The Top 15 To Watch Out This Euro

1.) Cristiano Ronaldo : ( Portugal, Man U )
This man needs no introduction , already captured the footballing world by a storm . with more than 40 goals this season and two silver wares he will be raring to go for another medal to his ever mounting collection and be in countention for the ballen d’oore . he would be preferred in the wide right or left in the 4-2-3-1 system scolari generally plays with and would be given the freedom to float as he does with Mandchester. One player u surely can bet your money on for some serious goals


2.) Fernando Torres: (Espana, Liverpool)
Lot of questions were asked prior to his move to Liverpool weather he will be able to take the battering and acclimatize to the fast paced EPL , the EL NINO has proved the critics wrong with 24 goals this season in EPL and many more to his tally from UCL and other competitions . he will be the main head of the Spanish armada going forward with assistance from Ineista and Silva who will be expected to start on the flangs for the Spanish side. If there is a side which is ever more deserving then it this Spanish side with lot of youthful talent at their disposal.

3.) Cesc Fabregas : ( Espana, Arsenal)
If there is a perfect synonym for the famous adage “What goes around Comes around” then it this pocket dynamite from catalyuna, once considered by Barcelona that he is not upto the so called barcelona standards . but ever since adorning of the famous 4 jersey for gunners he is been all together a different player , spear heading the midfield for a club like Arsenal is no joke, his swift passing style and quick runs to the D can be piercing to the best defences in the world, with a starting position almost assured for this little Spaniard , partnering Xavi and Senna in the midfield he will have lot of roam to play his style .
4.) Jan-klaas Huntelaar: ( Dutch , Ajax)
This tall lanky figure astonished the whole footballing world with his clinical finishing and superior quality in the air, Averaging more than a goal a game he was a sensation in eredivse , it would be tough decision for van basten weather to go for the prolific young blood whos already drawn comparison to the legend himself or the experienced Ruud to partner robben and van persie upfront in the typicl dutch 4-3-3.
5.) Rafael van der Vaart: ( Dutch , Hamburg)
After a long absence from the international arena , this would be a make or break tournament for this highly talented Hamburg talisman . Off late he is started to show what he was expected off, partnering maduro and wesley in the midfield a lot will be depended on his shoulders to deliver to the ever demanding front line . he is known for a his immaculate long rangers and swift playmaking abilities which many big European clubs have been in search for . if all goes well a move to the giants of european football would be eminent .
6.) Luka Modric: ( Croatia , Zagreb )
This skinny looking guy from Zagreb was the soul reason for the Steve mclaren’s downfall . with string of awesome performances in international and domestic scene has earned him a permanent spot in Bilc’s starting eleven . an eye for a goal in every run he makes and his mesmerizing skill has earned him top honors in HVL league this season .
7.) Karim Benzema : ( France, Lyon )
This versatile lyon man has had a huge impact on the Eurpoean football and all the big clubs are already queeing up for his services , with ability to play in both the wings and also play as a lone striker , he will be very much the one who will be filling up the shoes of Zizou this summer , his presence would certainly mean one of the superstars will have to slip down to the bench most likely trezequet or Henry .

8.) Samir Nasri :( France , Marseille )
He is one of the main reasons for the recent upsurge of O Marseilles the southern France outfit has been in superior form compared to past few season and the all that success can be linked to the latest star in French arsenal . Nasri is a strong attacking midfielder, who, even at age 20, is often referred to as the “new Zinedine Zidane”, in part because of his upbringing in Marseille and his Algerian origins, but also because of the attacking style of play, powerful long-range strikes, and outstanding playmaking abilities the two of them share.

9.) Mario Gomez :( Deutschland, Stuttgart)
Germany’s Gain is certainly Spain’s Loss in the case of Mario , the half German half Spanish decided to wear the Deutscher colors. The main stay striker for the Die Roten was the main reason for them lifting the trophy last season ,. Having already won the accolades of best German player for the last season he has been turning few heads among the European footballing snobs .. Mr. Zuverlässig as he is commonly known would be partnering Klose up front in a very different looking German side ever since Klinsmen left.
10. Bastian Schweinsteiger :( Deutschland, Bayern)
A talented youth ski racer, he had to decide between pursuing a professional career in skiing and football at the age of 14 Having won the German youth championship in July 2002, Schweinsteiger quickly earned a place in the reserves, producing a string of solid third division displays. A left midfielder, he has a hard shot, great dribbling skills and is a specialist at set pieces. He can also play as a defensive midfielder or just behind the strikers. Ever since his appearance for the deutcher he has made the left position his with string of solid performances.
11.) Wesley Sneijder : ( Dutch , Real )
A product of the world-renowned AFC Ajax youth system, Wesley Sneijder’s route into the famous Dutch club started down the A2 in Utrecht. Initially ear-marked for a potential wide position, Sneijder seemingly innate ability on the ball changed the perception of him as a winger to a possible central-midfielder From his debut, Sneijder’s knack for knocking in belters from 20-30 yards was clear to see from everyone Wesley Sneijder’s role with l’Orange has mirrored his meteoric rise with his club side, but some argue that he has struggled to transfer his consistent club-form to the international stage. Although, impressively for a 23 year old Dutchman, Sneijder has still clocked up 35 games and managed to score 6 goals . with a brilliant season with Madrid this mercurial midfielder will be expecting to diverge all his attention to the euro and make a impact in the international scene

12.) Igor Akinfeev :( Russia, CSKA Moscow )
The Sole player in this list who guards the goal doesn’t need any introduction in the world football circuit, considered to be the most talented goalkeeeper in europe , He broke into the CSKA starting lineup at the age of 17, and has been the first-choice goalkeeper at the club ever since, gathering various honors including a UEFA Cup and Two National Championships. At just 6 feet tall he is considered by many one of the shortest in the business , but he Is been in Mr.Arsene wenger’s radar ever since he broke into the footballing helm .
13.) David Silva :( Espana, Valencia )
David Silva is versatile player; capable of playing on both the left or right of midfield, or as a traditional number 10. A player of slight build, he is often compared to Pablo Aimar, the player he replaced at Valencia. In fact Silva is wearing Aimar's trademark number 21 shirt. He will be trying to leave behind the Valencia’s worst ever season in top flight and make a impression on the international track.

14.) Andres Iniesta :( Espana, FC Barcelona )
Arguably one of the best player last season for Barcelona , he is been phenomenal in past few years with string of awesome performances up his sleeve , Iniesta played a pivotal part in Spain's qualification for Euro 2008 by scoring goals against the likes of Sweden and by assisting the strikers. Iniesta usually played in the middle of the park, but he was also trusted with roles further up the pitch when Spain was away from home, most notably in the game against Denmark where he was given an unfamiliar left wing position. Despite playing on the left, Iniesta proved that he could succeed by crossing the ball for strikers to score
15.) Alberto Aquillani ( Italia , Roma )
Strangely the only player from the world cup winning Italian side, this roman god is known for his long range screamers and astute passing ability and can play deep in the midfield cordoning the defense , he may not feature much in the Italian side this summer but sure he will be raring to go given a chance by the Dimwit Roberto , who seem to have trust issues with youth .

Barcelona and ther pathetic season …..


Conceding this seasons title to real wit a gap of more than ten points is no way considered a good one even though they did make it to the top four of the champions league , which I felt was more of a luck in there quarter final clash. For a team which runs on success , it is hard to believe that they been trophy less for more than 2 years , last season saw them conceding the title to real on the last day , thanks to series of mistakes by puyol and his men.

From the beginning there is been lot of problems in the team and all the attention was over the fitness and form of the great ronaldinho, barca haven’t really been with him during his bad time at the club, I felt it was rather harsh to leave him out of the squad most of the time with some mysterious illness, and it was the final finishing which was missing from Barcelona this season , well look at it this way Ronnie use to score on an avg 20 plus goals a season , and suddenly you take that away and try to replace him with a teenage prodigy its going to have serious repercussion .

Time has come for rijkard and his men to say adios and a new generation of players to grace the famous nou camp, its s a much awaited surprise this summer who are the ones going to replace the big guns , most likely the players to be axed would be Roanldinho ( possible destination milano) , Deco ( probably to Chelsea or Liverpool) , Lillain thuram ( time for u to hang up buddy) , ezqurro ( was never needed in the first place) , zambrota( world cup winner is no more the class once he was) , Eto’o( doesn’t seem like he was playing for barca at all ) , Henry( buddy spain is not your cup of coffee) . marquez ( the honeymoon is over) .

With the change of back room also expected , rijkard can surely count his days now at nou camp , it wont be surprising if they fired him after the El Clasico the kind of form they been in and frank doesn’t seem to have found the magical touch once he gelled this team together to dominate the European competitions , against manu barca played pretty well I thought except for the one mistake that costed them dear , and Yaya toure has been surely the player of the season , he has lived up to the expectation of the next viera a humungous figure in the midfield which gave the catalan side a rough edge to their game.

If not for the injuries of both Etoo and Messi barca could have been a different side all together , it was really nice to see messi performing when they really needed him , there u have the world class player . another player who stole the show was Bojan …only 17 and he has a really long way to go. The kind of temprement he has shown for this age is really remarkable, the one thing about barca is it’s a heaven for young prodigious talents like bojan, messi , dos santos and rijkard I felt was the right man to bring them to the first team and groom them to be the world class players they always use to produce.

Only time will tell who will replace rijkard , the possible targets are mourinho whom I feel will be brilliant signing , a tactician and a master when it comes to man management . and he is suited to take charge of a huge club like barca for his flamboyant style . but this would alter there current system of play as they use to play the traditional dutch style 4-3-3. will be reverted back to 4-4-2 a less attacking one . and messi having to play more as a winger than a floating attacking midfielder , and also it would mean either iniesta or xavi could start the game . the favorite to take over is Pepe guardiola a legend when he was at nou camp but I feel barca now need some one who Is really experienced like jose , not sure of the style he will adopt but as usual the cryuff factor always come in so I wont be surprised if any Dutch coach is shortlised .

Some of the new signings expected this summer could be klass huntelar ( considered by many as the next Van basten and he has proven it in international as well as domestic seen ) , Daniel alves ( he would be a perfect replacement for gianluca , with him barca could be more adventurous as if there is no dearth of it now.) , alxander hleb ( well I guess by now many would have raised ther eye brows but he is one who is prefect to fill the void left behind by Ronnie ) , kaka ( if he is available it wont be bad to try him even though he is already half madridian ) , robinho ( I always felt he was in a wrong club and barca would be the ideal set up for him , for his flare and trickeries) . bastian swenstiner ( with his pace and dribbling skills would be a good bet in spain ) .

For all my speculation only time will tell whats really instore for us , I hope been a barca fan I get to see more of them in winning ways than just loosing away , may be the el classico was not our this year but we shall come back to answer the critics next season
Long live Barcelona. J