best player in the League this season (on average rating), with 2 goals and 4 assists in 17 La Liga starts (14 of them at right back). We’re here for the Champions League, though, and I’m desperate to share my findings on Vazquez’ European exploits. The Spaniard has played five of his six continental games at right-back this season, amassing statistical excellence along the way: he averages 1.5 shots per game (4th highest of Madrid’s regular Champions League starters); 2.3 key passes per game (3rd in the same database for this); 1.5 crosses per game (first for this), and he makes more tackles per 90 than only one other Madrid player (with 2 tournament appearances or more). What’s the upshot of these numbers? Well, besides what I said earlier (that he’d kid anyone into mistaking him for a world class right back), one can tell from these figures that Lucas has been sensationally important for Madrid in Europe this season. He’s solid defensively with his tackling, and really effective offensively with his chance creation. I didn’t realise he’d been so good - as such - this season, but now the cat’s out of the bag, I want other people to enjoy him too. I’m excited to see him with my own eyes, given the form he’s in, in what’s left of the Champions League this season.

I’ll actually try and stick to my arbitrary 250 word limit for this, my final recommendation - there are several reasons for this, none of which I can delve into, as I’m on a 250 word budget. Leon Goretzka of Bayern Munchen is the man to finish my article; I struggle to think of a more underrated player in world football. The German midfielder has the bittersweet curse of operating alongside Joshua Kimmich in Bavaria: the latter is a superb player who lightens Goretzka’s load in the middle of the park, with a knack for scoring beautiful goals. Goretzka performs a similar role - to a greater extent - for Kimmich, without the beautiful goals (so much). The problem is, then, that only one player is really recognised for their efforts. That changes here. Mr. Goretzka has been marvellous in the Champions League this season, and is definitely deserving of more attention than he currently gets: he’s played 5 of Bayern’s European games in the 2020/21 campaign, contributing to 4 goals, and earning a sterling average rating of 7.41, along the way (which lands him in the overall tournament top 25 average ratings). The breadth of quality in his stats is rather breath-taking: he’s really been a fearsome force from the base of Bayern’s 4-2-3-1 on the continent this season. The German averages more shots per 90 than Thomas Muller (1.9 is the exact stat); he has a higher pass accuracy than all but one other Bayern player; he’s third amongst his teammates for interceptions, and for successful aerial duels, per game in Europe, not to mention his 1 key pass per match and security on the ball (he’s dispossessed less than once a game and takes less than one poor touch a game.) At risk of grinding you down with numbers, though, I’ll cut to the chase - Goretzka does it all, and he does it well. He mightn’t be rated in Bayern’s top 5 players (on average match rating) in the Champions League (which is strange), but he’s an undeniable engine all the same. This isn’t to say, by the way, that he’s just a boring cog in the German machine: Leon is capable of mazy runs and screaming long-shots, which should sell him to you as ‘one to watch’. Let’s be honest, Bayern are steamrolling their way to the Champions League semi-finals at least this season, so there’s plenty more to come from Goretzka this year. Please keep an eye out for it!

Keeping up tradition, I’m finishing this article with European kick-offs looming, which is rather problematic, as one or two of my recommendations are at risk of becoming redundant if their teams get knocked out tonight.  I apologise, therefore, for any gobbledygook in the latter parts of this post, as I had to rush it to completion. What I will say as a parting-shot is this: please consider watching out for the players that I mentioned in this article. I hope I succeeded in selling them as ‘ones to watch’, especially if you would’ve glossed over them usually. I tried to create a mix between statistically strong players, and players I have a whimsical fondness for - if that means anything. My eyes are now failing to register words on a screen, so goodbye. Thanks for reading.

Please tweet me @Torpaldo.