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Oxlade-Chamberlain, El Shaarawy, Xhaka & the teenage wonderkids to watch out for in the Champions League last 16
Though it’s the established stars who are making the headlines before the forthcoming European matches, here is a list of young guns who could grab the spotlight
Feb 14, 2012 9:30:00 AM
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SPECIAL
by Robin Bairner
The last 16 of the Champions League is where the European action really starts to heat up. With the competition switching to a knockout format, the pressure really mounts, and this is the point where heroes and villains are made as one moment of brilliance could be decisive.
Inevitably, the main focus will be drawn on established stars such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but there is also a new generation of players itching to burst onto the spotlight.
With this in mind, Goal.com has selected a number of the best teenagers who could play vital roles in the latter stages of Europe’s premier club tournament, as these men will be the stars of tomorrow.
With Toni Kroos now seen as a strictly attacking midfielder, David Alaba will be entrusted with the task of filling in for the injured Bastian Schweinsteiger in defensive midfield. Still just 19 years of age, the Austria international made his full debut two years ago, and has become a key substitute for Jupp Heynckes this term. Capable of playing as a full-back, winger, or in central midfield, Alaba is a complete footballer.
El Shaarawy is threatening to have a real season of two halves as he continues to push his way into Massimiliano Allegri's first-team plans after a start to the campaign in which he was largely overlooked.
Struggling for league starts and left out of the Champions League squad for the group stages, the Italo-Egyptian was linked with a possible loan move back to Genoa before his performance against Novara in the last 16 of the Coppa Italia broke the back of his bad luck.
Since then he has rediscovered the form which made him one of the stars of Serie B last term, when his excellent forward play helped Padova to the play-off final.
An expert at picking up space between the lines, El Shaarawy has quick feet, good vision and is not afraid to shoot on sight. His execution is generally superb, and his movement is such that defenders have real trouble stopping him having a say in the game.
Musa did not waste any time to make a name for himself in his native country as he was crowned the top scorer in the Nigerian league at the tender age of 17 with 18 strikes, breaking a 20-year-old record in the process.
He then deliberately joined a relatively small team to kick-start his European career, and again impressed right from the start at VVV. Musa scored crucial goals in the relegation play-offs to keep his side in the Dutch top tier in his first season, while he made the headlines again in his second year in Venlo. His blistering pace caused Ajax all kinds of trouble earlier this season, with Musa netting a double to help VVV to a hard-fought draw, before eventually leaving the club for CSKA Moscow in January.
Although still too inconsistent to be considered a player of the highest level, there's little doubt that Musa has a bright future ahead of him.
Despite featuring just once in the Premier League in the first half of the season for Arsenal, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has now firmly cemented himself in Arsene Wenger's plans following a number of excellent displays since the turn of the year. The youngster has built on an impressive first league start for the club against Manchester United in January to earn a first-XI place in each of the Gunners' last four matches.
Wenger, who was booed for substituting the 18-year-old against United, insists Oxlade-Chamberlain still needs time to adjust to top-flight football, though, and has given the player a full 90 minutes just once in his 13 appearances in all competitions this season. The last-16 clashes with AC Milan present a perfect chance for the former Southampton midfielder and England hopeful to make his first major impression on the European stage.
Born in Cameroon, Umtiti has already been capped by France at Under-19 level and has made a significant impression after only a handful of appearances in Lyon’s first team. Drafted in to start in the heart of the defence due to a crisis that saw four senior players unavailable, the young defender has impressed to such an extent that he’s now poised to be handed his first professional contract with les Gones.
He has shown great maturity and mental strength when he’s played, but in the recent 2-2 draw against Marseille in Ligue 1, he was rather manhandled by the OM attack, and this is one aspect of his game that will have to improve if he’s to make it all the way to the top. Along with Saint-Etienne’s Kurt Zouma and Real Madrid’s Rafael Varane, it seems that France have a really good crop of young central defenders waiting to break through.
Jose Mourinho has been accused of short-termism in the past and even though he is unlikely to stay too much longer at the Santiago Bernabeu, the Portuguese has claimed he is building a team for the next decade. Mesut Ozil is still only 23, Angel Di Maria is 24 today (February 14), while summer signings Nuri Sahin and Jose Callejon are 23 and 25, respectively.
But the youngest of them all is defender Raphael Varane. The Frenchman joined Madrid in the summer after some choice words from Zinedine Zidane and is seen as a key player for the future at the capital club. Although expected to play little this term, Varane has already made nine appearances for Real, including three in Europe, and could yet feature in the latter stages of the competition.
That will be a tough ask with Ricardo Carvalho now back from injury and Sergio Ramos excellent in his new role at centre-back, but with Raul Albiol out of favour and Varane looking impressive, as well as surprisingly mature so far for Madrid, he could be given a chance - particularly if there are injuries for Mourinho's side. And if not, there is plenty more to come for the Frenchman in his blossoming career in the capital.
Pushed into the shadows a little by Xherdan Shaqiri, who is a year older, central playmaker Granit Xhaka is another rising star of the Swiss game, regarded as a talent every bit as good as his team-mate. He’s already been capped a number of times by the national side, despite his tender years, and he’s also played a key role in pushing Basel into the Champions League last 16.
Already many top European clubs are taking a look at the Kosovo-born ace, with Manchester United, whom Xhaka helped spectacularly eliminate in the group stages, unsurprisingly on the hunt for a player valued at around the €12 million mark. Sir Alex Ferguson reportedly sees the youth as the long-term replacement to Paul Scholes, and he’ll see the forthcoming ties as a way of increasing his burgeoning reputation further.
Follow Robin Bairner on
by Robin Bairner
The last 16 of the Champions League is where the European action really starts to heat up. With the competition switching to a knockout format, the pressure really mounts, and this is the point where heroes and villains are made as one moment of brilliance could be decisive.
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Inevitably, the main focus will be drawn on established stars such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but there is also a new generation of players itching to burst onto the spotlight.
With this in mind, Goal.com has selected a number of the best teenagers who could play vital roles in the latter stages of Europe’s premier club tournament, as these men will be the stars of tomorrow.
| DAVID ALABA | Bayern Munich |
 Read more on Alaba |
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| STEPHAN EL SHAARAWY | AC Milan |
 Read more on El Shaarawy |
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Struggling for league starts and left out of the Champions League squad for the group stages, the Italo-Egyptian was linked with a possible loan move back to Genoa before his performance against Novara in the last 16 of the Coppa Italia broke the back of his bad luck.
Since then he has rediscovered the form which made him one of the stars of Serie B last term, when his excellent forward play helped Padova to the play-off final.
An expert at picking up space between the lines, El Shaarawy has quick feet, good vision and is not afraid to shoot on sight. His execution is generally superb, and his movement is such that defenders have real trouble stopping him having a say in the game.
| AHMED MUSA | CSKA Moscow |
 Read more on Musa |
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He then deliberately joined a relatively small team to kick-start his European career, and again impressed right from the start at VVV. Musa scored crucial goals in the relegation play-offs to keep his side in the Dutch top tier in his first season, while he made the headlines again in his second year in Venlo. His blistering pace caused Ajax all kinds of trouble earlier this season, with Musa netting a double to help VVV to a hard-fought draw, before eventually leaving the club for CSKA Moscow in January.
Although still too inconsistent to be considered a player of the highest level, there's little doubt that Musa has a bright future ahead of him.
| ALEX OXLADE-CHAMBERLAIN | Arsenal |
 Read more on Oxlade-Chamberlain |
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Wenger, who was booed for substituting the 18-year-old against United, insists Oxlade-Chamberlain still needs time to adjust to top-flight football, though, and has given the player a full 90 minutes just once in his 13 appearances in all competitions this season. The last-16 clashes with AC Milan present a perfect chance for the former Southampton midfielder and England hopeful to make his first major impression on the European stage.
| SAMUEL UMTITI | Olympique Lyonnais |
 Read more on Umtiti |
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He has shown great maturity and mental strength when he’s played, but in the recent 2-2 draw against Marseille in Ligue 1, he was rather manhandled by the OM attack, and this is one aspect of his game that will have to improve if he’s to make it all the way to the top. Along with Saint-Etienne’s Kurt Zouma and Real Madrid’s Rafael Varane, it seems that France have a really good crop of young central defenders waiting to break through.
| RAPHAEL VARANE | Real Madrid |
 Read more on Varane |
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But the youngest of them all is defender Raphael Varane. The Frenchman joined Madrid in the summer after some choice words from Zinedine Zidane and is seen as a key player for the future at the capital club. Although expected to play little this term, Varane has already made nine appearances for Real, including three in Europe, and could yet feature in the latter stages of the competition.
That will be a tough ask with Ricardo Carvalho now back from injury and Sergio Ramos excellent in his new role at centre-back, but with Raul Albiol out of favour and Varane looking impressive, as well as surprisingly mature so far for Madrid, he could be given a chance - particularly if there are injuries for Mourinho's side. And if not, there is plenty more to come for the Frenchman in his blossoming career in the capital.
| GRANIT XHAKA | Basel |
 Read more on Xhaka |
|
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Already many top European clubs are taking a look at the Kosovo-born ace, with Manchester United, whom Xhaka helped spectacularly eliminate in the group stages, unsurprisingly on the hunt for a player valued at around the €12 million mark. Sir Alex Ferguson reportedly sees the youth as the long-term replacement to Paul Scholes, and he’ll see the forthcoming ties as a way of increasing his burgeoning reputation further.
Follow Robin Bairner on
| Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets! |
|
| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
| Sign up with Paddy Power - Bet £10, Get £20! |
|
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